Google UCLA Letter

About two weeks ago I sent a letter to UCLA Admission Center and this is what they replied:

Hello,

Each year UCLA admits an extraordinary group of students. We have carefully designed our review process to ensure fairness and expand opportunity. To select students for our freshman class, we perform a holistic review of all applications to UCLA. As admission to UCLA is highly selective, it is crucial that freshman applicants present complete pictures of themselves, their educational histories, and their personal perspectives by thoroughly and carefully completing the application.

How UCLA Selects Its Freshman Class
UCLA selects its freshman class through a holistic approach in which all of your achievements, both academic and non-academic, are considered in the context of the opportunities you have had and how fully you have taken advantage of those opportunities. 
We consider the following academic elements:
* Academic grade point average (GPA), calculated using 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses only.
* Performance on standardized tests: the ACT Assessment Plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test, and two optional SAT Subject Tests in two different subject areas [English, history and social studies, mathematics (Math Level 2 only), science, or language].

* The strength of your senior year program. 
* Quality, quantity, and level of course work taken throughout your entire high school program, especially course work completed beyond the minimum a-g courses required for eligibility to the University of California.
* The strength of the program taken within the context of the high school you attended.
* A progressively challenging academic program, including the number of and performance in college preparatory, honors, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and transferable college courses; mastery of academic subjects as demonstrated by high grades and exam results; and presence of summer session/inter-session courses that enhance academic progress. 
* Passing scores on AP or IB exams.
* Sustained participation in activities that develop academic and intellectual abilities.
* Honors and/or awards in recognition of academic, intellectual, or creative achievement.
We are also very interested in your personal development and background, and we use these elements from the application to increase our understanding of you as a whole person. Consequently, the personal statement forms an integral part of our review process. We consider the following:

* Your likely contribution to the intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus.
* Your personal background and experience.
* Extensive leadership and initiative in school and/or community organizations and activities.
* Exceptional achievements, such as recognition for special talents or extracurricular activities.
* Employment or personal responsibilities.
* Overcoming life challenges relating to personal or family situations, social or economic difficulties, lack of educational opportunities, or challenges particular to the urban or rural environment.
The personal statement portion of the application allows you to provide information that will give us more insight about you during the review process. The information the University seeks in the personal statement should add clarity, richness, and meaning to the information in the other parts of the application. Your personal statement should enable you to make the best possible case for admission. You should respond to both questions and share with us the accomplishments, perspectives, experiences, and talents that are important to you. The personal statement should reflect your perspectives and should complement, not repeat, the information included elsewhere in your application. Please see our information page on the personal statement for more information about writing yours.

Your academic and personal achievements are considered in the context of your educational circumstances, with an emphasis on the opportunities or challenges presented to you and your response to them. Because our admission process is comprehensive as well as holistic, no single attribute or characteristic guarantees the admission of any applicant to UCLA.

Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools review applicants to the College of Letters and Science. Freshman applicants to the College of Letters and Science are reviewed without regard for major. Therefore, no Letters and Science major (including Undeclared) is more or less selective than any other. Representatives from all other schools-the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; the School of the Arts and Architecture; the School of Nursing; and the School of Theater, Film, and Television-review their respective applicants and admit students by major. The portfolio/audition is the primary consideration in the review of applicants to the School of the Arts and Architecture and the School of Theater, Film, and Television. Applicants to the School of Nursing must submit a supplemental application.