Students at Fremont Federation should have an easier time getting into the University of California, thanks to changes in the college system’s admissions requirements.

Starting with the class of 2012, students will no longer have to take the SAT Subject Tests. They only have to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT with Writing.

There were 22,000 students who would have been eligible for UC, but did not take the SAT Subject Tests. The university system believes the change will help qualify more students from urban schools.

Mandela counselor Ana Vasquez explained that although students at Mandela usually take the SAT Subject Tests if they qualify for UC admission, it’s not a bad thing that they’re getting rid of it.

Vasquez said it would be one less thing that students would have to go through and one less deadline to meet.

Another change UC is making is that students who complete 11 of their 15 A-G requirements and have a 3.0 weighted grade-point average by the end of their junior year will now be able to have their applications reviewed by the university. The university has decided to review more applications to look for students who might not have the top grades or standardized test scores in the state, but who have overcome hardships or who have interesting life stories to tell.

That means that students from schools like Fremont Federation are more likely to see their applications considered by UC than in the past.

Media Academy senior Emely Srimoukda thinks that reviewing applications rather than just test scores and grades will be helpful to many students like herself.

"I know my GPA doesn't really let the UCs know how smart I am," she said. "I have problems outside of school that I have to focus on and it's not fair that I didn't get into any UCs because of it."

Pilar Dawson, the new Mills Education Talent Search counselor for Fremont, agrees that the personal statements are more important than grades.

"It’s not fair that they just look at your test scores because sometimes you have a bad time with the test," she said. "Your personal statement is like getting another chance."

But not everyone in California is happy with the changes.

"I'm tired of the demand that poor kids have the same access to higher education as us so called 'wealthy' people," wrote UC mother Susan Miller in a Feb. 9 Internet post to U.S. News & World Report. "If the freeloaders of society want to go to college, then they should work for a few years and save money to pay for it."