Anxious & ambitious intl student seeking HELP! Chance me for UCs, BU, etc + Categorize my list!!!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi everyone. I have been on this site for quite some time now, but this post right here is my first ever; so please, I kindly ask, be gentle- feel free to make me feel like sh*t though, lol.

The basics: I am a Spanish-Japanese international student/rising senior. I am a US citizen though (born in NYC), does that do anything? As for financial aid, I don’t really need it.

Disclaimer: I am a horrible test-taker. If this situation could not get any worse, I also badly slacked off my sophomore year. I was basically kind of lackadaisical throughout my high school career, which is a major regret of anybody’s. I had some health issues (anxiety & depression), which may have contributed to my nonchalance. On the contrary, I do have a good number of ECs (charity/volunteer work, school events organizer, yearbook editor, sales representative at my uncle’s business, unpaid tutor + badminton, writing, piano, dance, and volleyball as hobbies for a few years too), but for the sake of your reading this, I won’t be mentioning them in full-detail here.

SAT I - a sad 1860 (with a 10/12 essay), which translates to a 1330 on the new SAT
ACT - 27C = 33E27M22R24S, retaking two more times in the fall and aiming for around a 30
GPA - My school’s system is very confusing; we don’t have a 4.0 scale or a 5.0 one. In lieu of those, we grade over a 100. I normally get honors of 90-92 (a combination of As and Bs), but when I slacked off freshman and junior years, I got 87s and 89s (probably because I got 2 Cs in Physics - I know, yikes). I know most universities don’t mind students’ senior grades, but I hope to graduate with a 93-94. Based on the GPA calculating websites I’ve seen, my GPA is a 3.7 - am I right? Please correct me if otherwise.

Intended major - I am still a little undecided, but my interests are business management/administration, corporate law, and communications or philosophy as a minor.

Now, for the harsh part… categorizing. Also, feel free to add universities to my list. I am open to other schools, but I really like those in New York and California, if it isn’t obvious enough.
Reaches:
UCLA
USC
UCSD
UCSB

Targets:
Boston University
George Washington University
UCI
U of Miami
NYU

Safeties:
Chapman University
Loyola Marymount University
Pepperdine (I am aware of the convocation sessions, but as a Christian, attending those isn’t problem-causing.)
Syracuse University
Binghamton University
Stony Brook University
UCM/UCR/UCSC - although I don’t really plan on applying to any of those

Recommendations should be all right. My college prep tutor really liked me.
Essays should be pretty good.

Any input is gladly appreciated :slight_smile: Thank you so much to anyone who offers feedback!

2

My high school also does not offer any AP classes.

3

What is your UC GPA? https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

Are you CERTAIN that your family can pay around $250,000 for four years as well?

4

My mistake. I did not mean to say “I slacked off freshman and junior years” rather, I slacked off freshman and SOPHOMORE years! Junior year I redeemed myself! So there is upward trend with regards to my GPA.

5

If you were born in the US you’re a US citizen, but I think you’ll be considered OOS at all public colleges. Your ACT is on the low side for [Stony Brook and Binghamton](https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/summary-sheets/Admissions_qf_stateop.pdf). Try to get that to a ~30.

6

If your parents are OK with the costs of being OOS for all the UC’s, I think your list is realistic for the most part. UC GPA is important and even for UCI, you want a 4.0+ for the best chances. Chapman/Pepperdine and LMU are not safeties with your current test scores and GPA? More of a Match.

Calculate your UC GPA as stated above ^^^ and repost. I also think you need to increase your test scores for a solid chance at the majority of your target schools on the list.

Good Luck.

7

@Byteman To my knowledge, yes.
@austinmshauri It’s fine, Stony Brook and Binghamton aren’t really on the top of my mind when it comes to safeties. May I ask if you know my status for the others?
@Gumbymom I am beyond thrilled to see your reply; you almost always chance UC applicants, and in a such pragmatic way. I was hoping if you could do the same- divide my list into low match/high match/low reach/high reach? Do you think I have a shot at the universities? I thought that those 3 you have mentioned were safeties, according to freshman profiles and statistics of other accepted students I saw on here.

General question: I don’t have AP classes and am not in an IB grading system in my high school, therefore calculating the UC GPA really confuses me. Is it the same as a 5.0-scaled GPA? Or is it over a 4.0 one? I don’t understand how some have 5+ UC GPAs… What is the highest possible UC GPA? Isn’t it a 4.0?

8

I think you are being overly optimistic given your test scores. While I’m not familiar with the UC system, I think the rest of the schools you have listed as safeties are really matches, and those you have listed as matches are really reaches. You need to find some real safeties.

9

For Safeties, you should be comfortably above the 75th percentile, that is why Chapman/Pepperdine and LMU are more a Match. The UC’s are very GPA focused and your test scores put you below average for all but 4 UC’s (URM/UCR/UCSC and UCI).

The UC GPA calculator is on a 5 point scale giving you an unweighted, weighted Capped UC GPA and Fully weighted UC GPA. Capped weighted is 4.33 but uncapped weighted could be up to 5.0.
As an OOS/International applicant, only AP/IB or DE courses give you the extra honors points. Also you need to make sure you meet all the a-g UC requirements including a year of a Visual/Performing arts course.

10

Check each schools’s Common Data Set for their ACT/SAT and GPA ranges.If you’re on the lower end it’s a reach. If you’re at or above the 75th percentile and the school is affordable and you’d be happy to attend, it’s a safety.

11

75% still doesn’t automatically mean safety. You can be at or above 75% on a top 20 and still a reach unless your your parent has a name on the building or high ranking politician.

At 75% means you have a better chance but not safety.

12

I agree with @Sportsman88 Also, being above the 75th percentile can be detrimental to your chances as well. USC and NYU in particular are less likely to take highly scoring applicants.

13

@boulders and @Sportsman88 This student has a 27 ACT. For the type of schools where a 27 is above 75% your comments don’t apply. It’s true that you need to be careful about this if you are a very high stats student or applying to top 20 schools, but that doesn’t apply to this OP.

14

As previously stated, I am quite ambitious and a weak test-taker as well. Thank you for your honest responses though @me29034 @bouders @Sportsman88
I have since then come up with more realistic safety schools, and here they are:
Rutgers University
Fordham University
University of San Francisco
RIT

If I get my ACT score to around 30-31 (I have been getting 30s on my practice tests), do I have a chance of getting in some of my target schools? I’m getting really anxious already—do I actually have hope?

If anyone can suggest some universities (targets and safeties) I would gladly appreciate it. Thank you!

15

Your ACT is all right, but if you can get it to a 30, your chances would be higher. Your SAT is okay, but do remember that several students are admitted to schools like you’ve mentioned with just an 1800. If you take the new SAT and get 1400, then I could see you being a bit more of a competitive applicant.

On a 4.0 scale, your GPA seems pretty good since you do not have an IB system, AP classes, and UW & W GPA scales.

Your list seems pretty realistic. Do note that getting admitted to your reach schools may not be so probable, but it is possible. I think UCI is more of a safety/match though.

For the schools you mentioned in your comment:
USF - safety
Rutgers - safety
RIT - safety
Fordham - match

Good luck.