I am a rising senior and I was hoping to find out whether I have a chance at any of the UC schools. I am out of state, but I do not need any financial aid.
GPA: 4.0 UW (4.4 W)
SAT: 2150 (I know this is kinda low…)
ACT: 33 w/o writing, 34 w/ writing
SAT II: 740 in Literature, going to take Math I and Biology hopefully those scores will be in the 700s as well
Ranked in the top 3 of my class
I’ve taken all AP Classes available to me and I go to a rigorous Texas high school. 10 AP’s total, 5’s on all so far
State: TX
Gender: F
Hooks: Hispanic, so URM? Fluent in Spanish
Hoping to major in biology
My Senior Course Load is all AP’s
Interned at a library
Volunteered about 100 hours at a local Humane Society
Volunteered 50 hours at a Nursing Home
72 volunteer hours for school (lifeguard, at elementary schools, beach clean ups, etc)
Started my own tutoring program
Member of the Spirit Club
Founder of a Book Club
(Treasurer) of French Club
Member of NHS for 3 years now
Yearbook (Business Manager, Junior Editor, and Editor in Chief)
Science Club Member
Student Council (Secretary)
Varsity Cheerleader (CoCaptain)
I’ve won several academic awards and I’ve had several essays published in various literary magazines.
I know my essays will be good (probably 9-10/10)
I’ve done some other extracurriculars but for the purpose of staying anonymous I’ll leave those out.
Thanks in advance for all the help!
You have a decent chance at all schools, UCLA and Cal will be a stretch though.
Are you sure you won’t need financial aid? UC’s are very expensive for OOS students.
Thank you and yes I’m sure about the financial aid!
Well then, the best of luck! I noticed you have past success with essays, so I’m sure you’ll do great on that potion of the app.
You have a good shot at all of them but I don’t recommend UC’s for OOS students unless you’re completely sure you want to go there
Hispanic is not a hook for UC’s at least. GPA is good, test scores are good. SAT 2: Don’t take Math 1, it is nearly useless. Take Math 2, the UC’s and most other schools all prefer Math 2 to Math 1.
Great shot at the College of L&S for all the UC’s.
One flaw?: Letters of Rec. How well do your teachers know you? You can send in letters of recs to UC’s now so good ones will be vital.
Also, why do you want to major in biology? Perhaps something you can do this summer related to biology? I see your EC’s have a lot of leadership (which is good) but nothing specifically related to biology to demonstrate (except maybe science club, don’t know what you did there).
Letters won’t be a problem, I’m very close to all my teachers and I am on very good terms with all of them! All have said that they would be happy to write a letter if I need one. Thanks for the advice!
UC’s do not accept letters of recommendation and as stated above, banned affirmative action so being Hispanic will not help your chances.
From the UC Website:
UC does not require (nor read) letters of recommendation at the time of application. A campus may ask for them later as part of a supplemental review, so be sure to check your email.
You are a competitive applicant and you have a good chance at all the UC’s although UCLA/UCB are always tough. Only issue I see in being OOS is the cost. UC’s offer little to no financial aid to OOS applicants, so expect to pay $55K/year for the priviledge of attending. Good Luck.
