Cal States and UC's

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m a pretty average student. I calculated my GPA for the Cal States and UC’s and it’s a 3.86. My SAT score is a 1250 right now but I plan to retake it two more times hopefully getting a 1300. I’ve taken APUSH, AP World, AP Lang, and AP Latin. I am taking AP Lit and AP Gov right now. I also took honors classes for English and Math sophomore year. I’m taking Pre-Calc Honors right now as well.

  • Cal State Long Beach
  • San Diego State
  • Chico State (Almost positive I'll get in)
  • San Jose State (Pretty Sure I'll get in as well)
  • UC Santa Cruz
  • UC Riverside
  • UC Davis (I feel like this is where I'm reaching the most)
  • Cal Poly (Also feels like a big reach)

I’m a California Resident.
I’m Hispanic.
I’m female.
I’m bilingual. I speak fluent Spanish and English. Spanish is my first language.
I am first generation American and first generation college student.
I am also graduating early, I don’t know if that is helpful in any way.

I did a leadership program at my school junior year and now senior year where we are mentors to the freshmen.
I’m in a club that I’ve been in since junior year which I am now the secretary of. It’s a very well respected club at my school and in my city. There is a college equivalent. Lots of service done within the community. I was in another club last year and was involved but decided against joining again this year since I didn’t really care about what we were doing even though it was objectively “good”. Should I join again this year just for the purpose of college apps?
I have also been in Latin Club for the past four years. I have done other volunteer work but never gave it to my school since I knew the leadership program would give me the 60 hours required to graduate. I was involved with yearbook my junior year but I don’t know if that counts as an EC since it was a class. I joined three more clubs this year but I don’t know if I should add them since they’re more for me. It’s a sustainable environment club, a club aimed at latinos, and an organization that helps foster kids.
I also edit videos on the side but it’s for my own personal enjoyment. I have been doing it for the past couple of years and have grown a decent following from it.

I also tutor little kids but I’m paid in cash by their parents so I don’t know if that counts as a job. I started sophomore year and in total have worked with eight kids.
I also babysit and have been doing so since freshmen year. It’s been the same couple of kids for the past four years. I’ve been trying to find another job but have been too occupied with school and figuring out colleges to seriously look at it. I feel like it doesn’t matter now if I find one since it would be so close to when college apps are due.
During the couple of months between graduation (in January) and the start of the fall semester I will 100% be working.

I want to major in history or international studies but I’m unsure if I should apply as undecided to the UC’s.

Also what school do you think is better, UC Santa Cruz or San Diego State, on the off chance I get into both because I’m pretty split since they’re my top two at the moment.

Basically I want to know how much of a chance I have at the schools I listed and if I should add any or take away any.

2

UC’s and CSU’s do not consider race/ethnicity in their admission decisions but first generation is considered.

Cal states:
They admit by eligibility index and major with the exception of Cal poly SLO which uses MCA points. EC’s are not considered, it is based on your GPA, Test scores, HS course rigor and if you are in the local service area. Are any of the Cal states local for you? That Cal state would be a safety.

CSU’s do superscore the SAT and ACT so it is to your advantage to have multiple sittings.

Your EI is (3.86 x 800)+ (1250)= 4338

SDSU average EI was 4459 so I would say a slight reach. No International Studies but International Business.

CSULB average EI was 4359 so you are near the average so a Match school.

SJSU’s EI for History was 2950. No International studies but Business was 3100 so solid Safety.

CSU Chico EI of 3700+ target makes you competitive.

Cal Poly Pomona average EI was 4289 so a Match.

Cal Poly SLO uses 9-11th grades with an 8 semester honors point cap for their GPA so you need to recalculate. They use MCA points and rank by major so below is the MCA calculator. SLO does consider EC hours and leadership roles.

https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

https://mca.netlify.com/

Target at least a 4500+ MCA.

UC’s:
Your UC GPA is below the averages for all the UC’s listed but your current SAT is within range and bumping up the score can definitely help your chances.

Averages are as follows:
UCM: 3.73
UCR: 3.90
UCSC: 3.96
UCD: 4.13

SAT 25TH-75TH PERCENTILE:
UCM: 1020-1300
UCR: 1130-1400
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCD: 1230-1490

Your best chances would be at UCM, UCR and UCSC but UCD is still possible with strong essays and you have good EC’s.

Best of luck, apply widely and I would add another UC such as Irvine and Santa Barbara as a Reach school since you never know.

3

Regarding which school to choose from UCSC and SDSU. Do not put the cart before the horse. You need to get accepted first and you will have plenty of time to determine which schools would be the best fit.

Items to consider before decisions are in:

  1. Will all schools be affordable based on the Net Price Calculators? What is your College budget and will you need financial aid to attend?

  2. You can research course requirements and course selections for each campus and see which schools offer the best and more specific courses of interest for you.

  3. Going Undeclared at the UC’s will not give you a bump. Since you are leaning towards History/International studies, the UC’s listed do not admit by major in the College of Letters and Sciences. Check what is required if you do select Undeclared and want to declare a specific major.

4

i wouldn’t bother retaking the SAT again, your score is solid as it is and another 50 pts isn’t going to open any doors. Take the time you would spend studying and do something fun…
Here’s my take on your chances

  • Cal State Long Beach - highly likely
  • San Diego State - probably
  • Chico State highly likely
  • San Jose State - highly likely
  • UC Santa Cruz coin - toss
  • UC Riverside - probably
  • UC Davis - probably not
  • Cal Poly - probably not

I’d add Sonoma, the campus is pretty, it is small for a CSU, highly residential, the weather is great and its close enough to the beach… if you haven’t checked it out, you should take a tour before ruling it out.

good luck