<p>We are California residents, and as I have been reading threads on CC, I have one question that continually stands out in my mind. My kids are at one of the top ranked school districts in CA, and therefore, it is extremely competitive. I have no doubt that my senior daughter should have done somewhat better with her GPA (about a 3.3). On the other hand, I have no doubt that if we lived in some of the different districts in our geographic area that she would have earned a higher GPA. This is somewhat confirmed by her 97-99% scores in SAT and ACT testing. I see many people chancing for UCs and CSUs on CC that have far lower test scores but higher GPAs than she does, and those people are often told they are a "shoe in" for whatever university they are asking about. This discrepancy indicates to me (maybe incorrectly) that their schools are not as rigorous as our high school (e.g., someone reporting that they have a 4.0 GPA and 1800 SAT scores). Yet I have no such confidence that my daughter has any chance of getting into some of these even mid-tier UCs. So I guess my question is, how do the UCs and CSUs evaluate this aspect of applications? Way back in my day (25 years ago), I think UCs gave more weight to test scores; now I hear it is more to grades. Does anyone have any thoughts on this topic?</p>
<p>CSUs (except Maritime and SLO) admit by eligibility index, major, and residency.
<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU;
<p>UCs have a holistic review. You may want to read the Hout report for how the process at Berkeley works.
<a href=“http://academic-senate.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/committees/aepe/hout_report_0.pdf[/url]”>http://academic-senate.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/committees/aepe/hout_report_0.pdf</a></p>
<p>Well, without reading a 66 page report, my question is how they compare GPAs, say at Lowell HS in SF vs. a lower performing school with a high drop out rate. Are all GPA’s treated the same when it comes to the admissions process?</p>
<p>To put it quite simply, no, they are not. UCs, as well as private schools, get a school report and look over this report prior to reading the applications from students at that school. This report goes in depth about the high school and its academic rigor - they know some schools are more competitive than others and they know that not all GPAs are the same. That is why they judge based on the success of the student given the environment (classes made available to him/her). They will see how high other GPAs at the school are to help decide if the lower GPA is not truly representative of the student. </p>
<p>As a side note, I wouldn’t classify all other school districts nearby as academically inferior so quickly. Lowell may have a large base of academically strong students, but that doesn’t mean other schools don’t have any. A 4.0 isn’t easy at most schools. Just my experience coming from an inner city Oakland public high school.</p>
<p>Is 3.3 her UC/CSU GPA? Most kids GPA goes up with the UC calculation because they only use 10th and 11th, only count A-G courses and only weight up to 8 semesters of honors/AP/IB/Duel classes. Did she take any weighted classes? If the 3.3 is her UC GPA and includes the weights then yes, it’s a low GPA for the most of the UC’s. Lucky for her, the UC’s use holistic admissions. Grades, Scores and Essay will all play a part. The CSU’s are straight grades and scores but many accept lower GPA’s.</p>
<p>I would never suggest that an 1800 SAT is not capable of a 4.0 unless the curriculum was low level. The SAT has not been considered a good correlation to IQ for many years. Not all kids test well. Some kids test well but don’t handle the responsibilities and structure of school as well. 1800 is in the 80th percentile which is plenty high enough for a student to do well in difficult courses.</p>
<p>As for schools, admissions has an idea of how various schools are rated.</p>
<p>Lowell is a special case. But while I can’t say I really know how it is treated at UC’s, I feel sure that will be given consideration. As others say, you should calculate the UC gpa. And surely there should be some historical data for comparison. And work on those essays. You will just have to wait and see which ones she gets in, given that gpa. Apply widely would be my advice.</p>
<p>Lowell HS has a lot of AP classes.
You should have at least 8 AP classes under your belt.
You are compare to kids from your school only.</p>
<p>I was just using Lowell as an example; we are not at Lowell. And yes, 3.3 is her UC GPA; she had a tough sophomore year, caused in part by one of those much vaunted AP courses. I think the idea of 8 AP courses at our high school is ridiculous. I am sure some kids manage it, but that would be almost 3 a year for the last three years (freshman are not allowed to take AP courses) and that is way too much in my mind when I see how difficult a regular course is. I guess this is all good information; she will just have to apply and see what happens (and have some safeties too…I have been paying attention to the CC advice!)</p>