<p>I was wondering if I can get into maybe Irvine, or Santa Barbara. No way getting in UCLA, SD, or Berk
My gpa is about a 3.5 and ACT 27, I am african american, first to go to college from my family.
My family are Ethiopian refugees and I was born in a refugee camp. Family of 8, income <25K. The reason for the low GPA is that I had to work 34 hours a week since sophomore year and help tutor my 5 brothers.
My dad also was laid of which is the reason I worked long hours.
I have 250+ hours of community service. Please chance me, I am hoping I get out of my bad neighborhood in a great school. BTW my neighborhood has constant drive by shootings and I lost my cousin and best friend to it.
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>I think UCI and UCSB are both low reaches, but its possible. You should look into scholarship programs as well. It may be possible to go to a different school (probably a small private one) free of charge. There’s lots of school specific scholarship programs.</p>
<p>Make sure you write about your unique family situation in your essay. Don’t make it a sob story, but talk about how its allowed you to grow as a person. This allows the readers to understand what you’ve been though. Best of luck. </p>
<p>First and foremost, AWESOME JOB overcoming a difficult upbringing. !</p>
<p>I’d say you have a good shot at UCM and UCR. I think your stats are light for all the others but, your compelling story may open those doors too.</p>
<p>I hope you also applied to a few CSUs and privates as well. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I’ll second what shk909 wrote about writing your essay. Berkeley especially weighs the personal statement really high even amongst lower stats.</p>
<p>Is that your UC gpa? With your background I wouldn’t rule you out anywhere but you are right that Berkeley and UCLA are reaches. If you get in in San Diego they are about to start calling the URM admits, and you might get a call this week. (Not all admitted will get calls, though.) IF that is your UC gpa it is somewhat low for UCSB and Irvine, but you are from a very underrepresented minority, and your disadvantaged background should also really help. </p>
<p>(Although your user name did make me wonder what color your family was in the prior generation.)</p>
<p>It is really hard to weigh ‘other’ categories beyond stats, but I think you have a good chance, particularly at UCSB. UCI seems to be about grades more than even test scores, and I just don’t have a feeling for how much weight they give to ‘other’. UCSB gives half weight to academics and half weight to other. Your ‘other’ is very strong.</p>
<p>Thank you collegevetting I appreciate your input. If I had not needed to support my family, I would done much better in school. But I do not regret it. Is there anyone who got accepted to UC with with mediocre stats?</p>
<p>Is 3.5 unweighted or UC-weighted?</p>
<p><a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/profiles/index.html”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/profiles/index.html</a> gives some stat profiles of the UCs’ frosh classes (GPAs appear to be UC-weighted). But note that some divisions or majors on a given campus may be more selective than others.</p>
<p>However, UC admissions readers are commonly said to like overcoming adversity and such, which may be a boost if you write well about your background.</p>
<p>27 ACT is like having 1220 SAT CR+M or 1820 SAT CR+M+W or 610 per SAT section, if you want to compare with the SAT scores in the frosh class profiles.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input guys? Would appreciate more. </p>
<p>Bumpp</p>