Ch-ch-ch-ch-chances!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Chances at all the UCs... (again - hopefully with different results ;))</p>

<p>UC GPA: 3.66
HS GPA: 3.85
SATI: 1810
* CR - 660 - 90%
* M - 530 - 53%
* W - 620 - 61 MC, 9 E
SATII: 550 USH, 530 Physics (horrible - taking lit this week to save me)
California Resident, White Male
Low ranking HS</p>

<p>GPA is low primarily because of a medical condition I suffered soph/frosh year. I've had to go through a TON because of it. I'll write about that in one of the essays. When I'm healthy, I have a 4.0 GPA.</p>

<p>School offers just a handful of AP classes before Senior year. I took AP World History my sophomore year and failed; that's what is mainly bringing my GPA down. Retook the credits with plain old World Cultures.</p>

<p>Taking Art History at my local CC this summer. Also planning on four AP classes next year (Eng, Calc, Econ, and Gov), hopefully that will make some sort of difference.</p>

<p>My GPA has an upward trend of one point from my Sophomore to Junior year (3.0 to 4.0).</p>

<p>I'm interning for my State's Assemblyman this summer. Should be about eighty hours of community service and a good essay topic.</p>

<p>I'm in a few clubs. Notables are Video Club (leadership) and Newspaper (probably editor next year).</p>

<p>One parent went to college for two years, the other went the whole nine yards.</p>

<p>I have one of the best SAT scores at my school, if that counts for anything. Half the students don't go to college and a quarter go to a JC. Of the thirty or forty that go to a good college, a "good score" for them is considered an 1100 (old), according to the SAT prep teacher.</p>

<p>Looking at all the UC's. I'm thinking:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Big Reach
UCSD: Reach
UCI/UCSB/UCD: Slight Reach/Match
UCSC/UCR/UCM: Match/Safe Match</p>

2

<p>Relentless355:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Super Reach
UCSD: Reach
UCI/UCSB/UCD: Sight Reach
UCSC/UCR/UCM: Match</p>

3

<p>It's hard to know how much the admissions officers are going to cut you some flack based upon your accident and upon your school's low standing. My biggest question would be where you rank in your school--because you need to definitely be in the top 10% if you want to get into UCB, UCLA, and UCSD--and being in the top 5-10% would make a ton of difference in your case.</p>

<p>Here's the basic admitted student stats for the schools in question:</p>

<p>(note that these are estimates for all the UW GPAs except Berkeley--which is published data)</p>

<p>UC Berkeley--average GPA 3.93 UW 4.29 W (seems unbelievable, but true), average SAT scores of 1325 (645/680)
UCLA--average GPA 3.87 UW 4.19 W, average SAT scores of 1289 (629/660)
UCSD--average GPA 3.65 UW 3.98 W, average SAT of 1239 (593/646)
UCSB--average GPA 3.51 UW 3.76 W, average SAT 1182 (579/603)
UCD--average GPA 3.55 UW 3.74 W, average SAT 1170 (562/608)
UCSC--average GPA 3.25 UW 3.46 W, average SAT 1137 (564/573)
UCR--average GPA 3.21 UW 3.42 W, average SAT 1074 (514/560)
and I don't have the stats for UCI</p>

<p>Since you have an average GPA of 3.66 UW and 3.85 W, and a SAT score of 1190 (660/530)</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA--Big Reach
UCSD--Reach
UCSB/UCD--Match (probably same for UCI)
UCSC/UCR--Safe Match</p>

<p>If, however you can make a case for your accident and/or school holding you back a bit, then UCSD may be a match--and UCLA a slight reach.</p>

4

<p>I wouldn't have high hopes for UCB or UCLA...89% of those accepted to UCLA have a UC GPA of 3.75 or greater...chances are not very great there, but because of your circumstances, exceptions could always be made.</p>

<p>You've got a chance at UCSD. I'd call UC Santa Barbara a slight reach, UC Irvine and UC Davis matches, though both still a challenge, UC Santa Cruz a match/safety, while UC Riverside and UC Merced should be safeties. Disregarding the disease you had, you would technically be able to get into UC Merced.</p>

5

<p>Thanks everyone.</p>

<p>I just put UCB and UCLA in for the sake of putting in "all" the UCs.</p>

<p>I'm most definitely in the top 10%, but not top 5%.</p>

<p>The medical condition should make a small difference, since I will make a point about it in one of my essays about how it directly correlated with my mediocre grades sophomore year.</p>

6

<p>I think private colleges are way more likely to consider your medical condition than uUC. They are all about numbers.</p>

7

<p>Hmm... that's a good idea. Anyone know any private colleges in CA that are my matches/slight reaches?</p>

8

<p>Pitzer, UOP, Redlands, Chapman.</p>

9

<p>Depend on where u live. If outside of CA, don't even think about it. But if in CA< a big reach b/c of lack of SPECTACULAR E/Cs and a low GPA, sorry about your condition by the way, but I'm afrad your "pitty" essay about it won't do much.</p>

<p>Sorry to be so harsh, but there are a ton of other qualified students out there.</p>

10

<p>^ Eh... I know.</p>

<p>I don't plan to write a pity essay, either. Sorry if I sounded like that in my previous posts. Just an essay explaining the situation. The admissions officers can interpret it anyway they want.</p>

<p>I live in CA, hence the focus on that state.</p>

<p>To what colleges were you referring to anyway, the.j.shi?</p>

11

<p>To be honest, UCs don't care much about special circumstances. All they care about is your GPA and standardized test scores. Yours are in the range for basically any UC except LA, SD, and Berkeley. As for those three, a very good essay will get you in (no matter what it's about, really).</p>

12

<p>come to think of it, having strong reaches and applying to both ucla and berkeley will give u more of a chance in getting one of them rather than applying to just one of them :O</p>

<p>1860 is not bad hope for the best i'm pretty sure u have a chance, perhaps not strong reaches but i'd say between a normal reach and a big reach.... mid reach? :O</p>