Chance a Rising Senior for UCSB- Business Major

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
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<p>Hey, I'm going to be a senior at a private (Catholic) High School next year in Southern California. I am hoping to get a sense of where I lie in the eyes of the admissions board for the colleges I'm applying to, as well as personally laying out my application components in preparation for the releasing of the applications in August. I'm primarily focusing on business schools that have good undergraduate programs, and I'm also hoping to attend a school under $20,000 a year, ideally under $15,000 . In order of preference, as well as my personal optimism that I will get in, I've listed my college choices:
1.) USD (Brother will be Sophomore next year, and my Catholic background may help).
2.) Cal Poly SLO
3.) UCSB
4.) Santa Clara University
5.) UCI?
6.) University of Richmond (OOS-does that help or hurt me?)
7.) Bentley University (OOS- same question for all following OOS)
8.) Wake Forest (OOS)
9.) Indiana University Bloomington (OOS)
10.) Brigham Young University (OOS- not a mormon, but the price & ranking is right)</p>

<p>Grades:
Freshman: 3.5 GPA/ 3.8 GPA
Algebra 1A- A-/A
Biology- B+/B
Catholic Faith- B+/A-
English 1- B+/A-
Spanish 1- A/A-
Speech Com/P.E.- A-/A</p>

<p>Sophomore: 4.0 GPA/ 3.8 GPA
Chemistry- A-/A-
English 2- A-/A-
Geometry- A/A
Scripture- A/A
Spanish 2- A-/A-
World History- A/B+ (I hold a grudge against this teacher for this)</p>

<p>Junior: 4.33 GPA/ 4.33 GPA
AP Chemistry- A-/B+ (Very mad about the B+, but I will get a great teachers rec)
AP Envi Science- A/A-
Campus Ministry Liturgy- A/A+
English 3- A/A
Pre-Calc (Honors)- B/A- (1st sem. I gave up on the final, 2nd sem. went better)
US History A/A-</p>

<p>Senior: Guaranteed a 4.0 GPA, shooting for a 4.33, 4.1 minimum
AP Physics-
AP Calc (AB)-
Advanced Brit Lit-
AP Gov/AP Econ-
Campus Ministry Retreat-
Multimedia (forced to choose an elective)-</p>

<p>Weighted GPA (9-12): 3.97
Unweighted GPA (9-12): 3.81
Weighted GPA (10-12): 4.13
Unweighted GPA (10-12): 3.88
Class Rank: 74/413 (17.9%)</p>

<p>Notables:
1.) Played soccer my entire life, I'll be putting 13 years down.
2.) Competitive travel soccer since 3rd grade, JV 9th, Varsity 10th-12th (12th captain)
3.) Received a Varsity Athletic Award, and got the "Most Improved Award" as I recovered from an injury that could have taken my leg. I had a bone cyst in my femur (hip region) that was basically liquefied bone, and if my femur had broken at that point I probably would have lost my leg. After recovering from the injury I grew as a person and became a better player than ever.
4.) Very interested in Business and market activity, and I've been an independent stock trader for years.
5.) Spent a week living with the owner of the popular blog directed towards lawyers "TheCorporateCouncil." I learned about the many strategies taken in the stock market, researching skills, and attended his "Summer Business Program for the Gifted," and shadowed him in his work.
6.) I will be interning at an Accounting Firm for several days towards the end of the summer.
7.) NHS Member (10-12) Tutoring Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra, etc.
8.) Member of the Business Club at my school (9), President of it (10-12) where I educate the members on the stock market trends, popular stocks, and strategies.
9.) VP of Chess Club (11-12), may not mention since it sounds nerdy haha.
10.) Member of the Science and Engineering Club
11.) Participated in the JETS Science competition representing my school and we placed in the top 30% of the nation.
12.) Will be participating in the Siemens Science/Math competition, and I will probably be dissecting and analyzing the growth of the pharmaceuticals industry while incorporating Business into it as much as possible.
13.) Received the Religious Award at my school for 2 consecutive years highlighting my good conduct and moral behavior.
14.) Volunteered 3 separate summers to lead a Vacation Bible School event at my previous middle school (20+ hours each year).
15.) I plan to have 150+ service hours by the time I send my applications.
16.) My father was 100% Macedonian so I am 50% and qualified to get citizenship, but to do so I would need to forfeit my US citizenship... so I'm just going to mention that I can become a citizen haha.
17.) My father, who was my biggest role model and influence, had passed away the summer before my Freshman year which both challenged me and helped me grow as a person, and may have resulted in a lower GPA during my 1st 2 years but that may just be my upward grade trend.</p>

<p>Strengths:
1.) During the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year, I attempted to take Geometry through a summer school so that I could move into the accelerated math program and be on a better path for taking AP Calc senior year. However, 1/2 way through the class my genetic condition regarding the bone cyst within my femur forced me to be taken out of the class and to get immediate surgery in which a titanium rod was placed to protect my leg and prevent it from breaking and possibly resulting in a lost limb.
Following my Sophomore year, I decided to take matters in my own hands as my family traveled to Europe to see my father's side of the family to be with them for the 2 year anniversary of his passing, and I took measures to teach my self Algebra 2/Trig over the summer. My school administered the Algebra 2/Trig exam to test my knowledge of the subject that I had taught myself, and I received an 88% which enabled me to proceed into Pre-Calc Honors my junior year.
This ordeal shows my willingness to pursue a better education and challenge myself. I plan to express this as I write my college essays.
2.) I should have enough to talk about in my essays to define myself as a person and possibly candidate for the school.</p>

<p>Weaknesses:
1.) ACT- 24... with little SAT prep and no essay prep
2.) SAT 1- 1680 with several tutoring sessions but very little outside preparation.
SAT 2: 680 Chemistry, 530 Math (I don’t plan to send scores).
On my ACT, I got a 27 on the math, 25 english, 22 science, 20 reading so I can DEFINITELY improve in all categories.
On my SAT, I got a 530 on math, 560 on reading, and a 590 on writing. I got an 8 on both essays and believe I can drastically improve on both with a lot of preparation.
3.) My widowed mother makes <$35,000 and since my brother will also be in college, I am financially limited (less than $20,000, ideally under $14,000?).</p>

<p>Starting next week I will be preparing heavily each day for the ACT and SAT in Sept, Oct, and Nov. I expect no lower than a 27, and am hoping for a 30 or higher. On the SAT, I am aiming for 1800+. I've never been the best standardized test taker, but I realize it's importance and will be devoting countless hours and I will be taking many tests to familiarize myself with the format in the hopes of doing much better. I plan to take the ACT twice and primarily focus on it since I find it's format better suited towards my strengths, and the science section should help me (I promise the 1st ACT was a pathetic display combined with little prep, and I had a cough during the reading section. I'm not going to make excuses, I hope to prove myself with dedication and future results).</p>

<p>I believe my strengths include my resilient effort and willingness to take my education in my own hands while challenging myself, and my main weakness is evident: ACT and SAT scores. I've never been the greatest test taker, but after only taking each 1 time with little preparation, I plan to put forth my best effort into taking the ACT 2 more times, and the SAT 1-2 more times as well. I thank you for your time and consideration, and am open to other schools recommended.</p>

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<p>Get that SAT up above a 1900 and I am almost certain you will be accepted.</p>

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<p>Thanks, I’m going to dedicate a lot of time to studying for the ACT/SAT and I’m hoping for the best. I’m confused as to how my grades don’t necessarily translate as well to my standardized test scores, especially since my school is by no means easy and holds a respected position in SoCal.
I’ll be focusing on ACT mainly since I believe its structure will suit my abilities best, ucsb treats an ACT and SAT score the same right (with the appropriate conversion, of course)?</p>

4

<p>Yeah they treat them the same so if u get that 30 I think ur golden</p>

5

<p>Yeah get your SAT up to the 1800 range and you’re solid! Also, Don’t limit yourself to where you apply based on tuition. You can always get loans.</p>

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<p>Do we look like admissions counselors? Admissions are completely unpredictable, trust me. You’ll be surprised at where your peers do and don’t get into when admissions come out.</p>

7

<p>Yes this is true, but I’m primarily looking for people who have experienced or are familiar with the school’s weight of ACT and SAT. Though I’ll be taking both again, I’m curious as to where I currently stand in the worse case scenario of having a 24 act and a 1680 sat.</p>

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<p>I’m appreciating the advice, any more help?</p>

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<p>Pretty much all ucs weight gpa/sat 95% and ecs 1-5%…same with slo</p>

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<p>just to alert you, a business econ major is not a business major…it’s more accounting than management</p>

<p>and i think ur basically in…just get ur sat up to above 1700</p>

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<p>Thanks again to everybody who gave their advice. As for the econ major, I haven’t exactly decided what I wanted to do in the business field, and I’m trying to stay as open as possible until I actually start taking the college classes (ap econ may help next year just to look in detail at the components of business).
I like stock trading so I would probably continue doing that in my free time, in the long term I may get my real estate license to stay with the times and possibly make some extra $$, but as for my graduate school I’m leaning towards the type that pays the most within reason, probably excluding investment banking since it would take up my life. Business management- finance seems to pay extremely well and after researching it a bit I’ve really grown to be interested in what they actual do, and I’m staying open to accounting since it’s a growing industry that also pays well.</p>

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<p>You definitely need to improve your test scores. They are a HUGE factor in admissions. Otherwise you look solid.
Do not limit what schools you apply to based on your family income. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’re going to get financial aid, and private schools give more than public. Don’t just go off of school stereotypes either. In terms of academic rank, UCSB is at the top of your choices, then UCI. Maybe look into a couple more UCs (Davis?), and state schools as back-up. Admissions are crazy so there are no guarantees. A friend of mine got accepted to UCSD, but not UCSB, UCD, or UCI. Weird.
Senior year grades pretty much don’t matter, so focus more on your SAT/ACTs and applications.
Make sure you visit as many of the schools as you can. My final decision was 90% about the environment at the school.
Good luck! =)</p>

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<p>Yeah u can’t trust uc admissions… My brothers friend who graduated last year had a 4.7 gpa 2270 sat and he was denied from every uc he applied to except for Berkeley hahaha so weird</p>

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<p>Haha thanks Fred. Yeah I’m by no means picky, and am solely basing my decision off of the school’s business rank/job placement history. I’m getting a few prep books tomorrow so I’ll be practicing daily. Thanks again for all your help people. </p>

<p>Oh and my brother’s good friend with a 4.6W and a 5.0 gpa throughout his junior and senior year with good ECs, great recs, and didn’t apply for any aid. He got rejected from every single school he applied to, including ucb, ucla, standford, etc and ended up going to a community college in Switzerland haha. He’s fine and will probably transfer into any school he wants, but it’s insane how randomly the admissions people are.</p>

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<p>Definitely work on getting your SAT score up. UC’s are pretty big on that. Be careful with your AP Calc and AP Physics, those are some tough courses. They like to see students continue to challenge themselves even in their final year. Hang in to the very end because they WILL look at your second semester grades, even after you’ve been accepted and committed.
Make certain to write a great personal statement that SHOWS your accomplishments rather than just states them.
But yeah, that’s about it. Just really work on your SAT/ACT because your scores are a little on the lower side for the school. Other than that, you sound like an excellent candidate! I hope you get in! :)</p>

<p>~UCSB student, Class of 2015 Go Gauchos!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response gummybear. I believe I can handle the workload, especially since it will highlight how much I’ve grown as a student and also display my work ethic which should help when explaining my low test scores. Once again, I do not plan to mention my low test scores since I will be dedicating a lot of time to my studying, but my other option may be the Santa Barbara City College, which apparently shares much of the same life that a UCSB student would live. </p>

<p>As a current student, can you say any imput about the community college? Maybe if they are treated any differently, or if the housing options are similar between the schools?
^I don’t plan to attend a community college as I usually thought that was a way for students who didn’t care about their education, but it makes for a HUGE safety I guess haha.</p>

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<p>Just wanted to make sure you were aware of this.</p>

<p>The business economics major was phased out for this year, so starting this year it will no longer be available. Though the new Economics and Accounting major is basically the same thing the biz econ was.</p>

<p>And econ is not business as many people assume.</p>

<p>While Cal Poly does offer a Business Administration degree.</p>

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<p>Based on knowing many kids that applied to UCSB the last 2 years, here are my thoughts:</p>

<p>A UC GPA of over 4.00 and an SAT of 1900 is about the average minimum for getting in, all things equal. I know several with these stats, and most got in, but some did not. The EC’s have gotten to the point that they are looking for a focus. The admissions people can see right through joining 20 clubs and listing a page worth of EC’s that are there just to pad your resume. The people I know that got in with lower grades, did things like played 3 varsity sports, or worked vounteer hours directly related to their major. Don’t list stuff you did in grade school or even jr. high. The other reason you hear about people with low scores getting in or high scores getting rejected, is the essay. I know plenty of applicants with great scores, but no social skills and it often shows in the essay. I also know some lessor applicants that portayed a hardship or tradgedy into a like lesson and really nailed the essay.</p>

<p>It’s mostly grades and scores at UC’s, with the EC’s and essays providing the outliers</p>