Hi @Gumbymom : Can you please chance my D - she is really keen on UC - will take any - Berkeley or UCLA both are fine.
UW: 4.18GPA
W: 4.24 GPA
Top 15% in a highly competitive NJ school - probably 3rd best in state
34 ACT
Strong EC’s - music, dance, robotics
Applying to science majors.
What scale is her UW GPA on?
Why is she attracted to the UCs?
@Gumbymom will make this abundantly clear, if she doesn’t beat me to the punch. She will pay full price.
You need to calculate all 3 of her UC GPA’s and repost. OOS Honors are not weighted, only AP/IB and DE/CC courses that are UC transferable in the calculation.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
UC’s are test blind so her ACT will not be considered.
Here is the Overall OOS admission rates for 2021 and not major specific. Depending upon which science major (many are capped/impacted), admission rates will be lower than posted.
Please note OOS admission rates for many of the UC campuses are high except for the competitive UC’s: UCLA/UCB. The matriculation rate however is low for the majority of UC’s due to costs since many applicants do not realize that the UC’s offer no need-based financial aid and very little to no merit aid.
Admission Rates for Out-of-State Applicants (Domestic):
UCLA: 13.9%
UC Berkeley: 14.1%
UC Santa Barbara: 36.3%
UC Irvine: 74.0%
UC San Diego: 59.3%
UC Davis: 80.8%
UC Merced: 71.8%
UC Riverside: 85.7%
UC Santa Cruz: 82.2%
Thank you @eyemgh and @Gumbymom for your quick responses. Here is the GPA’s after I entered them in the California Calculator.
Unweighted GPA: 3.71
Weighted GPA: 4.43
Weighted and Capped GPA: 3.90
I hope this helps clarify her chances.
re: full price, we are okay with it since she is keen on it.
She will probably only attend UC is it is Berkeley or UCLA.
But she is a strong Science major since she has scored 5’s in all AP’s with Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
What scale is her UW GPA on? 3.71 out of 4
I only have statistical data from 2020. 2021 UC data is posted in January/February so this is based on the capped weighted GPA range and again not major specific:
2020 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted:
UCB: 14%
UCLA: 8%
UCSD: 39%
UCSB: 40%
UCD: 55%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 82%
UCR: 90%
UCM: 97%
UCLA specific GPA data:
UC GPA statistics for admitted freshman students
GPA Middle 25% - 75%
Weighted GPA: 4.35-4.72
Unweighted GPA: 3.94-4.00
UCB specific GPA Data:
Unweighted UC GPA: 3.86-4.00
Weighted UC GPA: 4.27-4.62
Based on GPA alone, UCLA/UCB are High Reach schools. UCSD/UCI/UCSB are Low Reach/High Match schools. UCD is a Target school. UCSC/UCR/UCM are Low Match more Likely schools.
Thanks @Gumbymom : These stats are very helpful. Really appreciate the analysis.
If there was one thing she could do right now to improve her chances, what would that be? Writing to them, optional essays, what can she do?
Any hints?
Yea, I agree. Long shot for the two most selective UCs, or Cal Poly for that matter. Just to give you some perspective, Cal Poly rejected more than 15,000 4.0+ students last year.
UC’s do not consider the level of an applicant’s interest so additional inquiries will not help in the admission process.
Regarding optional essays, there are 4 required short answer essays on the UC application and are not campus specific. UC’s do not accept additional application material beyond the UC application with the exception UC Berkeley. UCB will invite up to 13% of applicants to submit LOR’s but this is also not a guarantee of admission if requested.
The issue with the UC’s like many schools, they get far more qualified applicants than spots available. What she has going for her is that she will be full pay as an OOS applicant. However, the UC’s have also starting reducing their OOS/International admission threshold to around 18% so they can offer more spots to in-state applicants.
For UCLA/UCB, getting top grades would be the most beneficial at this point since going test blind, UC GPA’s and HS course rigor are Very Important in the application review process.
How do we let them know she is continuing to do well? She currently has 4 AP’s on her courseload and has received all A’s in her courses so far. Do we send them an intermediate transcript or upload them somewhere?
UC’s do not ask for Mid-year transcripts unless they request an augmented/supplemental review.
UC’s assume that applicants will continue to maintain their grades and course rigor based on the in-progress classes listed on the UC application. UC’s all have provisional admission contracts which specifies GPA requirements and completion of Senior courses to maintain a student’s acceptance or chance being rescinded.
They will only request a final transcript after she is accepted and enrolled. If she is waitlisted by some of the UC’s, she can then send in additional documentation including transcripts.
I fear that you are overestimating the level of individual attention that you can expect from the UC admissions process. UCLA is the most-applied-to university in the nation; last year, they received 139,500 freshman applications. Berkeley received 113,000 first-year apps. They endeavor to have a “holistic” application process, via the Personal Insight Questions and review of EC’s in addition to the academic record… but fundamentally, this will be a rapid and efficient review process, with nobody fretting over the nuances of her record. Applying with a sub-4.0 weighted/capped GPA makes UCB/UCLA very much a long shot, although odds are slightly better OOS than in-state.
Is your daughter considering USC? It’s a reach too, of course, but it’s not test-blind, so they’d consider her above-median ACT, and they don’t limit GPA weighting the way UC’s do. It’s also great for musicians and/or dancers, with great flexibility for minoring in these disciplines if that’s of interest (unlike the UC’s).
using the drop downs and radio buttons there should help you glean you daughter’s chances at each UC.
I agree with those above, UCLA, UCB and CPSLO are pretty unlikely. If she really wants to go to college in So CA, apply to USD, LMU and perhaps Chapman. They are all likely to offer solid merit aid and have a good rep among employers,
Good luck
UCLA does read every application twice and both readers individually rate each app on the 13 holistic criteria. I don’t know how much time each reader takes to evaluate an app on average, but there are many schools that do not read each app twice.
Our comprehensive admission review process is based upon the 13 criteria approved by our faculty. These criteria include both quantitative and qualitative, academic and personal accomplishments by the student along with consideration of the context of those accomplishments and opportunities afforded to the student. Professionally trained readers review all freshman applications at least twice, in their entirety. After independently reading and analyzing an application, each reader determines a holistic rank for the applicant.
Thanks for all your comments and feedback @Mwfan1921 @Gumbymom @NCalRent and @aquapt - Based on your read, she might consider USC. She had never considered that option before but based on your excellent analysis, she might consider it seriously (applying). Thanks for all your input.
Another factor to keep in mind regarding UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD:
“The plan puts forward $184 million to UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD over the course of the next three years to cover the nonresident tuition lost by cutting out-of-state attendance. Each university has agreed to decrease nonresident enrollment to 18 percent of their respective undergraduate student body by 2025 in order to create more space for California students.”
Yes, I don’t mean to imply that they aren’t thorough. All I’m saying is that those two reviews will be done based on the content of the application, and that’s it - those reviewers will not remember an individual applicant and revisit their recommendations based on additional information, expressions of interest, senior grades, etc. etc. The application is reviewed on its merits (sorting many highly-qualified applicants into the waitlist and reject piles) and that is that.
I’m afraid USC is a long shot too. According to their CDS 75% of the students admitted last year had a GPA of 3.75 or higher. Your daughter’s GPA would put her in the bottom quartile. Considering they have big time D1 athletics, and many of the lower GPAs will be recruited athletes. I wouldn’t think she’d have much of a chance at USC.
I agree with @eyemgh , USC would probably be a reach.
I was referring to Loyola Marymount, U of San Diego and Chapman are all worth considering and will probably cost less than a UC after merit aid.
This is very common with California UC applicants. California students are very competitive. Many are National Merit commended or winners. Her current GPA places these schools as reaches.
The UC’s have large lecture halls and some classes are 300+ students. Remember that these are public universities that charge full fees of $67K per year, not including health insurance, travel costs and personal items.
Heads up: Most UC’s are on the quarter system. Classes at UC’s are 10 weeks, in length, including UCLA. Berkeley is on the semester system but is a tough school. A number of California high schools have adapted their schedules to provide quarter-like systems in their schools. The classes are 10 weeks in length such that the students can become accustomed to meeting course requirements and work deadlines in 10 weeks.
Please don’t send extra “interest” items to the schools. The UC’s are impacted, not only in their majors, but also in admissions. My neighbor is in admissions and she has mentioned that they have to find storage for items that have been submitted unnecessarily but may want to be reclaimed. It’s annoying for them because they are not quite sure where to put the items. They like students who follow directions. If it has not been asked for, do not submit it.