<p>I have a 3.9 high school gpa. I want to go to UC San Diego. Or LA, Davis, SB. Think it’s possible?</p>
<p>varsity cross country - 3 years
var track - 2 years
var swimming - 2 years
soccer - 3 years
I’m a 2nd degree black belt.
Lifeguard.
Honors and AP classes, like 8? Something like that.
Student council - 1 year. lol.
Over 100 community service hours.</p>
<p>No SAT/ACT scores yet. </p>
<p>So yeah. Cheers!</p>
<p>3.9 HS GPA is not what they use to calculate admissions. You use sophomore and junior year grades, minus sports/non A-G classes, with a maximum of 4 weighted classes with the "extra point" (ie A=5.0, B=4.0 etc.). Also, without any SAT/ACT scores, its almost impossible to gauge the difficulty of your school, so what you have now isn't nearly enough to know. You're certainly on the right track, but again, until you have scores, its pretty hard to be any more sure.</p>
<p>3.9 is really good. Just make sure to do good on ACT/SAT, and keep up your grades. I'm sure you'll get into your dream school :).</p>
<p>Lol I wish UCs used freshman grades in their GPAs. My gpa would boost tenfold. >_></p>
<p>3.9 sounds about an average GPA to match in UCI/UCD/UCSB/UCSD. Cal/LA may be difficult depending on SATs.</p>
<p>I'm assuming your a junior, because you don't have any SAT/ACT scores. If you get a 2000+, you have a change at LA/Cal. Any other SAT score (as long as its not a dismal one; an average one like 1700 will do) will get you into UCSD and any other UC below that.</p>
<p>Think a 3.96 UC GPA and a 2200+ SAT/33 ACT, along with pretty good EC's will get someone into Cal or UCLA?</p>
<p>^It's a tough call, but with strong EC's I think they'd have a good chance.</p>
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Think a 3.96 UC GPA and a 2200+ SAT/33 ACT, along with pretty good EC's will get someone into Cal or UCLA?
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<p>It's a little difficult to say if the GPA is slightly weak, though the scores are strong (so the application is a little lopsided). If the ECs/awards distinguish the person and the essays are really great, I'd say the person has a good chance.</p>
<p>A 3.96 UC GPA is "weak"? I assume you mean for LA/Cal, but isn't it like 4.1 or 4.2 at those? Is 4.1>>3.9?</p>
<p>I can't concur that a 3.96 UC GPA is "weak", but it is about average (and on this forum, that basically suggests inferiority). Life is rough now getting into premier public research institutions like the UCs. If your family can afford it, might as well try applying for privates also and then see where your options are at.</p>
<p>
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A 3.96 UC GPA is "weak"? I assume you mean for LA/Cal, but isn't it like 4.1 or 4.2 at those? Is 4.1>>3.9?
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<p>Obviously I mean for Cal and UCLA -- notice that I quoted this above my response: "Think a 3.96 UC GPA and a 2200+ SAT/33 ACT, along with pretty good EC's will get someone into Cal or UCLA?"</p>
<p>3.96 is somewhat weak for LA/Cal, but it is already within a "competitive" category when considering admissions there. There is a difference between a 2200/3.96 and a 2200/3.5, that mainly being that the latter is not considered (at least by conservative estimates that we tend to call "matches"/"slight reach"s) competitive against the others seeking admission to the major UC flagships. I can only speak from my own experiences, and barring an admissions officer from Cal/UCLA here, so is everyone else, and my own experience is that a high SAT score and weak but competitive GPA is enough to get into Cal and UCLA. GPA can be affected by so many different factors that on a forum like this its hard to gauge the difficulty being presented. Once a prospective applicant can establish a certain proficiency threshold in the GPA, the school will probably use the SAT as a final measure of their abilities. Obviously, if there is a huge gap between the two indicators (either high GPA low SAT or low GPA high SAT), then scenarios arise that might complicate what I was talking about. In these scenarios, it is my experience (at least with people that I know in college and in high school), that the schools have a predilection towards a high GPA.</p>
<p>I assumed the UCLA/Cal part. I was asking is the difference between 3.96 ( not say 3.5) and 4.1 very/statistically significant? Perhaps if you assume several weighted classes it also suggests several B's?</p>
<p>Students get into both Cal and UCLA all the time with several B's. The stats you are quoting are for the averages of admitted students not of the students who actually matriculate to Cal and UCLA. Not everyone at these schools have perfect GPA's. A 3.96 and 2200+ SAT would make a student competitive at many top privates and with strong EC's could even get $'s.</p>
<p>I know a boy at UCLA right now (not URM) who had a 3.8, no AP's and only completed pre-calculus, fact.</p>
<p>Well it is statistically significant and there is a higher chance for someone with a 4.1 to get in, but you already enter a competitive level with a 3.96, and chances are the SAT score will seal the deal for you. Bs might sting your application a bit, but only if you're going on GPA alone, and they certainly don't sink it. I can laugh at how many Bs I got (in between sophomore and junior year) xD</p>
<p>I agree Peppers. GPA alone is just not enough. What you don't know about the boy I told you about above is:
What were his SAT1/ACT scores?
What were his EC's?
Did he have any other extenuating circumstances that would be considered in a holistic review?</p>
<p>I've met kids who had 4.2 GPA's and SAT scores below 1800.
I've met kids who had 4.2 GPA's and took 5 AP's in which they never scored over a 3.
I've met kids who had 4.2 GPA's and scored below 500 on SAT 11 subject tests.
I've also met kids who had 3.4 GPA's and had 2200 SAT scores and 700+ on SAT2 subject tests.</p>
<p>I also don't believe that any of that information tells me that a student worked really hard or that a student was really lazy. Differences in the ways highschools grade is vast.</p>
<p>Agree with collegemom, don't forget the difficulty of courseload is also important for Cal/UCLA. GPA should be viewed in that context.</p>
<p>Well, we will all know within six weeks or so. I think no matter what happened last year or the year before, the record number of applicants is sure to bring about a few surprises at the UC's.</p>