Chance Me! <3 UCLA, CAL, UCSD, UCI, ETC.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello! So I'm going to be a High School Senior this year (finally!) and I'm interested in attending mid to top-tier UC's and schools similar to them. Let me know my chances based on these stats:
1. UC GPA W/UW : 3.80/4.13
2. ACT Composite: 31 Breakdown- 34 Eng, 31 Read, 30 Math, 29 Sci, 8 essay (31 combined Eng and essay) (Planning on retaking soon and achieving a 33)
3. 10th Grade Semester 1 WGPA: 3.88 Semester 2: 4.0 (Honors English, 1 year ahead math- Trigonometry, Honors Chemistry)
4. 11th Grade Semester 1 WGPA: 4.20 Semester 2: 4.5 (AP Language Comp, Ap Statistics, Honors Physics)
5. 3 on both AP statistics and AP Lang Comp. AP tests.
6. Senior Schedule: AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Macroeconomics, Multicultural Literature.
7. Around top 5% of class.</p>

<p>EC's (notable ones)
1. 4 Years of Track and Field (3 years varsity) Captain of the hurdle squad. I've been invited to multiple big-name California invitationals (Arcadia, Mount Sac, etc.). I've been league champion Sophomore and Junior year and have won multiple other invitationals. I've mentored a female hurdler who came out her freshman year overweight and barely able to run 400 meter and she actually won league last year. I'm hoping to reach state this year. 110H PR: 15:04s (Will hit mid-low 14's this year) 300H PR: 41.90s (will hit 37-38 this year) Earned Most Improved award both Sophomore and Junior year, hopefully MVP next year.
2. Manager of the X-country team this year
3. Math club for 2 years -- accepted into the MESA program run by USC and have been in multiple competitions with my team and have done fairly well.
4. Worked 160 hours (20 hours/week) this summer and plan to continue working throughout senior year.
5. California Scholarship Federation all years but one.</p>

<p>About Me:
1. White Male
2. Both parents graduated from 4-year college (NYU + Rutgers)
3. Live In Southern California about 15 minutes from UCLA.</p>

<p>I'm also interested in Clairemont Mckenna, Pomona and USC.
Please chance me for these schools and recommend others I should apply to. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>UCLA - You’re GPA is pretty good and close to what UCLA’s is so you should have a good chance
CAL - same with UCLA
UCSD - match in fact your stats are higher
UCI - I think you’ll get in
UCD - same with UCI
USC - You’re right in their range :smiley: and I think the MESA program will help too
Clairemont - You’ll probably get in but its a LAC and I hear that they mainly look at test scores
Pomona - Is this Pomona College (in which case its tough to get in…see Clairemont) or Cal Poly Pomona (you’ll get in/ probably a safety)</p>

<p>It would help to know you’re major but I assumed you would be going in undecided in my chances</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1202224-chance-me-my-schools-will-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1202224-chance-me-my-schools-will-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Chance me?</p>

3

<p>The person above doesn’t seem like they know a whole lot about the way UC admissions play out…</p>

<p>You have good ECs and your scores are great — but understand that Cal and UCLA are very weird in their admissions. Also, with the way the budget crisis in the UC system is playing out, it might not be so smart to end up going to a UC or Cal State in the first place. (Unless you don’t need financial aid and your family can afford 5 years of school.)</p>

<p>UCLA and Cal - as it stands now, your UC GPA and your ACT are too low. You MIGHT (emphasis on might) get into UCLA, but definitely not Cal. If you raise your ACT to a 33, your chances will improve, but the GPA is still a bit low.</p>

<p>Check these links out:
[Profile</a> of Admitted Freshmen, Fall 2011 - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof11.htm]Profile”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof11.htm)
[Facts</a> at a glance - UC Berkeley](<a href=“By the numbers - University of California, Berkeley”>By the numbers - University of California, Berkeley)</p>

<p>You’ll see that at UCLA, over 92% of those ADMITTED in 2011 had a UC GPA of over 4.0; for Cal, the average UC GPA of admits was a 4.19. At UCLA only 4.6% of those admitted had a UC GPA similar to yours.</p>

<p>UCs ONLY care about numbers. Unfortunately, they don’t care AT ALL about your ECs. Those 3s on AP tests won’t help either.</p>

<p>UCSD - possible admittance (unless you’re going for science, then no)
UCD - admittance (target applicant)
UCI - admittance</p>

<p>USC - You are in the absolute middle of all applicants. You should raise your ACT score and really make sure to write an impressive essay. Because you’re in the middle AND because USC’s using the common app this year, it’ll be really hard for you to get in unless you focus on selling yourself to their admissions committee. Right now, I think you might get spring admission. (See: <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/1011/FreshmanProfile2010.pdf&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>Claremont/Pomona: Not gonna happen, dude. Sorry. They are just way too hard to get into. (To put in perspective, I was waitlisted at Pomona but accepted to USC. I had a 3.96 UW GPA and a 2100ish SAT and 4/5s on all my APs.)</p>

<p>Are you only interested in Southern California schools? You should really look at these schools because you’re more on target with them:
Loyola Marymount
Occidental
Pepperdine
University of San Diego
Cal Poly Pomona / Cal Poly San Luis Obispo</p>

<p>And other California schools you’re on target for:
UCSC
Santa Clara University</p>

<p>OOS schools:
Boston College
Boston University
University of Washington
Reed
Seattle University
UT Austin
Northeastern
NYU
George Washington
Vassar
Wesleyan</p>

4

<p>Zelda I do believe you misinterpreted the Admitted Freshman Profile of UCLA. I would be in that 4% if my WEIGHTED was below 4.0… which it isn’t. Im in the 92.8% there for weighted. My unweighted is in the second tier… with nearly 56% admitted-- greater than any other tier. Otherwise, thanks to both of you and I’m still interested to hear what others think.</p>

5

<p>UCB - not that good a chance (GPA/ACT)
UCLA - it’s possible, but not likely ^
USC - possible
UCSD - I think you have a good shot
UCI - pretty sure you’re in</p>

<p>33 on the ACT would really bring your chances up USC and UCLA, as well as solidifying you for UCSD.</p>

<p>@Zelda UCSD accepts you into the college first, regardless of your major. They put you as undeclared if you don’t make it into the major.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the replies so far!</p>

<p>I don’t think its true that UC’s dont look at EC’s at all. In fact, I think that that is completely wrong. They say it themselves that that is a big factor in the admissions process.</p>

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<p>I believe that UC’s do look at EC’s, though they might not place such a high emphasis on them compared to the Ivy’s and top tier private schools. Also someone mentioned that your 3’s on the AP tests won’t help. As far as I know, AP scores have little to no influence on admissions for most schools (they are only used AFTER you get into the school, for getting college credit and taking higher level classes), so your 3’s are fine. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, I think that your UC GPA is a bit low for UCLA and Berkeley. I’m not exactly sure, but I think the average for those schools is about 4.3 (+/- .05). If you get your ACT to 33, then you still have a chance at UCLA and UCB. Very good chance at all the other UC’s. USC I’m not too sure. Previous years with your scores, you would have a good chance but now USC is on the common application so there will likely be more applicants and possibly tougher to get in. I think Claremont and Pomona will be a high reach for you, considering my UC GPA is 4.35 and many of my friends and peers think it will even be a reach for me. </p>

<p>GOOD LUCK with all your schools!</p>

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<p>Right, I heard the same about AP’s. It was difficult to raise my 10-11 GPA because my school only offers 2 weighted classes in 10th grade, only one of which I was capable of taking. Also, <a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/campuses/files/ucla.pdf[/url]”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/campuses/files/ucla.pdf&lt;/a&gt; shows that the average admitted GPA for 2010 was 4.14. Did it really go up a whole .21 in only one year?</p>

<p>Good luck to you too!</p>

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<p>sorry the unweighted and weighted should be swapped around, its 3.8 Unweighted and 4.13 weighted</p>

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<p>Sorry. Maybe the UCLA GPA is only 4.14. However also consider that those average posted include all the athletes at UCLA and the others in the 25th and below percentile. Many probably barely maintained a 2.0 in high school just so they could play sports. </p>

<p>Also don’t worry about your school only having 2 weighted classes for 10th grade. The college admissions people should be aware of how many honors and AP’s courses are offered at your school. They will see that you took the most rigorous schedule available to you.</p>

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<p>So then doesn’t it look good to be a successful athlete AND maintain a good GPA and test scores? Also, I took more honors courses in 10th grade, they just weren’t weighted. Finally, does one year ahead in math mean anything to them? I’ve been one year ahead in math since 6th grade.</p>

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<p>By athletes, I meant those who go to UCLA based on athletic scholarships. Especially since UCLA has many good sports teams, some of the athletes (football, basketball, track) aren’t exactly stellar students, so they lower the GPA and SAT averages (btw I believe requirements for Division I sports are 2.5 GPA and 1500 SAT, so yes averages are lowered a bit).</p>

<p>And yes, you being a great athlete and student will greatly benefit your chances. </p>

<p>Being one year ahead of math certainly does help because you take more difficult classes in high school. They want to see that you take the most rigorous courses so if you’re in a junior math class as a sophomore, they should be impressed. Also for your senior year, are you planning on taking Calculus AB or BC?</p>

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<p>AB as my high school doesn’t offer BC.</p>

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<p>I’m also curious if my upward trend from sophomore year to junior year is a factor?</p>

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<p>^ UCs really admit based on a formula. They don’t have time to look closely at every applicant. If you want to play up the upward trend, you have a better chance of showing that (and having people actually NOTICE that) in private school admissions.</p>

<p>I still think, regardless of whatever the GPA thing on the UCLA admit profile means (because it is confusing and not clarified on any of their sources) you should really consider having a few target privates and a few more safeties on your list – especially if you don’t plan on retaking the ACT. There are many good schools I don’t think you’re considering, like Cal Poly SLO. </p>

<p>Also, it seems you really want to go to UCLA – are you OK with being THAT close to home? (You said you live 15 minutes away.) It’s OK if you are, but most college applicants are looking to get away from home/familiar environments, which is why I ask.</p>

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<p>Yeah I’m planning on retaking the ACT later this year after taking an online review course that <em>guarantees</em> at least a two point improvement (lolguarantees) but either way I will get some nice review as I went in the first time without any practice ACT’s or the sort. I love where I live, California is amazing and I don’t mind being that close to home because, either way, I’m going to be living on campus or at least out of the house. I’m still researching potential safeties and I’m still down for some recommendations that you, or others, haven’t exposed yet. I’m aware of the difficulty of getting in and I seriously wouldn’t mind going to say, UCSD. Thanks for the commentary so far :)</p>

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<p>Just my 2 cents, but the essays can make a difference at the UC’s. This goes especially for Berkeley because they really look for people who can make a difference and are individuals, because that’s what they are known for.
You’ve got a decent shot if you can put a good score in on the ACT.</p>

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<p>Do you think an essay about my mentoring would be a good topic… what I’ve learned from it, giving back what I know, etc?</p>

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<p>It can be if you are passionate about it and the importance of it to you shows through in your writing</p>

20

<p>Alright, thanks so much!</p>