Just finished junior year
Lives in California
SAT: 1500
GPA: 3.4 (10-11 UW), 4.08 W
Have not taken Subject tests yet
Ap: APUSH, APP1, APPC, all scores pending (For senior year, AP Chem and Calc AB, Self Studying Ap Music Theory)
Major: Mathematics for computation
I did early college at my highschool, which is a program that lets you graduate with an Associates Degree from highschool, from taking college courses at a local community college
ECs: Eagle scout, Internship at USC relating to Chemistry, 4 years of Marching band as a sousaphone, section leader for 1 year, CM LVL 8 for Piano, Classical Karnatic Music for 9 years, KCA (Kannada Cultural Association) Youth committee president for 1 year (worked on organizing fundraisers, community activities), wind ensemble at school, trumpet for 4 years, Tae Kwon Do for 6 years and 2nd degree black belt (Not sure if this counts because it was in middle school)
Hooks: First gen, parents were immigrants from India,
PS: I wasn’t sure if this is important, but for the USC Internship, I have done 2 years, but I dont have much to show in terms of projects, just confirmation from the head of the chemistry department. The Intership only has 3 highschool students who just help out, but the work seems to be pretty important, the head of the project worked with a team to win a nobel prize in Carbocations via superacids, and the project right now is replacing normal fuel like gasoline with ethanol. Would mentioning or going into detail about this in my transcript be beneficial?
Im really looking to apply to UCLA, UCI, UCD, and UCSD
You need to calculate your UC GPA’s (unweighted, capped weighted and fully weighted) using the calculator below. UC’s only use 10-11th grades in their GPA calculation. Definitely take the SAT II Math subject test. Your SAT is score very competitive but your GPA looks to be an issue and UC’s tend to be very GPA focused. I would add UCR and UCSC just in case, since UC’s tend to be unpredictable.
Once you post your UC GPA’s especially the capped weighted, I can post more UC statistical data to help gauge your chances.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
I believe my UC GPA is like a 3.68
Ok, here is the reality. 6 of the 9 UC campuses have an average UC capped weighted GPA above a 4.0. These are not major specific but overall. Like I stated, your SAT is above the 75th percentile for the majority of the UC’s but your GPA is well below the 25th percentile for your target schools. I would definitely add UC Riverside and Santa Cruz to your list along with some Cal states since your target schools are going to be Reach schools based on stats alone.
Below is some UC statistical data for 2018 since 2019 is not yet available but if gives you an idea of target UC’s.
UC’s consider GPA, test scores and essays very important while EC’s, awards, unique talents are important in their application review. Early college will help with your course rigor and your internship makes your application stand out but you need a good balance of 2 safety schools, 3-5 Match schools and the rest can be Reach schools.
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 1%
UCLA: 2%
UCSD: 7%
UCSB: 8%
UCI: 7%
UCD: 14%
UCSC: 33%
UCR: 49%
UCM: 82%
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%
2018 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.23
UCSD: 4.16
UCSB: 4.13
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.11
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.81
UCM: 3.71
2018 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT:
UCB: 1360-1540
UCLA: 1340-1540
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1270-1500
UCD: 1220-1480
UCI: 1230-1490
UCSC: 1210-1450
UCR: 1130-1380
UCM: 1020-1280
Thank you! Would you say that other than UCR, Merced, and UCSC, the rest are reach for me?
If your Capped weighted UC GPA is really a 3.68, then yes you should consider the rest of the schools as Reach schools. Do you have an extenuating circumstances to explain the GPA vs test score mismatch? If so, the circumstances could be addressed in one your essays which could help.
I have been diagnosed with ADD and I have some anxiety in school, but other than that I don’t really have much to explain for bad grades. Would the 60 credits from Early college be a big factor into the UC decision? And will publishing professional research papers for USC be a big factor, or is the GPA too low to compensate? I also have a 3.55 College GPA from Early college.
Your early college GPA and courses will be taken into consideration and having a published research paper will definitely help your chances. Your overall application will be reviewed so everything you submit will contribute to your admission decisions. Just apply widely like I stated in my other post and you will have options in the Spring. First and foremost, identify 2 solid safety schools you are willing to attend no matter what.
Thank you!
I made a list of colleges that are my reaches, safety’s, and matches. Would you say that this is accurate, or too underestimating of the college admissions process?
Safety: UCR, Chapman, Purdue, Arizona State, Illinois Institute of Technology, Biola, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California State University, Long Beach, University of Houston, Texas A&M University-College Station
Normal: University of California-Davis, University of California-Irvine, University of California-Santa Barbara, Occidental College, Pepperdine University, University of California, San Diego, University of Miami
Reach: University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Southern California,
UC’s are very GPA focused and based on 2018 admission data, I would put UCR as a possible safety but not guaranteed although your excellent SAT scores does show you are a very capable applicant. I think your Normal/Target schools are still a little Reachy for the UC’s listed but you have plenty of Safety and Solid Match schools in which to choose from in the end of the admission process.
My take - I don’t know enough about University of Miami University of Houston, Texas A&M University-College Station Purdue, Illinois Institute of Technology, to give you a good sense of your odds there.
Safety: , Arizona State, Biola, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California State University, Long Beach,
Normal:UCR, Chapman
Reach: University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Southern California
University of California-Davis, University of California-Irvine, University of California-Santa Barbara, Occidental College, Pepperdine University, University of California, San Diego,
You have a LOT of reaches and managing all those apps is gonna be a pain. I’d drop several of them and add another safety or two - maybe SDSU and UNR.
good luck.
For UCs, do they look at individual grades? Like do they see a C in a CP class, or do they just look at the GpA?
Will 2-3 Cs in CP classes destroy my chances for my reaches?
Will 2-3 Cs in CP classes destroy my chances for UCLA, UCB, UCI, UCSD, UCD, or UCSB?
It certainly won’t help but, performance in specific classes is pretty far down the list of consideration. Unto itself, it won’t have much impact for admission someplace like UCB. With a 3.68 UCGPA, a reach is a reach.
Good luck .
2-3 C’s will not destroy your chances but with a UC GPA under 4.0, your chances are not great even with a competitive SAT. You definitely have some great things going for you beyond the GPA but there is no way to chance an applicant based on the subjective aspects of their application so apply widely and love your safety schools.