hiiii!! i’m a current junior looking for my chances now that the years started up!!
Demographics
northeast usa
public hs… sort of competitive
white female
no hooks….
poli sci major
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
uw gpa: 3.66 (no weighted)
gpa for ucs: 4/4.22
no class rank
1410 sat
Coursework
9th: h bio, h civics, h english, algebra 2/trig, spanish 3
10th: aphg (5), h chem, h world history, h english, precalc, spanish 4
11th: ap lang, ap calc ab, ap psych, apush, h physics, spanish 5
Awards
model un best delegate (local conf)
national mock gov premier delegation (for my state so idk if it counts lol)
bball conference sportsmanship award
honor roll 10th grade lol
Extracurriculars
mock government (10-): multiple statewide and clubwide leadership roles, sponsored a bill signed by our youth governor, teach bill writing and speaking skills, member of my clubs service group
model un (10-): club vp, competition team, help teach debate skills and about current events
national mock gov (10-): selected as one of 25 to go from my state, proposal placed in top 25%
camp counselor (10-): work with young girls (like 5th grade ish) and teach them relationship skills
fundraising (11-): fundraise for a school charity club + other volunteer stuff
job (9-): work as cashier at a food stand… mostly summer but a bit during the school yr too
yearbook (11-)
spanish club (10-)
basketball manager (9): record games, bring supplies, etc
Essays/LORs/Other
ppl tell me i’m a good writer so hopefully they turn out good!!
not super confident on my stem lor, but humanities should be v good
Since you are a Junior, you need to wait until end of Junior year to determine your 3 UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped weighted and Fully weighted.
UC’s are test blind and will be full pay at $67K/year if accepted.
Here is a chart to determine your overall chances based on the capped weighted UC GPA. The UC’s have capped their OOS enrollment which makes these schools even more competitive.
Campus
4.20+
3.80-4.19
3.40-3.79
3.00-3.39
Berkeley
30%
11%
2%
1%
Davis
85%
55%
23%
10%
Irvine
60%
31%
14%
1%
Los Angeles
29%
6%
1%
0%
Merced
97%
98%
96%
89%
Riverside
97%
92%
62%
23%
San Diego
72%
25%
2%
0%
Santa Barbara
73%
28%
4%
1%
Santa Cruz
91%
81%
46%
9%
Below are the overall OOS admit rates:
2022 OOS admit rate
I noticed that you said “no hooks .” That’s not the way to think! Not everyone needs to have founded a company or done some crazy stuff to get into a good school.
I’d play into your humanities strengths… that’s what I did. A good essay, one in which you tell a story about yourself that embodies your character, can go a long way. It can take a long time to come up with… I had four weeks of writer’s block before I finally knew how I wanted to shape my common app essay… but that’s where you can get your hook.
Numbers still play a role, however; your current GPA will be difficult for some of the schools toward the top of your list (i.e. Brown, UCB, Georgetown). A 1410 SAT isn’t bad though, and since you are a junior right now, you might have the time to bring that up (and your GPA a little, too) before you ultimately submit your applications.
Number one tip, though: don’t stress and enjoy what you do in high school. Being genuine in your passions is the best way to make yourself appealing to admissions officers.
The applicant has many fine accomplishments but no hooks. A hook for admissions is a reason a particular college would want an applicant above other similarly qualified (or even stronger) applicants. Examples of a hook may include: recruited athlete, child of a huge donor etc. Very few students have admission hooks.
.” That’s not the way to think! Not everyone needs to have founded a company or done some crazy stuff to get into a good school.