Junior here who’s also going through the nerve-wracking stress about getting into schools I like. My top choice is Berkeley L&S, but I’m looking into UCLA, Davis, and SD (my major is comp sci) since I’m in-state.
I’m also looking into Georgia Tech, UMich, and UT Austin as I enjoyed visiting their campuses.
U/W GPA: 3.65
Weighted GPA: 4.28
UC GPA: 3.93
Rank: Top 5% out of 700 kids
2280 SAT
35 ACT
Grades:
Sophomore - Sem1/Sem2
Eng = A/A
Honors Chem = B/B-
Honors Precal = A-/B
APWH = B+/A-
PE = A/A
Spanish 2 = A/A
Junior - Sem1/Sem2
AP Com Sci = A/A
AP Chem = C/B
Spanish 3 = A/A
AP Calc BC = C/B
Journalism = A/A
Honors English = A-/A
I took US History, Python, AP Physics C, and Psychology at CC over the summer (counts as weighted)
Senior Course Load: AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Stats, Photography, Journalism, and TA (w/ concurrent CC course)
ECs: - Debate (4 years that has led to regional and national level success), team captain
- 100+ Hours coaching middle school debate (and some HS kids) that led to late elim rounds
- Interned at a software engineering startup over the summer
- I’ve been coding for 8+ years, made a couple of apps for people
- 50+ other hours volunteering for a comm. serv. organization
- News Editor for School Newspaper
- Tech/Business News Analyst for an online newspaper (which is based in the east coast)
I guess I’m aiming for upwards trend after 1st semester of junior year, and will probably have to emphasize my ECs.
I also have about 100+ unreported hours at a youth group, will the schools still consider those?
Your standardized test scores are pretty good and should cover you for most of these schools, but Berkeley and UCLA may be a little critical on your grades. You still have a decent shot though, considering you still have some time and your ECs are impressive and relevant to your major. I think you definitely have a good chance at UT, Georgia Tech, Davis.
UMich considers GPA to be the most important factor. So even your SAT is slightly above the 75th percentile, your chance from OOS would be low because of your GPA.
bump, can anyone tell me where I’m a reach/match?
I’m also looking into UIUC, UWashington, and Purdue now
your stats look pretty similar to mine! And Im trying to see my chances for Georgia tech as well, good luck man!
Personally from what I read uc Berkeley is very stat based, not so much influenced by recs and extra curriculars which makes it kind of a reach but the other schools seem pretty good
You would have a much better chance at Purdue. For UIUC, it depends on your major.
@donewithsat thanks man, best of luck to you too!
@billcsho Comp Sci
Hey there. Your standardized test scores are awesome and your GPA is solid as well. I’d say that you have a very good shot at all of those schools. This past spring, I was accepted to UMich and UCLA (attending in the fall) with only a 30 on the ACT and a similar GPA. Of course my essays and extracurriculars were strong but as far as “stats” go… there ya have it! I didn’t apply to GA Tech but I’m from Atlanta and am very familiar with their process… I’d say you have an excellent chance there as well. The only school I’d say your chances are a little iffy at is UC Berkeley and that’s simply because EVERYONE’s chances are iffy at UC Berkeley lol. Best of luck to you!
CS at UIUC is super competitive. Again, your 3.65 GPA would hurt your chance there. In general, their average admission GPA for engineering is 3.9, same for UMich CoE.
You should have a good chance at all, although UCLA and UCB are reaches.
@nnocnat2 What are some key things I should discuss in my essays? I don’t want to make a sob story out of my junior first semester grades (family emergency) and am thinking about putting that in the special comments section. I’m still not sure whether I should discuss my extracurricular of teaching debate, or if I should be writing about something entirely different.
Thanks again to all!
Hey again! Yeah so I LOVED writing college essays! To be quite honest, that was probably the shining part of my application. With regard to the essays, my advice is to take a completely different angle on the prompt. Don’t be afraid to be bold or even a bit sassy ;). I was accepted to 5/7 colleges and the 2 schools I got denied from were schools that I had submitted fairly “traditional” college essays. There’s nothing more intriguing than taking a concept that seems very simple or unimportant and then expounding upon it and creatively describing it to your reader. IT MAKES THEM REMEMBER YOU. Don’t be afraid to throw in some humor as well! I think it’s a great idea to write about your family emergency in the special comments section and leaving your essays open! Again, I would avoid writing about any of your achievements or extracurriculars exclusively because you already mention them in your application. Essays are an opportunity for the reader to hear YOUR voice and get to know you! Just think about it, these readers are going through THOUSANDS of undoubtedly VERY similar essays answering the same prompt. Taking a different perspective or making your viewpoint unique will go a long way…I promise! However, if an opportunity presents itself in your essay, don’t hesitate to throw in a little achievement or talent of yours! I can’t explain how important essays are… Be exciting and really hook the reader! Make sure your essay has a voice and talks about something other than race, poverty, being adopted, alcohol, or sports. I hope this helped haha! Go kill those essays! Your rock
It’s very low chances for the top 3 UCs because of in-state. You don’t get the benefits of paying $55k for OOS boost. Plus it depends on the school, this major is impacted, unlike other major.
Being instate for the UC’s does have its advantages because you “know the rules” of applying. I say you have good chances but Berkeley and LA are always a tough call.