Extra curriculars
marching band 4yrs (section leader for two years)
Girl Scout Gold Award
volunteers for homeless shelters
varsity girls golf (9th/10th)
leadership of several clubs (president of one)
participation in clubs like Key Club
NHS, CSF
work as a tutor for math and chemistry
My senior year, I’m taking AP Physics C, AP Stats, AP Lit/Comp, and AP Biology.
I think you have a good chance at an acceptance with your GPA and test scores. It will probably come down to your EC’s and essays and how they will be received. What do you plan to do with a Biology major?
Good Luck to you and select the best fit school where you can excel in GPA and have medically related job/internships/volunteer or research opportunities.
UCLA is a reach school for you. The median UC GPA of incoming students is 4.33. Your SAT will definitely help, but your GPA will hurt you.
You will definitely get into UCSB.
-If you’re really into medicine, you should seriously consider UC Davis, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine. I would never consider UCSB if I were interested in medicine, but that’s just me.
@emory323 My college roommate from UCSB is a doctor, along with several of our close friends from undergrad at UCSB. All had pretty awesome undergrad research opportunities. UCSB doesn’t have a hospital connected to the university like UCD, UCSD, and UCI but I certainly wouldn’t advise an applicant not to consider UCSB if their long-term goal is medicine or another science related field. Each of the UC’s listed would be excellent choices, and just like undergrad apps, it will come down to GPA, test scores (MCAT), and EC’s.
@jumjum10 Good luck to you! I think you have a great shot at UCSB, and have put yourself in a good position for UCLA as well. I think it will come down to essays, but you’ve set yourself up nicely. Keep us posted and best of luck!
@BayAreaRecruiter You’re right, but I don’t think OP should constrain themself to SB if they are interested in biology and medicine. UCSB does not shine in those disciplines in comparison to UCD and UCSD. I just hope he or she did not consider UCSB for trivial reasons (e.g. OMG, beach!)
JumJum, by constraining yourself to only SB, please acknowledge that:
The biology programs at UCSD and UCD are stronger than UCSB’s
There are more opportunities at UCSD and UCD than at UCSB (i.e student run clinics, medical school, student-internship programs)
The party scene is intense at SB. It’s sometimes very hard to not get distracted by it. Are you OK with that?
@emory323 As a very happy UCSB alum, I feel the need to offer some balance :-). For some it may sound trivial, but UCSB’s beach location and college town environment both contributed to me choosing UCSB. It’s a very collaborative environment and the only UC that ranks in the top 10 for both top public institutions AND “happiest students”. I’m not a big partier, but I am social, and found a great balance at UCSB. Living in a completely walkable and self-contained college town was such a positive experience! @jumjum10 I’m sure you’ll be applying to many UC’s and will find the best environment for you, both academically and otherwise :-).
You seem like a definite match for UCSB and will probably be admitted to UCLA. Your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities are all impressive. Good luck!
