<p>Hey everyone, I am a junior going to school in DC and I really really love the idea of going to school in California. Because it is pretty early in the year, I don't have the best idea of my stats, but here's what I know so far:</p>
<p>GPA: I would guess around 3.6 at the moment, largely due to mostly Bs/B+s in freshman year (with legit reasons-I had lived abroad the year before, parents remained abroad for a large part of 9th grade, had gender identity issues). Grades have been an upward trend since then and I am on track for mostly As this year.</p>
<p>Classes: My school doesn't officially do AP classes, they call them "advanced" or "accelerated," idk why, but I took APUSH last year (and only got a 3 :| ) and am taking AP Chem this year, which I will definitely not do great on. I will probably also take an English AP. I know 2 APs between soph/junior year doesn't seem like much but honestly those were all that were available to me. I will take at least 2 AP classes next year. I've been in adv. math classes all 3 years. </p>
<p>SAT: 2310. CR 780, Math 730, Writing 800.</p>
<p>SAT II: US History 760. Will at least take Math 2 and Chem this year. </p>
<p>Don't really know my class rank.</p>
<p>ECs
Classical guitar for 5 years, may enter some competitions this year
It's Academic (Quizbowl) all 3 years, am captain this year
Cross Country all 3 years, also captain this year
Track and Field all 3 years, might be captain
Founded a club for horror fans (trivial I know)
Strong chance of being a student council rep next year
Played clarinet in the school band for 8 years</p>
<p>Major: I am really into astronomy/physics (but am very open to other similar fields), but have not yet gotten the chance to take a high school class on those subjects, as most people wait until senior year to take AB/BC physics. Since I am looking into science and got a relatively low math score on the SAT, I hope to do well on the math II subject test. I'm somewhat worried because I will probably get a B in Adv. Chem this year and I know that won't reflect well on my science skills even though I have no interest in chemistry. I am also open to doing something related to music.</p>
<p>I'm an Indian/FIlipino male, but am transgender and closeted at school (so living as female), but will obviously let colleges know when applying.
I really like USC, UCLA and UCB, and want to get a better idea of which I should be leaning towards, assuming I even have a fair chance at any of them. For starters, my main concerns for college are:
- Obviously, how accepting they are of transgender people
- The size; I'd like to go to a large school but not so huge that all classes are impersonal
- Area around campus, it would be a huge plus if the places nearby had lots of stuff to do on weekends etc
- Diversity: I'd like to go somewhere with a wide variety of students where you can't stereotype the typical student or anything like that.
Money is not an issue but obviously having to pay OOS tuition for the UC schools is a factor.</p>
<p>Specific questions about the schools:
1. USC safety is beaten to death, I know, but I can't seem to get a straight answer on how safe the surrounding area is.
2. What are the main differences between UCLA and UCB, and between the UC schools and USC?
3. What are the acceptance rates for OOS students for the UC schools like compared to instate students?
4. If I were to get accepted to USC and a UC school, would it be worth it to pay the OOS tuition for the UC school?
I would REALLY appreciate any insight from people who have gone to any of these schools on what the student life/culture is like.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!</p>