i’m new around here haha, but i’ve been lurking since i was a high school freshman
i’m a high school junior-going-on-senior this year so apps are juuuust around the corner
the dream right now is UC Berkeley, and I’m very interested in what UCI and UCSB have to offer-- Humboldt State and CSU Long Beach are my safeties right now
stats:
UC GPA: -
UW GPA: 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.50
California resident / female / white+hispanic / grew up in a mixed race family
only have taken the SAT once, got a 1250 and a 6/8 on the essay. i will be retaking in august and I'm shooting for 1360 minimum. (should i retake the essay though?)
looking to apply to the History of Art Department/similar programs as I want to major in Art History and Conservation
APs: AP European History, APUSH, AP Biology, AP English Language and Comp., AP German (did not take the AP exam or get weighted credit, she treated the juniors in the class as "pre-AP"), and as a senior will be taking AP Gov/Econ and AP English Literature
important (though scarce) ECs:
volunteer hours are a work in progress but let's say I'm shooting for 50+ right now
ballet for 12 years, performed in shows regularly as a child and throughout adolescence
anchor for my school's broadcast, I run a segment called School Culture in which I interview students on campus, write my own script/questions, and create an overall concept to relate to students and their lives.
leadership in Art Club (member for 2 years and president for 1, thinking of running for reelection)
I volunteer as a Counselor-in-Training at summer camp and work with young girls in organizing activities, keeping the harmony, etc etc
Any other significant accomplishments in a specific field
Principal’s Honor Roll for all years in high school
top 9% in my district
National German Exam Gold Medalist (fresh/soph year) / Silver Medalist (junior year)
not as relevant, but was skipped into German III as a sophomore from German I, and I am not a native speaker of it. also was skipped into Art 2 as a freshman.
I’m a strong writer and I’m quite excited to write my college essay(s), so as of right now-- I feel confident in that segment of the app, lol
looking for suggestions for in-state schools that might be a match for me, suggestions in where I should improve (aside of the obvious volunteer hours), and chance me for my prospective colleges (-:
All UC’s use the capped weighted and UCLA/UCB also use the fully weighted UC GPA.
If you retake the SAT, you will need to also take the essay portion since the UC’s do not superscore nor they accept SAT scores without the essay.
You would need to target at least a 1400+ for UCB and to be competitive for UCI and UCSB around a 1360 may be sufficient but higher is always better.
You have some good EC’s under your belt and if your essays standout, UCI and UCSB are within reach. UC’s tend to be very GPA focused so it looks like you will be competitive.
I would not call CSULB a safety unless you are in the local service area. Humbodlt state is an odd choice especially for your intended major. You might consider some private schools such as University of San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Chapman and University of San Diego which could offer some merit aid and have better Art History departments than the Cal States.
Some 2017 GPA statistical data for the UC’s based on UC GPA capped weighted:
Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 (capped weighted):
Gumbymom covered everything as far as UC admissions!
Have you taken chemistry in high school? Serious Art Conservation programs (vs. Art History) have a significant chem component because of the issues around physically preserving works of art.
If a true Art Conservation program is a direction you want to consider, Scripps College in the Claremont Consortium has a particularly good program. http://www.scrippscollege.edu/departments/art-conservation Also excellent dance and German departments. If you can get your SAT up as planned, you could be a strong candidate, as I think Scripps would really see “fit” given your interests, and they place a lot of weight on strong essays. (Whether Scripps would work financially is a different question - you haven’t described your financial situation at all so I’m only going on academic/extracurricular fit.) U of Denver also has an Art Conservation BFA that might be of interest.
with a 1350 i think you will be competiitve for all of them - note though, there is a lot of subjectivity to the process so, none are a lock. Please apply broadly and good luck.
@aquapt yes, i took chem honors as a sophomore! we don’t have it offered for AP though. i’m less interested in the conservation process and looking at museum curation, however.
“- AP German (did not take the AP exam or get weighted credit, she treated the juniors in the class as “pre-AP”), “
The UCs will weight all 10-11 AP classes regardless of your school policy or if you took the test. Does your transcript say AP German? If yes, the UCs will weight it.
Your HS calculated weighted GPA is not by used. Just the UW, UC weighted capped at 8 semesters, and some will use the UC uncapped.