The UC Application is different than the Common App. You will be asked to write four Personal Insight Questions (max 350 words) and describe up to 20 Activities and Awards, including educational prep programs, other coursework, work experience and not traditional activities such as babysitting. You have 350 characters to tell about each activity, your role in the activity and what you gained from the experience.
You need a budget before you can plan anything.
The budget must be what you can afford to pay - now. Not what you can afford to pay back over the next 20+ years.
In addition to Wash State, WWU, Bothell, you can find a school like Mississippi State with total costs in the low 20s.
You can find schools on WUE like Cal Poly Humboldt, Chico, Northridge, Sacto and more - and I just list tuition (add likely another $15K-ish for housing/food - for $8613. Boise State $8298. Montana State $8736. Montana $8273. UNLV and UNR - under $12k. Southern Utah $9K. Wyoming $7K, etc.
So no reason to go to a UC at $70K+ etc when you can go low 20s. That’s a difference of over $200K over four years.
Well for that essay idea rather than focusing on the grade drop i focus on that experience because i really do think this experience completely changed me in a positive way.
Also I did enter to talk to someone about my essays but nobody ended up messaging me.
Because you have not answered all of the required questions. Please return to that thread and answer the last two questions.
I agree you really need a firm budget.
(You can’t “pay half of it”. However you can take a part time job using your current CS skills, perhaps IT, looking for the highest possible wage and savibg it all.).
UCs, save for Santa Cruz, Riverside, and Merced, are highly unlikely. A sub 4.0 capped weighted GPA makes that virtually impossible. I wouldn’t spend that much money of UCSC, even if it’s very good for CS, especially considering housing is likely to add 10k and for 80k you can attend almost any private university or have an equally good or better experience.
WWU and Washington State are low matches (very likely).
What about UOregon?
Cal Poly Pomona or Humbolt -including their Honors programs ?
Cal poly SLO would be a reach for straight CS but look into CS adjacent majors.
Can you run the NPC on Whitman and UPuget Sound to see if you’d qualify for FA?
Your ECs would be very interesting to universities that take a more personalized look at your application.
Why were you kicked out of your house (if you are okay sharing), why were you admitted back/what did you have to do or promise to return (if you can share), and could your parents take a similarly drastic decision if you were not admitted to universities they like, refusing to pay?
Going from top 12-15% to top 7% (1400) is going to be tough. Reaching top 1% typically takes months of practice and may not be achievable from a 1300 -which is quite a good score, just not for CS. 
The reason I was kicked out was because I constantly got B+s in every semester and my parents didn’t like that and told me it just wasn’t worth it for them etc. They allowed me to stay in the somewhat spacious shed we have in the back yard until I finish high school and later on when they talked to me again agreed to pay for college as long as i get into somewhere that they hold to their standards but if I don’t then the second i graduate I’m kicked out completely to look after myself. I wasn’t ever admitted back in. I know my parents stick to their word. I don’t believe they hate me completely as their child but they just come from a very harsh reality where I think they just view this stuff in a different way. It’s still hard for me to process it all tbh but I know my mom would advocate for me and try to help in any situation.
A 3.88 Capped and weighted won’t be competitive for any major in the CENG at Cal Poly SLO. The 25th percentile GPA across all CENG majors was 4.17 last year. None of the CS adjacent majors (CPE and SE) are taking change of major requests unless they come from one of those three original admits.
U of O doesn’t participate in WUE
Was this for getting one B+ or all B+s, or…?
Does this shed have running water, electricity, heat/air conditioning? Do you eat with your family?
What schools would meet their standards?
I would get around 2 B+s per semester but it would be classes like art and things they thought were easy that I simply wasn’t good at that I was required to do. No water I have electricity. I eat with them sometimes I eat alone by myself sometimes though mostly I would eat alone before. Schools that meet their standards would be like top schools + Uw and maybe some Florida schools I have in my list. They would also consider ucs based on the price.
Heating came from electricity and if I needed water use I would just walk over to the house use whatever and then go back. Think of it like an isolated room.
How old are you?
If you legitimately think that your family will kick you out at graduation if you’re not accepted into a sufficiently top school, what are your plans?
I repeated a grade in elementary school so I am 18 right now and for if they are not willing to pay, I will see what I can muster up in maybe loans and scholarships. If it all doesn’t work out I don’t have much other than working a job. Maybe contracting.
And what happens if you get B’s in college? Will they stop paying tuition? What then? This is all very concerning…
Okay to be honest some of these questions I just can’t predict. I mean I can only predict what the nest things would be to do and I mean I don’t know. I don’t really have many options. I think I trust my parents for their end of the tuition and they wouldn’t permanently cut off tuition.
I was more thinking along the lines of Quantitative analysis or Information Systems which should be in Orfalea and less competitive than CS but I don’t know if 3.88 would be sufficient or if OP would be interested.
Originally I thought, why apply to UCs and not UO? But if OPs situation with his parents is dicey then neither UC nor UO would be affordable.
@Huum: UCs are WAY more expensive than many other choices.
You need a strategy so they can see stats/profile of accepted students without college names.
Can run the NPC on Whitman (“meets need”), UPuget Sound(offers merit), WWU (instate public)?
Your GC needs to know you have been living in the shed since (month).
You’re allowed a 5.5k loan for freshman year. That’s it. Most scholarships come.from the colleges themselves which is why you need to apply strategically.
I plan on telling her when I return to school because I was just embarrassed/scared to talk about it face to face with somebody.
But then you also said
So it sounds like you do have some concerns about their willingness to pay if you don’t meet their standards, and it sounds like their standards are A’s. That’s a hard promise to make, especially at a competitive college where B’s (and even C’s) may indeed be more common than As, depending on the major. This is what worries me.
Of course not. But you do need a contingency plan. Whether that means getting a job or perhaps starting at a community college to save up some money to pay for the 4 year college…I mean, ideally it would be attending a university that would offer you enough merit aid that you wouldn’t need much if any help from your parents. So I suppose my advice would be to really narrow your search to schools with big merit because it doesn’t really sound like you will be able to depend on your parents should you fail to meet their expectations, and there is distinct possibility of that happening at some point.
Just my opinion which you are totally free to disregard.
I mean I’m still a kid everyone and I still have dreams. Even though Ucs are expensive and maybe I won’t be able to pay for them they’re still something that I like to dream of that I’ve had in my mind along with all the other reach schools. And I feel like that even though my life has been full of struggles I do still want to try to aim for that dream because these are what keep me going. I mean plus I still have affordable schools in my list too.
From what you’ve said, you need to have a multi-pronged approach to your college search process.
Schools that would meet your parents’ expectations and that you’re confident you can maintain the grades that they expect.
Options for what to do if your family won’t provide assistance after graduation. These may include:
a) Seeing if they would continue to let you live on their property while you attend community college or a local college
b) Finding schools that will give you sufficient aid (merit and/or need-based) that you can afford them with subsidized loans, work-study, and summer work funds
c) Seeing what would be needed to qualify as an independent adult, i.e. where the universities consider your finances only based on what you have and not any family contributions. @kelsmom might have more info on this.
d) See if there are any certifications or coursework that you can take your senior year that will make you more marketable for a job straight from high school.
e) Make sure you’re saving all your money from your server job, side businesses, etc. That money may be needed for a variety of things, and will give you more options.
Absolutely yes.