Hi!! I am currently a Junior at a private school in New Hampshire but am looking for a serious change in scenery and UCSC looks like the absolute perfect place for that. This whole college process is scaring me to death because I hear it is harder for out of state kids to get into these schools, and I had some serious health struggles freshman year that ruined my grades for 9th grade so I have some low grades on my transcript. If anyone could chance me and maybe give me some California schools that I could match with as well I will give you a virtual hug 
Scores–
Intended major: Marine Biology
SAT: 1310 (590 reading/720 math)
GPA: our school only gives us them once a year at the very end of the year but it is currently a 3.2. I know this is low but I finished freshman year with a 2.5, got it up to 3.2 after sophomore year and currently have all straight A’s and am hoping for it to go up to at least a 3.6 or 3.7 by the time I apply. (I heard that an increase shows commitment ?)
AP’s:
none yet but I plan on taking AP Environmental Science and AP gov senior year.
My school is weird as they only let you take one or two AP’s a year. Plus I am not sure if courses that count as honors for us count when calculating a UC GPA (I am very confused on that part).
EC’s:
Varsity swim team all four years, voted MVP sophomore and junior year when my team also won the state championship.
four time state champion
20+ hours a week to club swimming, I don’t want to swim d1 in college because of the time commitment but I have been talking to a few schools, would compete for UCSC because they are d3 so I am also wondering if being a recruited athlete gives me any help?
debate club- two years
art club- three years, president junior year
NH Envirothon team member- three years. where we learn all the information ever about New Hampshire wildlife and ecosystems and then go and compete against all the other schools in the state at the end of the year. super fun and my team placed well last year!
environmental club- two years
60 hours of volunteering at a local marine conservation non-profit. I work in their booth on the beach and show kids all the different crabs and fish in the touch tank and then tell them about whales!! its super cute
50 hours of volunteering and soon to be job at local marine research center, basically doing most of the same things as the other program but I go out on the boats and tag sharks occasionally with this program.
Spent 2 weeks at a school in the bahamas helping a masters student from oxford write her graduate thesis on invasive species (lionfish in particular), tagging sharks and sea turtles, and helping with deep sea research. absolutely the best experience of my life and will probably write an essay about it.
Helped canvas for bernie sanders during his presidential run in 2016
That is basically it, I am hoping to get some good teacher recs and I think my essays will be okay. Thank you guys sooo much for chancing me haha calming my nerves so much!!