Chance me please? Freaking out here

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
1

<p>Male, 50% Taiwanese, 25% Cantonese, 25% Afghani, from California.</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.38 (severe health issues affected grades in my junior year)
UC GPA: 3.6</p>

<p>AP Classes: Biology, Calculus AB, English Language and Composition, Psychology (school doesn’t offer, took it online), Macroeconomics, US Government, Physics 1, Statistics</p>

<p>Honors: Biology, Chemistry, Pre-Calc</p>

<p>ACT Composite: 35</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:

  • 400+ hours volunteering at local Emergency Room
  • Internship at CI Trials, a psychiatric research lab over the summer before my senior year, 300+ hours total working time.
  • Partaker in UCI School of Medicine’s Summer Research Program over the summer before my junior year, 360 hours total time.
  • Awarded the DuPont Biotechnology Award at the Santa Clara Science and Engineering Championship Fair
  • Published and presented an abstract on Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus at the Western Regional Meeting for American Federation for Medical Research in joint with UCI SoM
  • Yearbook Editor in Chief for my sophomore and junior year (senior year had to leave due to scheduling conflicts)
  • Mens Golf: Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior year (had to take a break junior year due to medical issues)
  • First Tenor in Chamber Choir, National Youth Choir–performed at Carnegie Hall in March 2014
  • Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of “Helvetica”, a independently ran student magazine that highlights key issues and people in our community</p>

<p>Notes:
Diagnosed with severe hyperthyroidism and Graves Disease, which really affected my academic standing in my sophomore and junior year.</p>

2

<p>Strong test scores and a good story will probably overcome your low GPA. I think you have a good chance if you write a compelling essay. You aren’t a lock so, apply broadly. Good luck. </p>

3

<p>Looking at your APs and extracurriculars I assume you are applying as a STEM major? </p>

<p>Your GPA is a bit low but you have a valid reason (in my opinion it is valid, but I’m not as mean as admissions). So it really depends on how they look at it, but don’t count on any leniency. Your extracurriculars are outstanding but I believe ECs never overshadow the numbers. Your ACT is way above the average UCD acceptance, which really show that you’re capable and can give them an idea of how great of a student you are. I would say you’re a strong candidate and I’ve known many people with the same/lower GPA and a lower ACT/SAT get in, however admissions still has every opportunity to say “awww you’re not a good fit for our school”, so make sure you write amazing personal statements. Don’t give them a reason to say no. Best of luck!</p>