I am an OOS student looking to apply to UCSB. It is easily my number one school, I go to a small private school on the East Coast. They rarely send students to UCSB but have plenty in the rest of the UC schools. Here are my stats:
GPA: 3.4 UW (my school does not give GPA and there will not be one sent to UCSB when I apply, they send my grades and a book describing the rigor of each class as well as a scattergram of where I fall against other students in my classes, but that GPA is roughly what I have)
SAT: 1300, looking to raise to 1350-1400 before I apply
Class Rank: N/A
EC: 4 year varsity lacrosse player (3 time league champions, 3 time State Champion), played on the varsity team as an eighth grader; 3 year varsity soccer player; Head of Student Support Team; Student mentor to underclassmen; Helped in the elementary school for a year; 100+ hours of community service; Writer for a school fashion magazine
Note about my HS: It is known as a top private school on the east coast. I am not saying its necessarily harder than other schools, but even the classes I take are more rigorous than most.
Intended Major: something in communications, but maybe international relations, somewhat undecided but I will apply for a major on my application
I know my GPA is below what they want, and my SAT is average, however I held off on opportunities to play D1 lacrosse in hopes to get into UCSB. Some may think that’s dumb, but thats how bad I want it. UCSB does not have a varsity lacrosse program, so it does not help me much. What are my chances of getting in? Will my sport help me even though UCSB does not offer it at the D1 level? Is it worth it to not apply to my number 2 school early decision just so I can hear back from UCSB?
Help!
UCSB does not require your transcripts to be sent when you first apply. You will fill out the UC application with your self reported grades and courses and they will calculate your UC GPA. UCSB will not see the scattergram either, plus rank is not considered. OOS applicants get extra honors points/weighting for AP/IB or DE courses taken 10-11th grades only. HS designated Honors courses are not given the extra weighting from OOS schools.
Here is the UC GPA calculator which uses only 10-11th grades from the UC a-g course requirements. Make sure you fulfill all the a-g course requirements by end of Senior year, especially the year of Visual/Performing Arts class.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
UC A-G course requirements: https://www.ucop.edu/agguide/a-g-requirements/
UCSB will use the capped weighted UC GPA (8 semesters of honors points weighting). If your UW GPA is around 3.4, your UC GPA may be around 3.7-3.8ish would make UCSB a Reach school.
UCSB also offers little to no financial aid to OOS students, so expect to pay $65K/year to attend. UCSB releases admission decisions in March so I would definitely apply to your #2 school but ED only if it is affordable.
Here is the UCSB Freshman profile for 2017 and the 2018 should be available in August 2018.
GPA and test scores of middle 25%-75% students
High School GPA UC GPA capped weighted: 3.96 - 4.25
ACT Composite Score: 28 - 33
ACT English Language Arts: 26 - 31
SAT Evidence Based Reading & Writing: 610 - 700
SAT Mathematics: 600 - 750
SAT Essay: 15 - 19
UCSB’s Application Review Criteria:
- Santa Barbara
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Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
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Considered: Character/personal qualities, Class rank (ELC eligibility for CA residents), Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, Level of applicant's interest, State residency, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
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Note: Eligibility established by high school GPA, course requirement, and SAT scores. Special consideration for disadvantaged students.
Freshman admit rates for Capped Weighted UC GPA:
3.40-3.79: 10.1%
3.80-4.19: 53.6%