Demographics White, non binary (female assigned), middle class from NorCal
- US Citizen
- State/Location of residency: CA
- Type of high school (current college for transfers): very small private school
Intended Major(s)
Environmental Science/Marine Biology/Coastal Ecology
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
- Unweighted HS GPA: 3.88
- Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.29
- College GPA (for transfers):
- Class Rank: no ranking at school because only 35 kids per grade
- ACT/SAT Scores: 1560 (790 math, 770 WR)
Coursework
*(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school;
10 AP classes, 7 honors classes, 3 college classes (took all the science courses I could at my school as well as AP Span and all the AP english classes)
Extracurriculars
Volunteer at major environmental organization and marine research center ~200 hours/year. Certified California naturalist. Started non-profit that organizes and trains high school students to assist local scientists in field research and biodiversity. Have participated in two research projects in Fiji. Research scuba diving certified, working on Reef Check certification. Leader of two environmental clubs at school, editor of school literary magazine
Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.) Probably will be pretty strong
Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)
Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)
Looking for chances at Stanford, Berkeley, UCSD, UCSB and USC.
Thank you, Iâm trying to narrow down my list but I feel like everything is a long shot these days!
Your unweighted GPA is a bit on the low side for highly rejective schools. The other thing to note is that, while excellent, the UCs wonât see your SAT score.
Have you calculated your UC GPA? What is that?
Your ECs speak very much to my own interests so I personally am a bit biased towards you 
However, I also think they need further explanation - not to me, of course, but in your applications. Without more context, at first glance some of they could be seen as a bit âpay to playâ or something along those lines. Not saying they are, just that there could be that perception if additional context isnât provided.
Also to add that you should ED/EA action to one of the privates, but you will likely have to choose between them - canât EA to both. Personally, I like your odds for USC better than Stanford, so that might be a better strategic choice (and if accepted EA at USC you might get some merit - by the way, do you need merit aid?)
I would actually recommend that you expand your list. These are all reach/high target schools. You need some sure shots.
Looking at USCâs policies, you may actually be able to EA to both USC and Stanford because USC requires EA for merit consideration and Stanford REA policy has a âloopholeâ for merit consideration at other schools.
Just read the requirements of both carefully to be sure, but sounds like you could actually do both. And in that case you should.
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Definitely calculate your UC GPA first using the Rogerhub calculator.
Also for marine biology, you should definitely add UCSC. You will likely get in there and itâs a great school for MB.
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My UC GPA is 4.18 which I know is a little low. I had a bad semester due to a prolonged covid experience but otherwise was around 3.95-4.0 the rest of the time. I am applying to UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, Oregon and Washington as more as safety/likely schools. Merit aid would be a plus but not entirely necessary.
I wouldnât necessarily consider Davis a safety/likely - I think it is better placed as a target. UC Santa Cruz is a safety/likely so if youâre happy with that and can afford it, then youâre set.
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As noted you need to calculate all 3 of your UC GPAâs: GPA Calculator for the University of California â RogerHub
That said, below is a table of admit rates for Fall 2022 based on the Capped Weighted UC GPA and not major specific. I would also add besides UC Santa Cruz which could be a target school., UC Davis. UC Davis has a Marine Coastal Biology major and a Marine Lab in Bodega bay and would be a High Match/Low Reach not a Likely school.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/majors/marine-and-coastal-science-marine-ecology-and-organismal-biology
https://marinescience.ucdavis.edu/
2022 Admit rates based on the Capped weighted UC GPA.
| Campus |
4.00+ |
3.70-3.99 |
3.30-3.69 |
3.00-3.29 |
| Berkeley |
17% |
3% |
1% |
0% |
| Davis |
58% |
20% |
5% |
2% |
| Irvine |
35% |
10% |
3% |
0% |
| Los Angeles |
13% |
2% |
1% |
0% |
| Merced |
97% |
97% |
95% |
85% |
| Riverside |
95% |
83% |
42% |
17% |
| San Diego |
37% |
8% |
1% |
0% |
| Santa Barbara |
41% |
8% |
3% |
0% |
| Santa Cruz |
69% |
45% |
16% |
4% |
I am sure you are aware the that the UCâs are test blind. You have some focused and interesting ECâs which should help your chances.
Stanford: High Reach
USC/UCB/UCSD: Reach
UCSB: Low Reach
UCD: High Target/Low Reach
UCSC: Target
Best of luck.
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Is this the entirety of your list?
I donât believe being non-binary is of any impact.
You go to a small HS - you should check with your counselor, especially in regards to SC and Stanford.
I suspect you need others - even with UCSC.
Good luck.
Oregon State is mostly likely a Safety/Very Likely. Which school in Washington? UW? UW would not be a Likely but Western Washington would be a Likely. The UCâs are unpredictable and many students with 4.2 UC capped weighted GPAâs were either waitlisted or denied admission in the last few cycles.
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This is very true. In my opinion - which is only my opinion - your potential strength is your ECs but, as I mentioned above, it will be important how you describe/explain them: the surface level of âhigh school student going on a research trip to Fiji. Twiceâ reeks of privilege. Again, I am NOT saying that that is the case at all - Iâm just talking about potential perception. This is where you need to use those PIQs and every word in your EC list word count to explain and contextualize how this came about and why it is impactful and an earned opportunity (if in fact it is, which hopefully it is).
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For UCSC marine biology in-state students in the 4.2-4.29 fully weighted GPA range, the admit rate is around 67% (95 admit out of 140 applicants).
https://iraps.ucsc.edu/iraps-public-dashboards/student-demand/admissions-funnel.html
I think OP will have a pretty good shot given clear interest in the major backed up by ECs, and given that even their capped weighted is around 4.2.
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Thanks for the advice. I see how it it could look bad, but it was not a cushy pay-to-play experience. I was invited to participate in a graduate research project that required camping in a tent with no running water and an over abundance of vampire mosquitos for two and a half weeks. I will explain in my essays for sure!
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That sounds like it could make a great essay!
I would apply to all the UCs that have your major. Theyâve gotten unpredictable, no way to know which ones will like your app. Iâd add Cal Poly slo and some CSUs too.
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Others are well-suited to give better advice about the California publics, but as I was reading about you I kept on thinking Cal State: Monterey Bay. Itâs a residential Cal State and Iâm sure would have tons of options for you.
CSULB is another good option.
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sorry @lkg4answers - did not mean to reply to your post specifically!
My D23 applied to a similar major (marine science where it was offered or marine bio where it was not) to most of these same schools this last cycle with generally the same stats and no test scores and was admitted to UCB, UCSD, UCSBâs CSS program - which you should DEFINITELY check out, and some of the other UCâs mentioned (Davis/UCSC). She did not apply to USC and was denied at Stanford.
Although the UCâs are unpredictable, IMHO, your diving certification is a real plus, as is your research. Make sure your essays reflect your passion (show, donât tell) but be sure to talk about other things as well to avoid sounding too one dimensional, - a job, hobby, etc. not related to your other ECâs.
CP SLO is also a great suggestion, but be aware their program has 24 spaces total - our daughter is still âwait listedâ for that one (not counting on it - LOL).
It sounds like you want to stay in CA based on your list, so I echo CSUMB for you as a safety (excellent reputation) as well as SJSU, which has a research lab at Moss Landing (near MBARI) and you might want to consider Cal Poly Humbolt for its Marine and Coastal Systems Institute.
Our student applied widely at UCâs as well as CSUâs which I think was a good strategy. Good luck to you!!
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