Chance me..UCs, Ivy Leagues...current junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi, I’m a current junior and I’ll be applying to college next fall. I am really unsure where I would get in. I probably will end up being a pre-med or neuroscience major. I feel like I have strong scores/grades but weak ECs/awards…

SAT: 1570 (English - 770, Math - 800)
ACT: 36 composite
GPA: 4.67 (4.0 UW)
APs: sophomore year I did AP world (5)and AP computer science principles (4)
this year I’m taking AP Physics 2, AP Lang, AP Calc AB, AP Spanish Language, AP Statistics, and APUSH. Most of these current classes will hopefully give me some strong test scores. Next year I will probably be taking AP Calc BC, AP Biology, AP Lit, AP Economics, and AP Gov.
SAT Subject Tests: haven’t taken any yet, but planning to in June for Math II, Physics, and Chemistry

Extracurriculars:
Piano - 12 years of experience
Varsity volleyball (hopefully team captain next year)
Club volleyball for 7 years - team captain freshman year and this year
Varsity beach volleyball (top player at the school)
Club beach volleyball for 4 years(medaled in lots of tournaments, qualified for and played in national-level tournaments)
Key Club (event coordinator junior year, running for president for next year)(all 4 years)
CSF (public relations officer, Vice President) (all 4 years)
Math Club (11th - 12th grade)
Club Med (11th - 12th grade)
Link Crew (11th - 12th grade)
Volunteering at local library - over 150 hours
Summer programs (Cal Poly EPIC - summer of 2019)
Taken online classes through Coursera in various topics(idk if this counts for anything)
Peer tutored people in chemistry and math (unpaid)
Was a youth representative of my county on an exchange trip to Japan (summer of 2018)
Shadowed a pediatrician (11th - 12th grade)

Awards:
MTAC Certificate of Merit Level 9 (for piano)
Highest honor roll every semester
AP Scholar with Distinction (hopefully after this semester)
Girl Scout Bronze Award
Girl Scout Silver Award

What I plan to do soon:
I want to start volunteering at my local hospital, and I did apply for a selective volunteering program for teens at another hospital this summer, but these plans have been pushed back a little because of COVID-19.

I would love to know what my chances are for the more selective UCs like UCSB, UCSD, and UCLA. Also, is it worth it to apply to Ivy Leagues (preferably Columbia, Harvard, or Princeton) or other top schools like MIT, Caltech, or UChicago? Would I have any chance at all?

2

Oops…I forgot a couple things:
Class Rank: 2/487
I go to a rural public high school if that helps with anything

3

I don’t know a lot about college admissions, and I am not a professional, but from what I have seen from people applying and getting accepted/rejected from colleges, I think you have a very high chance to be accepted into the UCs you mentioned and have a fairly reasonable chance to be accepted into top schools such as MIT, Princeton, and Harvard.
Your stats are very strong, and are pretty strong even compared to the people who ended up being accepted into extremely selective colleges. Keep it up, and make sure you get good scores on your AP exams because from what I’ve seen, it is in your best interest to score only a very limited handful of 4s and definitely no 3s, 2s, or 1s.
Your extracurriculars aren’t too weak, and with your stats, it is definitely worth your time to apply to top-tier schools such as Harvard and Princeton. To increase your already reasonable chances of getting into these top-tier schools, I would suggest to seek out more awards on a higher level and to secure several leadership positions, as from what I’ve seen, that really helped other applicants.
Best of luck to you, and I hope you are accepted to your top choices when your time comes!

4

Can you be recruited for volleyball?

5

You look to be a competitive applicant with academics and ECs that should get you a serious look at any college. The rest will depend on things we can’t see such as your essays, LORs etc. IF you will be a recruited athlete for volleyball that can create a hook which will help with admissions.

Barring such a hook, any elite college (with acceptance rates often in the single digits) should be considered a reach. There are many more extremely well qualified applicants than there are spots available at these schools.

As you create your application list definitely include some top tier “reach” colleges and give those applications your all – but also be sure to take the time to search out a group of match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.

6

U have excellent stats. Make sure your Essays are stellar and you will have a good chance. All the Best!!

7

@ProudTyy AP scores do not carry that much weight in the college application process: having a strong GPA is more important.

8

Just wanted to add that only awards earned during your high school years should be included. So Girl Scout Bronze (earned in 4-5th grade) and Silver Awards (earned in middle school) don’t belong on your college app. If you end up earning your Gold Award, definitely include that.

9

I think you have a great chance at the UC’s! Coursera classes are definitely a good addition, especially if you took classes related to your major/interests. FWIW, the UC app gives you 20 blanks to add in whatever EC/Job/Awards you want so you would definitely have the space for them. I would focus on your essays.

The ivies are a reach for everyone, but definitely worth a shot in your case.

10

Have a serious discussion with your parents about college cost. If you plan on grad/professional schools in the future then consider those future costs. Run the NPCs on all the schools you’re considering. If money is an issue then you might want to look into schools that will give you a lot of merit money to attend since you have such high accomplishments.

11

I would definitely give HYPSM a shot. However, you must keep in mind that these are highly competitive institutions and luck will be heavily involved in the admissions process.

1 Like
12

UC capped weighted, unweighted and fully weighted GPA?

https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

You are definitely competitive and have a great shot at the top UC”s.

2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 38%
UCLA: 35%
UCSD: 71%
UCSB: 73%
UCD: 84%
UCI: 55%
UCSC: 85%
UCR: 97%
UCM: 98%

2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range:
UCB: 4.23 (4.15-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.32)
UCSD: 4.16 (4.03-4.28)
UCSB: 4.16 (4.04-4.28)
UCI: 4.13 (4.00-4.25)
UCD: 4.13 (4.00-4.26)
UCSC: 3.96 (3.76-4.16)
UCR: 3.90 (3.69-4.11)
UCM: 3.73 (3.45-4.00)

2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540

UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290

25th - 75th percentiles for ACT composite + language arts
UCB: 28-35
UCLA: 29-35
UCSD: 26-34
UCSB: 26-34
UCD: 24-33
UCI: 24-34
UCSC: 24-32
UCR: 21-30
UCM: 18-26

13

If you write your essays about an interest in a certain field you can incorporate your coursera courses there to show you took your interest and furthered it. I wouldn’t mention the coursera courses on your application in the ecp section though.