Chances.. Applying for College Soon!

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

<p>What are my chances of getting into UC Davis with
-3.8 weighted UC GPA
-2000 (maybe a little more) SAT

  • 700+ on both SAT Subject tests (one will be math, the other science)
  • black belt in martial arts
  • martial arts for 8 years
    -working two jobs since freshman year (black belt instructor and math/english tutor)
    -volunteering over 100+ hours at a hospital
  • 300+ hours of community service
  • co president of Habitat for Humanity
  • cross country for 3 years
  • track/field for 2 years
  • 7 credits at a community college (will get more before graduation)
    Any other advice for college admissions would help as well!
    I think I need more extra curricular too, any advice on what i should do?</p>

<p>However, my freshman grades were HORRIBLE! (2.3) There has been a very sharp increase in grades as you can see with my weighted 3.8.
How do I explain this to colleges? Will it affect my admissions at all?
I also have challenging courses this year, including AP English, AP Chem, AP Calculus and Honors Physics.
I was just a screw up freshman year, how do I address that for admissions?</p>

2

<p>Write an essay on why you got bad grades freshman year. I think you have a good chance getting in with a good essay. do more hours during the summer, it will help you a lot! take the ACT? you might get an even higher score! good luck!</p>

3

<p>SAT + ECs are good to go…gotta hope you will be able to swing by with grades. I think you should explain in your essay how hard you have worked to progress academically since freshman year, and use your ECs to your advantage by explaining how much time you had to devote to them.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for all the advice!! Do ucs count the act as the same as the sat?? Annnd I have no idea how to explain my freshman grades. I have no hardships or anything.</p>

5

<p>Not by hardships, just describe how much more motivation and ability you have to do well in school now, especially with your senior year workload. (although I wouldn’t make this the entire essay) Yes, ACT or SAT is accepted.</p>

6

<p>Oooh ok thanks for all the help!</p>

7

<p>My understanding is that the UCs do not use freshman grades at all in their GPA calculation, so I don’t think that will affect your admission.</p>

8

<p>Agreed with justchillmom. They call it Freshmen Forgiveness. I had the reverse problem that you had (4.0 freshman, dismal soph, ok jr, great sr), and paid for it. I’m transferring to Davis now, so it’s all good, but I definitely know that they do not weigh your freshman grades into your UC admissions GPA. If they did, I probably would’ve gotten into Davis the first time around. </p>

<p>With this in mind, I would highly recommend AGAINST writing an essay about your freshman struggles or your senior-year workload. Frankly, these essay-readers read thousands upon thousands of essays. Want to know how to sound boring? Talk about how difficult school is.</p>

<p>Judging from your posted stats, I’d personally talk about your volunteer experience with the hospital and how it molded you into the person you are today, or an event that Habitat for Humanity hosted, or even how martial arts has helped you become a better student and person. You need an essay that stands out, so play up the qualities and traits that scream uniqueness. Everyone goes to school and most people applying to the UC system take difficult courses, but not everyone teaches a martial arts class. Get on it.</p>

9

<p>Honestly, I think you’re good to go. And also, an uprising in gpa through your high school years shows good improvement. Good job! : )</p>

10

<p>you are in, but why davis? you should have your sights set a lil higher, like UCSB or stanford</p>

11

<p>u will at least get regents scholar, and all these other awards to suck you in</p>

12

<p>@Mancini</p>

<p>I’d hesitate before saying that UCSB is “better” than UCD. US News and World Report give both schools the same ranking. Arguably, there are departments at each uni that are stronger than one another, but to say that UCSB is outright better than UCD is not only ignorant, but childish. </p>

<p>[Best</a> Colleges - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-top-public)</p>

<p>Also, Stanford is not just “a little higher.” Comparing Ivy Leagues to Public Unis is like comparing apples to oranges (with the exception of UC Berkeley, of course). </p>

<p>I would hesitate before saying he’s in. Just look at the many denials pages on CC. There are many students with equivalent, if not higher, stats than the OP who got denied to UCD. In this day and age, with admission slots becoming rarer, no one should be considered safe. </p>

<p>@Farsheezy</p>

<p>Although I do not advocate this method, if you are genuinely scared of your admission prospects while applying to UCD, picking a non-impacted, “easier” major will greatly increase your chances of admission as opposed to picking a more difficult major (i.e. engineering). </p>

<p>A couple of people from my high school did this, choosing Asian History and Political Science as their application majors, but switching to the more rigorous Business and Natural Science majors upon receiving their admission notice. </p>

<p>Is this cheating the system? Perhaps, but other colleges such as UCLA and UCB have measures in place to protect against this type of bait-and-switch. If UCD wanted to protect against this, they too could implement similar measures. </p>

<p>Just something to consider if you are absolutely terrified about your admission prospects.</p>

13

<p>thanks everyone!</p>

<p>to fusionall, wouldn’t it be easier if I got in as an undeclared major instead?? and then switched into my major after a year or so…? can you do something like undeclared in the biological sciences</p>

14

<p>You have the cat in the bag. Really, you do. My stats, compared to yours, were far less superior, and I got in. I looked at the people on College Confidential, posting up their ECs, and grades, and I felt really discouraged. I felt like my grades, in comparison with everyone else’s, were going to get me rejected. But I learned that you should have faith in yourself, and you’ll be fine, as cheesy at that sounds. Boost that GPA up even more, and take some APs during senior year. Take a heavier course load and improve your GPA. This demonstrates a lot about your work ethic.</p>

15

<p>you have a pretty solid chance of getting in but it also depends on your major</p>

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<p>@Farsheezy</p>

<p>To be honest, I wouldn’t put myself in the Undeclared pot just yet just because there are so many others who are also Undeclared with awesome stats. So to answer your question, no, it wouldn’t be easier theoretically. UCs typically like to see a goal-oriented individual, so declaring a major, even if you don’t think you’ll do it in the future, is generally a good idea. Declaring an easy major is an even better idea if you’re worried about your admission chances.</p>

17

<p>Oh thanks fusionall! I never even thought about that. Do you know if it is possible to be like undeclared in the sciences because there are many different majors in that area…</p>

18

<p>@ Farsheezy</p>

<p>Yes, you can be Undeclared - Life Sciences, Undeclared - Fine Arts, etc. Check with each school to make sure, but I know you can do this at UCD.</p>

19

<p>Oh alright! And ap scores don’t affect admission at all right? because mine didn’t come out very well…</p>

20

<p>oh and are there any websites that help with writing the personal statement?</p>