Chances at Cal Poly SLO?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

State: California
Race: White(middle eastern)
Gender: Male
Income: ~40000

Intended Major: Computer Science
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.23
CSU GPA: 4.4
Class rank: Top 5%(class of about 550 students)

ACT Composite Score: 32
ACT Breakdown: 36 Math, 34 Science, 32 English, and 26 Reading(terrible I know)

APs/Honors taken: AP Calc AB, AP Comp Sci, AP Chem, Honors Pre-Calc, Honors Algebra II

Senior Year APs/IBs:
AP Government
AP Macroeconomics
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C
IB Comp Sci

I’m also doing Harvard CS50 which is an online Introduction to Computer Science class at Harvard.

Average work per week in the past 12 months is in the 1-5hrs bracket.
Average extracurricular activities per week in the past 12 months is in the 16-20hrs bracket.

Hooks: Low-income

Questions:
-I have read some posts saying that SLO also uses grades from 9th grade in calculating GPA. Is that true? If so my CSU GPA is a 4.27.
-Also, I have heard that SLO only looks at the math and english sections of the ACT. Does that mean they would look at it as if I had a 34?

2

Yes, SLO uses 9th grades in their GPA calculation and will only look at the Math and English sections of the ACT. They also use an MCA score to rank applicants based on their majors. Here is some information if you want to calculate your MCA score. CS would probably need around a 4800+ MCA score to be competitive. Are you doing ED?

The maximum GPA they will use is 4.2, even though you can have a higher calculated CP GPA. A 4.2 is worth 2250 MCA points. Thus, multiply your CP GPA by 535.7 and you’ll get your MCA points for GPA.

The next biggest thing is test scores. The odd thing, likely because they wanted it to total a nice round number, is that the max score is 1650, even though the max SAT score is 1600. Multiply the total of your best SAT CR and your best SAT math by 1.03125 to get your MCA test points. If you took the ACT, they convert and vice versa.

The third largest section is the class rigor score, worth 750 points. In this section you get zero points for meeting the minimum admission requirements and adders for more than the minimum. The bonuses in order of power are (min semesters/max total semesters/bonus per extra semester/total possible bonus): math 6/10/125/500 (note: stats and finite do not count), lab science 4/8/50/200, English 8/10/50/100, foreign language 4/8/25/100, visual performance 2/4/25/50, no bonus points for social sciences or electives. As with GPA, you can actually score higher than the maximum, but 750 is the most they will count.

Finally, work and ECs, worth 350 points. Work (hours per week/bonus): 0/0, 1-5/20, 6-10/40, 11-15/60, 16-20/80, 21+/100, add 50 points if work is major related. ECs (hours per week/bonus): 0/0, 1-5/30, 6-10/60, 11-15/90, 16-20/120, 21+/150, add 60 points for leadership role.

There you go. Good luck.

GPA = 2250
Test = 1650
Class rigor = 750
EC / Work Hrs = 350
Subtotal for accademic points = 5000

Parents education = 600
Veteran’s benefit = 700
Zip code= 500
High school = 700
Parent employed by CPSLO = 700
Subtotal for Demographic points = 3200

Max attainable points = 8200

Scores are capped at 5,000

3

@Gumbymom Thank you for such a quick and in depth response, but I’m still a little confused. So, I’m trying to figure out my MCA score, but I don’t know what a 32 on the english section converts to on the SAT critical reading because the only conversion I can find for it is ACT English to SAT writing. Also, on the actual app would I put my GPA with 9th grade included because on the app is says to use what the CSU GPA calculator says, but that asks for 10-12th not 9-12th. Also, how can I figure how many demographic points I would receive for my MCA score?

Lastly, I’m not doing ED.

4

I would use the ACT Composite conversion to the SAT Math + Critical Reading score for the best estimate for the MCA score. The CSU Mentor application will ask for the CSU GPA 10-12 grades but SLO will recalculate your GPA using 9th grades so I would enter in your CSU GPA not the SLO GPA. Use the SLO GPA for the MCA calculation.

For HS and Zip code, it would mean you need to be in the local service area: http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf

Parents education=1st generation

You would also have a better chance at ED than RD. RD is a much more competitive applicant pool.
CS had about a 10% acceptance rate last year.

5

@Gumbymom Thank You! I know my chances would be better ED, but SLO is not my first choice so if I were accepted I don’t want to be stuck with no choice but to go there. Also, do you think most applicants will have a 5000 for their MCA score because I had a little over a 5000, but since there is a cap my score would be 5000.

6

I think you are a competitive applicant and have an excellent chance with an MCA of 5000+.

Good Luck.

7

@Gumbymom Does Cal Poly SLO look at your writing scores for the ACT too?

8

This might sound far-fetched, but I think you’ll get rejected for being overqualified. I know two people with similar stats to you (from last year) who got rejected by Cal Poly. One of these people got into UCSD for engineering, and the other got into UCLA. Cal Poly rejects applicants who they deem to be overqualified. But, if you apply ED, I’m pretty sure you’ll get in.

9

None of the CSU’s really care abput the writing portion of the ACT or SAT.