Hi all, this is kind of a mini-chance me thread I’m doing because I’m curious about my chances at the UC’s, specifically Cal.
UC GPA (capped+weighted)= 3.95 :((
UC GPA (uncapped +weighted)= 4.14
SAT
Oct 2014= 2140 (690CR/800M/650W/9E)
Jan 2015= 2210 (680CR/800M/730W/10E) (retaking in Nov, hoping for at least 2250+)
SAT 2 Chem (Jun 2014)= 770, SAT 2 Math 2= >760 (haven’t gotten it yet, if I don’t get an 800, I am retaking both Chem and Math in October)
Courses a-g for Sophomore+Junior year with semester grades (CA resident, competitive school)
Sophomore (bad year with personal problems. what a mess.)
Chem Honors (B/B) (appealing in the fall to get an A in second semester)
AP Chinese (A/B/5)
Lit 10 (B/A)
Dance (A/A)
World History (B/A)
Alg 2/Trig (B/B)
Junior
Business (A/A)
APUSH (B/A/4 and above hopefully…)
AP Chem (A/A/I think a 5?)
Honors Lit (took APLAC for this) (A/A/most likely 4…)
Pre-Calc H (B/A)
Senior (planned courseload)
AP Calc AB (maybe BC?)
Physics Honors
Lab Aide (not a-g)
AP Gov
AP Econ
AP Lit
ECs
Volunteering (3 years)- going to get about 100 hours by the end of summer, will get more as the school year starts
Science Olympiad (1 year)- to be VP of Events the coming school year, I hold 3 gold medals (regional+invitational) and 1 silver (state level) all for Chemistry related events
Chemistry Olympiad (1 year)- will continue for next year; ended up being top 2 in my school for this, but couldn’t go to USNCO exam due to regional cutoffs.
Member of the Chinese Honor Society
DECA (1 year)- won 1 6th place award at a regional competition
Sports- Tennis (1 year) and Track (1 year) had to leave both due to personal reasons
Misc.- taking physics at a local CC this summer (the course is not UC applicable)
Work Experience
Will start an internship for a finance sector of a tech company soon
Unpaid tutoring + test writing for other students (Chem related things)
I’m applying to basically all UCs UCSC and above. Do I even stand a chance for the UCs? I am applying somewhere where I have a better chance for ED, but that’s for a later thread, at a later time. The UCs are my backup plan (along with other colleges) if I don’t get in anywhere ED. Please try to chance me, and please tell me whether or not I should go in undeclared. Thank you!
also, the internship will be paid. I have an upward trend too, will the UCs consider this?
Anyone? Any and all feedback/suggestions are appreciated.
Realized I forgot to put some info on here. School GPA: UW 3.75 W 4.1. Rank: N/A, but around top 30% for class of around almost 600 students.
Can someone please help me with this? I’ll chance back if left the link.
bump. update: my internship was cancelled last minute, and my volunteer opportunity at the library was shut down also :(( I’ll still be getting volunteer hours from somewhere else, and I’m starting my physics class next week.
Hey. I had a 30 on my ACT with a 3.97 weighted GPA and was accepted to UCLA but not UC Berkeley. Of course many other factors go into this decision but I hope this may help you compare. Don’t hesitate to ask me any more questions about the process! GO BRUINS<3
bumping this. got a 770 in math 2 (I will retake math and chem in the fall for 800s). Taking the ACT in september for a 34+. Got a 5 in Chem and APUSH, but a 4 in APLAC. I have over 50 hours of volunteering now, and my friends and I started an organization for clean up initiative in our city. PLEASE HELP. And please be brutally honest.
Why do you call yourself a below average student? At this point, I’d say you are a competitive applicant to all the UC’s. Yes, your GPA is definitely low, but your course rigor is excellent and your SAT and SAT II scores are great. You’re definitely right where you need to be with those. In your personal statement, try to find a way to elaborate on these personal issues that caused your grades to drop, and start thinking about who you want to ask for recommendations (starting this year, Berkeley will now accept two letters of rec). I’d say Berkeley and LA are low reach (mainly because of their lowering acceptance rates) while I’d say you’re a match for UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCSC. Good luck!
Oh one thing I forgot to mention, I don’t think you should go in undeclared. If you want to be a Chem major, Berkeley’s application readers look for demonstrated interest in your intended major, which, in your case, could be reflected through your Science and Chemistry Olympiad participation.
@JPhilly99 thanks! I’m having my AP Chem teacher write my rec, and then hopefully I can get one of my SciOly coaches to write the other one.
Below average student???
With a strong essay, I think you’ve got a solid shot at all the UCs. Your UC GPA is a little light for UCB, LA and SD but, strong test scores and ECs may compensate.
The rest, are very likely - unless you blow your personal statement.
Good luck.
@nnocnat2 what major did you apply with?
your gpa is a little low for UCB but everything else is great. You got a great shot at the other uc’s
You’re applying for Letters&Science, which is fairly easy to get in with your stats and EC’s. If it were engineering, it would be a reach. So, I’d say your schools are a match
@Dhruv97 I did think about applying to Letters and Sciences, but here I’m wondering about UCB’s CoC (College of Chemistry).
Not sure how competitive that is.
Hi sorry for the late response. I’m an intended english major.
I honestly don’t think you need to retake your SAT, with all your scores and GPA I think you are a great candidates for all the UC’s. UCLA and Cal are low reaches for you but I think you can get in with your EC’s. If you write a great essay and get a good LOC from you teacher or counselor, you can definitely get into Cal. Good Luck!