Chances at UCLA, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Rice, & more

GPA : 4.78 weighted. I go to a STEM school, and it doesn’t do rankings, unfortunately

Tests :
AP World History – 4
AP Chinese - 5
These were from sophomore year. I stopped taking AP classes because all the classes I take are Honors college classes now

SAT (Sophomore yr) – 2100
SAT (November 2015) – 2200 (projected) I’m going to try and take it again in January for a 2300
SAT II : Math II (800), Chinese (800), Biology E (760)
ACT : 32 I’ll probably retake this in June

Extracurricular :
Orchestra, region and state solo & ensemble for violin
Science Olympiad, 1st place at the regional level
Mu Alpha Theta
FBLA, qualified for state
Key Club president and founder
10th grade class officer
positions of leadership in orchestra, scioly, and key club
150+ hours of volunteering (pet shelter, marathons, nursing home, hospital, etc)
AP Scholar with Distinction
I’m starting research in developmental biology next semester

I’m thinking about applying to these schools :
Johns Hopkins
Cornell
UC Berkeley
UCLA
Rice
UT Austin
McGill

I’ll probably apply undecided or pre-med/optometry

The classes I’m taking this semester are Honors Biology, Honors Chem, Cal I, Bio Lab, Chem Lab, and English. I think that’s 19 credit hours (the school I go to now is on a college campus). Next semester I’ll take Honors Biology, Honors Chem, Cal II, Chem Lab, English, Psych I, and Macroeconomics. Also, 19 credit hrs.

Hmmm I am not seeing anything that makes you stand out but I think you research in developmental biology might just give you a slight edge. You have a very impressive gpa. Also how did you get AP scholar with distinction if you only have 2 ap tests?

Your SAT/ACT scores are good but not competitive enough for the UC’s.

You need to use an unweighted GPA for the UC schools. If your honors courses were not taken in California, they won’t be counted for credit since the UCs only use the AP credits.

@crossovercuber Thanks for the comment. I actually took more APs, but I don’t plan on reporting them to colleges (compsci & physics not my best subjects). I don’t think my GPA is that great actually, I’ve gotten a couple of Bs, but since they were honors/advanced classes and the school I attend currently doesn’t require 4.0 classes like P.E. and health, it came out higher. My unweighted GPA is like a 3.78
By not stand out, does that mean a reach? for which ones do you think I have better chances at? ty in advance for the feedback much appreciated.

@“aunt bea” Thanks for the info. I’ll have to ask my counselors about my credits

Well that’s interesting because the weighted gpa is a little high given the unweighted. I would say reach for now

From the UC website: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/q-and-a/honors/#4

Your unweighted GPA won’t get you into Berkeley or LA. UCSD and Davis may be more of a match.