Chances at UCSB

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I was wondering what my chances are for UCSB. I am planning to apply for all the UCs, but UCSB is the one that I want to go to the most.

UC GPA: 4.0
SAT I: 1970 (630 CR, 630 M, 710 W)- probably not going to submit
ACT: 32 (35 E, 34 M, 30 R, 30 S)- going to retake, hoping for a 33+
SAT II:
- Math Level 2: 730 (going to retake, hoping for a 750+)
- Chemistry: a really bad score lol
- US History: 730

APs/Honors Taken (9-11):

**My school did not allow freshmen to take APs/Honors unless they were in accelerated math, or in an advanced world language class. Sophomores were also restricted on the number of challenging classes they could take. As a result, I could not take a lot of APs/Honors until my junior year.

(10) Chemistry H
(11) AP US History
(11) AP Chemistry
(11) Pre-Calculus H
(11) American Lit H

I am also currently taking two online community college classes, a Cultural Geography class and an Art History class. (because the courses I wanted were not available). I checked on the UC website, and it said that these two classes were UC- approved.

Senior Schedule (APs/Honors):
AP Calculus AB
AP Spanish Language/Culture
AP English Literature
AP Microeconomics
Physics H

Other Factors:

Intended Major: Pharmacology
In-State Student

Extracurriculars:

I am not going to list them here, but I believe that they can be considered “good”.

Other thoughts/questions:

I found several documents on the UCSB website (similar to the common data set) that detailed the profile of admitted freshmen. The document that I found most interesting was: http://bap.ucsb.edu/IR/campusprofile/Campus_Profile_2014_update.pdf because it gave stats for each specific college (Engineering, Creative Studies, and L&S).

I also emailed a UCSB admissions officer, and I asked if the UC GPA was used for eligibility purposes or for admissions decisions (because I heard conflicting statements from several people I asked), and they said that the UC GPA is the only GPA that they look at, for both admissions and eligibility. Does that mean I can assume that the GPA averages in the document refer to the UC GPA, and not the Fully Weighted GPA? Also, do the average GPAs on the UC website refer to the UC GPA or the Fully Weighted GPA?

2

Since UCSB stated they only look at the UC GPA, then take their word. You look like a qualified applicant and have a good chance at an acceptance.

If you check the common dataset for UCSB, the GPA listed is the unweighted GPA (out of 4.0), but if you look at the UC admissions website for the Freshman Profile on each school, the GPA listed is UC GPA weighed (capped).
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/santa-barbara/freshman-profile/index.html

As far as I am aware, only UCLA/UCB use the uncapped weighted UC GPA for admission purposes.

3

@Gumbymom I have also heard that UCSB likes applicants with high test scores (33+ or 2200+), so if I pull my ACT up, will that increase my chances significantly?

4

Your ACT score of 32 is at the 75th percentile for UCSB. I think you are fine with your current score. I would spend time this summer on your essays, since UCSB states on their website in evaluating applicants: 50% GPA/test scores/course rigor and 50% EC’s and essays.

5

@Gumbymom Thank you so much!!