Chances for UCs and USC?

State Forums
1

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read this. So I applied to UCB, UCLA, UCD, UCI, UCSD, UCSC, and USC and wanted to know your opinions on my chances at these institutions. While I totally understand that these colleges have a holistic view when it comes to reading apps and that there is no one guaranteed application, I still want to hear what you have to say. So, here are my stats;

Gender: Male
Race: Mexican
First Generation Student

3.9 unweighted GPA
4.1 weighted GPA
(School is moderately competitive for a public school)
Rank; 38/782

ACT: 31 (E:28, M:32, R:34, S:29)
SAT Subject Test: Chem (730)

AP Classes & Scores;
Sophomore: World History (5)
Junior: Chemistry (4), English Language (4), Calculus AB (4)
Senior: US Government, Environmental Science, Calculus BC
*currently taking two science classes senior year for more exposure to the subject

Extra Curriculars;

  • 4 years in Key Club w/ 100+ hours of community service (Member)
  • 3 years in Recycling Club
  • 2 years in French Club (Treasurer)
  • Global Glimpse Program (Spent 2 weeks in the Dominican Republic doing community service)
  • SSTEM Program at Stanford (Shows students careers in the medical field)
    *I’ve also been playing Baritone Saxophone in my high school’s Wind Ensemble for all 4 years

Awards;

  • 1st Place in school-wide Cesar Chavez Essay Contest (Junior year)
  • AP Scholar with Honor (Junior year)
  • French Language Excellence Award (Awarded Freshman, Sophomore and Junior year)

First Choice Major: Chemistry (Except at UCSD, where it’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry)
Second Choice Major: Bio Chem (Except at UCSD, where it’s Chemistry)

2

Forgot to mention, I’ve also been working at my local movie theater since July if that means anything

3

@Kosmonavt, are you instate for California?
If so, you appear to be competitive. Berkeley and UCLA will be a reach because of your stats. But the other schools should be doable.
If you are an out-of-state resident, then the competition is even more fierce. Your costs go up significantly to $60 K per year since the State of California cannot afford to fund nonresidents. OOS residents pay full fees.
FWIW: The UCs and CSU’s cannot use race (affirmative action) to admit students. It is illegal in California public schools.

@thatblackkid, you need to make your own thread. You cannot hijack another person’s thread. It is considered rude.

4

Yes, I do live in California. I know that Berkeley and UCLA are reach schools, but do you think USC would also be a reach school since they have similar acceptance rates?

5

Actually that’s a very good question.
I think you would have an advantage at USC because they tend to like California kids who are URM.
And, they will fund you a lot better than the UC’s. They have a lot of private dollars with their awesome alumni network.

6

I agree with @“aunt bea” that you are competitive for all the schools. UCLA/UCB are always tough and USC might be slightly easier than these two schools but they also like high test scores and your ACT is within range but the lower side of the 50th percentile so that may make it a slight Reach.

Best of luck.