So like most seniors I’m really worried about which UCs I’ll be accepted to. To keep it be brief I’m very well rounded with all that good stuff (music, sports, leadership, volunteering)
My UC gpa is 4.17
My SAT is 1850
Most importantly I am applying for electrical engineering.
With the extremely selective chances with Engineering do you think I’ll be accepted to UC Davis, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Berkeley, Los Angeles?
Thanks
SAT is below average for most of the UC’s listed. Since Engineering is always competitive at the UC’s, you want to be at or above the average in Stats to have a decent chance.
UCI: Match
UCD/UCSB: High Match
UCSD: Low Reach
UCB/UCLA: Reach
Outstanding essays and EC’s will factor into your admission decisions but unable to predict how these items will be received. Do you have any safety schools?
Not many I considered UC irvine(now that I think about it not really), Cal Poly Slo(for engineering I don’t think it is either), and San Diego state.
The reason why a feel like I should get into most of the UCs for engineering is that I’m hoping that the engineering admissions offices will understand that im good at math. Specifically, I hope they understand that the sat tests only geometry and some algebra 2, and the only reason it’s challenging is because it is timed and presented in obscure ways. So I feel like because I got A’s in AP Calculus BC and a 4 on the AP exam and an A at a statistics community college course, they will understand that I actually am good at math and the sat did not accurately test my abilities.
Do you think they might think that way?
Your application goes through the admissions office, for each of the universities you have selected, and engineering typically doesn’t hand-select its UG candidates.
As @Gumbymom has stated, your SAT is not high enough for most of your listed UC’s.
Engineering is very competitive and your score will not look good.
FWIW, thousands of students, who have taken AP Calc and other courses in math, perform well on the math portion of the SATs. Making excuses for your score isn’t helpful.
You do understand that in a university education, it’s not about just taking math courses for engineering, right? You will not earn a diploma in engineering, if you can’t complete other courses in other academic areas. The universities expect you to leave with a decent general education plus your major. In a career in engineering, you not only have to be well prepared in math, but you also have to be able to communicate (Speech and Debate), write summaries (English), deal with multiple people (Psych) of different cultures (Social Sciences), meet deadlines (business management), and perform math calculations in “obscure ways”.
@Robert2528: Are you saying that you also applied to SLO and SDSU? SLO will be a Low Reach for Engineering and SDSU will be a Low Match/Match so neither school is a solid safety. Also just because you are good in Math as @aunt bea stated will not make you a better candidate for the UC’s. Most applicants applying for Engineering at these schools are good in Math or they would not be considering Engineering as a major. Good Luck with your acceptances and I hope you are happy with your choices in the end.
@“aunt bea” what do you mean by “engineering typically doesn’t hand-select its UG candidates”. Do you mean they filter out the bad scores(aka mine) and only review the applications with good scores?
An admissions committee reviews the applicants for the schools. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/freshman/minimum-requirements/
They have thousands of applicants and it is done by groups.
In some graduate schools they do select their candidates.
Since you are applying for engineering college, your chances of getting in becomes lower as it is more competitive. You have a nice GPA, though SAT score might be a bit lower than what they recommend. If your essay is really good then there can be a chance that you get in!
You have a solid gpa, but relatively low test score.
UCD, UCI High match
UCSB match
UCSD reach
UCLA/UCB low reach
Yeah I’m just hoping that they understand that the sat is just one test and for the uc GPA, that’s 2 whole years of tests, learning, and studying. Also my parents income is relatively low so I hope the admissions see that income and understand that I couldn’t afford an SAT Class or tutor like thousands of students can.
Also obviously I already submitted my application but I haven’t really shown people my essay to see if they think it’s really good or not. Just out of curiosity do you think I can email you my essay and see what you think of it?