<p>So, I became homeless 3 days before my Freshman year. While living in the shelter, I still attended High School and maintained 100%+ in all classes. About 3 weeks into being homeless, my mom decided it would be best for me to live with my brother until she got back on her feet.</p>
<p>I moved from San Diego, CA to Stockton, CA (Northern California). The school in San Diego I went to, San Diego High School, started in the 2nd week of September (Yes, I know, a very long Summer), while the school in Stockton started in the 1st or 2nd week of July. I believe that the Stockton Unified School District has the lowest literacy rate in the country & Stockton just became 1 of the 4 (possibly 5) cities in California to become bankrupt. To say the least, the high school I transferred to sucked! I was expected to make up about 2 months worth of Geometry (Homework, Quizzes & Tests) & some bs science class in about 2 weeks with no help from tutors or teachers AND keep up with the work being assigned. I overheard my counselor saying that there was no way I'd be able to pass my classes (or at the max, pass w/ a D-). I ended up getting a B in the science class & a C in Geometry. Also, they offered a M.E.S.A. (Math Engineering & Science Achievement) class in which you would complete a wide variety of projects to gear you up for the annual MESA Day Competition at the University of the Pacific. I ended up getting there after they had started their last project. The teacher didn't really have anything to base my grade on, so he just gave me a B. </p>
<p>After that semester (I just started my junior year), I haven't gotten anything less than a 3.75 unweighted or 4.0 weighted. I'm now taking AP English, AP Psych, Honors Physics, Honors Pre-Cal, US History & 2nd year Spanish. The last time I checked, I was ranked 96 out of 632 (15%), which is pretty low on my standards. At that time, I believe I had 3.78 Overall GPA & 3.78 unweighted. I hadn't taken an honors or AP class yet. (I ended up taking my first 2 honors classes the 2nd semester of my Sophomore year). Going into my Junior year I have a 3.92 overall and a 3.77 unweighted.</p>
<p>How many spots do you think I can jump from now to the time I apply for college if I maintain anywhere from a 4.5-4.75 GPA thought my junior year? </p>
<p>My 4 realistic college picks are Cal Poly SLO, Washington State, University of the Pacific (UOP), & UCSD. Of, course stretches would be Berkeley, Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon & MIT. Chances? With a decent SAT Score? </p>
<p>I got a perfect score on both the English and Math portions of the CAHSEE (Not sure if that does any good) & I still haven't taken my SAT or ACT.</p>
<p>My life situation: Homeless 2 times, My mom makes under $25,000 a year (She's physically disabled and retired), we don't own a house, I don't know my dad. Also, I'm 50% Black, %25 Mexican, and 25% native American</p>
<p>Extracurricular Activities: Key Club (2012-2013 Vice President & by the time I apply I'll be the 2013-2014 President), Invisible Children's Club, ACE (Architecture, Construction & Engineering) Club, National Honors Society, College Scholarship Foundation, S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Club.</p>
<p>Honors, Awards, and Achievements: Key Club (2011-2012) Member of the Year, Key Club (August 2012) Member of the Month, Recognized by the African Student Union for academic excellence (2011-2012), Honor Roll 1st. Semester Freshman Year with a 3.33 G.P.A. (The semester I was screwed over), Recognized for Outstanding GPA 3.92 (2011-2012), Nominated for Academic Excellence in Mathematics (2011-2012) & 300 Hours of Community Service.</p>
<p>What are my chances of getting into the schools mentioned above? What are my chances of getting grants/private scholarships? Would my story (It goes way deeper than being homeless twice...) help my admission chance? I participated in M.E.S.A. (Although it's just coming up as an "Elective" on my transcript) & now A.C.E. I'm going to be taking AP Calculus, and get my 3rd year of science in (Honors Chem) senior year. Are there any other steps (Classes or programs?...my school doesn't offer AP CompSci though) that I can do to show my drive for my intended major(s)/field of interest(s): Computer Science, Programming, Math (Math Teacher), Software Engineering...or maybe even Mechanical Engineering...</p>