Hi! I’m a senior currently attending a high school in Colorado. I’ve applied to 4 UC schools (UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UCLA, and UC San Diego).
My GPA is a 3.63 weighted and my highest ACT score is a 28. UCLA and UC San Diego I merely applied to, but don’t expect to be accepted. However, I am wondering about my chances for UC Irvine and UC Riverside.
To explain my average GPA, it was due to my sophomore year. First semester I earned a 3.3 and second a 3.1. However junior year, I got a 3.85 first semester and 4.16 second semester (Note that these are weighted grades). I’m also in multiple clubs (NHS, NCHS, and founder of Model United Nations at my school).
I’m wondering what my chances are for some Korean kid from Colorado to get into a UC school. Also, I’ve heard some pretty bad things about UC Riverside and kind of wish I replaced that with UC Santa Barbara. Can anyone tell me why it has such a bad rep? Is what people say true about Riverside?
You need to calculate your UC GPA? http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
As an OOS applicant, only AP/IB or DE courses count for the extra honors points in the calculation.
Based on your posted Stats, your GPA looks below average for all the schools on your list.
UC’s are very GPA focused but good essays and EC’s can help boost your chances.
UCLA: High Reach
UCSD: Reach
UCI: Low Reach (really likes 4.0+ UC GPA’s)
UCR: Match
UCR is an excellent school but suffers from a less than desirable location unlike UCSB/UCSD. You will get a great education there but since it is one of the 2nd newest UC campuses (UC Merced is the newest), it is still working on increasing its reputation. Areas around the campus are nice and the campus is on the smaller size compared to many of the UC’s but the City of Riverside is just not a great city like San Diego or Santa Barbara. Weather also tends to very hot in the summer due to being inland. My best advice is to visit because you may be pleasantly surprised.
Good Luck.
Will your parents pay $60,000/year full cost? Minimal financial aid for out of staters.
UCLA and UCSD = Unlikely
UCI = maybe… (I think their standards are higher than in the past because my sister had an SAT score of 1980, an ACT score of 30, and at least a 4.0 GPA but she was still wait listed and that was 2 years ago)
^^ but then again my sister didn’t do and extracurricular activities so that might have been why but she still got into and is currently enrolled in UCSD
UCR = You have a good chance
Thanks you guys! And two more questions… How is UC Irvine? I’ve been to the campus and it seems alright. But how about the surrounding area? I’ve heard so many mixed reviews. Some say its boring, others say it is awesome. UCSB, UCSD, and UCLA are the only schools where I’ve heard massive amounts of “it’s in a great city”.
Also, I checked UCSB freshmen profile and it stacks up as a bit harder to get into than Irvine and with the $70 application fee, I decided not to apply.
However, my counselor told me that numbers don’t always tell the full story, so could my chances have been somewhat higher with UCSB (thought still not great)? I’m starting to regret not applying to UCSB quite honestly because now I will never know… And once again, thanks!
Each campus is very different.
The main question is, can you afford $55k per year? If you couldn’t spend $70 on an application fee, then $55k is gonna hurt! That’s a LOT of money if you don’t like the school.
Read
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-colleges/1802004-so-you-want-to-come-to-california-for-college.html#latest
UCR is in a dry, desert environment. It is inland Southern California which means at least a 3 ½ hour one-way commute, in good traffic, to get to a shore. (More than likely, assume 5 hours, one way.) You will have access to local Native-American Casinos. It is a newer UC within an urban environment off of the 215. There are a number of commuters because the rents around the area can be less expensive than on-campus housing. The campus itself is a very pleasant surprise. Weather there can be oppressively hot. But it is closer to snow country.
UCI is closer to the shore, has lots of local students who commute, and isn’t conducive to biking. The cost of living is a lot higher, and the public transportation is not great. It doesn’t lend itself as a reputation for school spirit. People go to classes and then leave. There is that mall across the road that students utilize. FWIW: I have 3 very different children who chose not to apply to Irvine based on their campus visits, but that’s my weird three.
If you don’t mind going to the beach in La Jolla (ha ha), it’s 91.8 miles from UCR to UCSD (a 1 hour and 30 minute drive right now).