<p>So I just ended my Junior year, and I'm wondering the chances I have at getting into UC Berkley/ UCLA. I am an Asian American (Korean). </p>
<p>-My GPA is 3.6 unweighted and 4.15 weighted. It isn't great for an Asian-American, but I believe I showed improvement.
-My GPA for my freshmen year was 3.42 and my GPA first semester of sophomore year was 2.857 ( screwed up). However, since then my second semester sophomore year I got a 4.0 ( 5.0 weighted) taking 5 AP classes both semesters. And my junior year, to make up for my previous mistakes, I took the maximum 7 IB honors classes both semesters and my GPA for that year was 3.785 unweighted and 4.78 weighted. So, definitely I improved and took as many hard classes as I could to make up for my horrible freshmen and sophomore years. </p>
<p>-My SAT was a 2070, I may get higher on the next one I take in October</p>
<p>-Extra Curricular 's: I don't have great EC's, they are very church orientated... but oh well don't judge please
-Every Saturday I go with my church to serve the homeless
-Been on several mission trips, such as to Native American Reserves to help out and also to another country in El Salvador during my sophomore year summer to help out the those in need.
-Haven't been great at sports, but I have participated by doing both swimming and track.
-I've been involved with Key club and helped out, I have hours.
-Again, I'm really involved with my church, part of the praise team (piano), help out the community with them whenever I can by doing community service acts.</p>
<p>-Major I'm interested in is definitely Business and Management.</p>
<p>-College Essay: I haven't written it yet, I was thinking about writing about an F I got sophomore year on a failure based prompt, but everyones telling me thats a bad idea, any suggestions would help.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation as far has low GPA, higher SAT.</p>
<p>I’m assuming ur plannig to apply early to one of those. Do you live in CA? cuz that would help a lot, but otherwise it really does seem like a big stretch. If i were to put a percent i would say 5-15% chance out of state and 25-35% in state. Berkley would be harder to get into obv. But hey, theres not harm in trying ,eh? </p>
<p>also im sure there is a lot more to you then what you posted. So those factors can help u too.</p>
<p>just my $0.02. have a good day and hope i didnt ruin it lol</p>
<p>@bangster: You need to calculate your UC GPA, see link: <a href=“GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub”>http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc</a>
An upward trend is good but GPA is low for the UC’s. SAT score is not bad but to be competitive, you need a minimum of 2100+. I would consider retaking this October. Also you EC’s show nothing related to your intended major. Good Luck. I would consider UCI/UCD/UCSB and possibly UCSD if you are in-state. You would have better chances at those UC’s.</p>
<p>UCLA/UCB: Low Reach</p>
<p>Also, just an FYI to @HelpAnAznGirlOut: There is no early decision for the UC’s. 1 application period from Nov 1-31 only. </p>
<p>Oh whoops sorry. I’m an east coaster, dont know much about college other there :/</p>
<p>good Luck!</p>
<p>They are both reaches for you. The UC application has very specific requirements, which you need to familiarize yourself with. They are not impossible, but definitely reaches. You have a decent shot at UC San Diego, and other UCs. My son got into UCSD and Davis from out-of-state with similar stats to yours. </p>
<p>It depends on what year. But I think you could forget about it for UCB, UCLA, and UCSD. Every year it’s become harder and harder to get in. Get the latest statistics from 2013 and 2014 for actual comparison.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should totally forget about UCLA/CAL. From my experience, UCs do not solely focus on your academics. EC are in large part contributing. Your long term volunteering with your church definitely shows your commitment and UCLA/CAL like that. I remember talking to someone from the admissions office of CAL and she told me that personal statements are what usually with give insight to the type of person you are since your are in fact, writing about your own experiences. Definitely with the right PS you could add some personality to your application. Good Luck!</p>
<p>@karebby Are you sure about UC’s looking at EC’s? From what I’ve heard it seems like since they are public EC’s are used more for tiebreaker than real consideration. I could be totally off-base but I thought GPA and test scores were UC’s biggest concerns. If you know otherwise thats awesome (I’m also looking at UCLA). And also I agree with you on the personal statement, I’ve read/heard that is big on UC’s list. </p>
<p>@Jmarcin4 UCs will really take into consideration the leadership positions and your long term commitment in your EC. If you have those, it will stand out in the decision process especially if your academics or test scores are not as strong. Personal statements are very important in my opinion so start early! </p>
<p>I’m going to be honest here, I think your GPA is on the low-side for this school. I think their average is like a 3.8. I strongly encourage you to apply though, because other elements of your application seem solid! </p>