Chances to UC

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>What are my chances to get into college. I wish I could stay annoynous, but I was stupid in choosing my screen name. So now that you know, please give me some advice.</p>

<p>I am a junior turning senior and I'm going to start applying. What colleges should I Early Action for, and what should I consider? Currently, I am living in California, but I'm willing to go out of state if necessary. I would like to attend a UC though, because I love my family and my dog. (plus we have too many people in my family who need to go to college, we need as much money as possible. Please send in your donations!)</p>

<p>Information about me:</p>

<p>Asian, female, 5ft 2, School with decent API score, POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR. I am going to be a lawyer.</p>

<p>SAT 1: First time taking: 2120 (taken again, I think I did better; plus I started the blue book)
PSAT: 211
SAT 2: Chemistry: 690, History: 690, Literature: 720, Biology: 640</p>

<p>I AM TAKING THEM AGAIN, PLUS I AM GOING TO TAKE MATH 2 C, so I hope to get better on that.</p>

<p>GPA unweighted: 3.7
GPA weighted: 4.125 (does not include the community college courses I have taken.)
Ranking: 70/500 (maybe higher after this semester)</p>

<p>My course load would be as the counselors call "most rigorous". I say, I followed the rule of taking on one more AP then the previous year. I plan to do that again! MUAHAHA</p>

<p>Here are my grades, please do not cringe (or make fun of me)</p>

<p>8th grade (high school classes)
Biology H: B/A
Spanish 1: B/B
Geometry: B/A</p>

<p>9th
Algebra 2 honors: B/B
English 1 Honors : B/B
Chemistry Honors : B/B
Spanish 2: B/B
Advance Band: A/A
Marching Band: A
Health: A/A</p>

<p>10th
Speech and Debate: A/A
Chemistry AP: B/A - 4 on the AP
English 2 H: B/B
Pre-Calc: B/A
World History Honors: B/A
Advance Band: A/A
Marching Band: A</p>

<p>11th
Calculus AB AP: B/A
US History AP: A/A
English 3 Honors: A/A
Biology AP: B/A
Spanish 3: B/A
Wind Ensemble: A/A
Marching Band: A
Academic Decathlon: A/A</p>

<p>12th grade courseload:
Calculs BC AP
Physics AP
English AP
Spanish 4 Honors
Economic AP
Government AP
Wind Ensemble
Marching Band
Academic Decathlon</p>

<p>High School Summer Courses:
Summer Band: A/A/A
Academic Decathlon: A/A
Tennis: A</p>

<p>Community College Summer Courses:
Speech Communications: A
Guitar 1A: A
Music Appreciation: A
Psychology 5 -this year
Political Science 1 - this year
History 1 A- this year.</p>

<p>Extra Curricular:
Band since 4th grade. (9 years of school band)
I am basically a band geek with personality!
High school band: We have the fastest growing program in our cities history.
Vice President: 11th
President: 12th
Flute co-section leader: 10th, 11th</p>

<p>Won some stuff for Debate, but don't remember what. Must not be important. I like to speak though. O, I won a school wide speech award, which was kind of important.</p>

<p>Community Helpline:
I work at a Helpline for community service.
Presidential award for community service, and I help people who call with problems. I've gotten a few suicide call, but mostly old people who are lonely. They are my favorite. I have been a mentor to new listeners and plan to be a facilitator this summer.</p>

<p>Academic Decathlon:
I competed, won a gold medal in speech, silver in interview, and bronze for the team. We were 3 in our region. I will be co-captain next year with a guy I don't get along with, it should be interesting.</p>

<p>Model UN:
Vice President
12th grade</p>

<p>Environmental Club:
Treasurer -11th grade
member since freshman year.</p>

<p>CSF, but that's not important since 7th grade (CJSF)</p>

<p>Student council, but that's not important too.</p>

<p>Band takes up a lot of time!</p>

<p>Awards:
1st place rotary club speech competition
1st place essay in Martin Luthor King Essay competition
Nominated for School awards:
Debate
History
Acadec</p>

<p>Teachers tend to like me, so my recommendations should be happy...for a lack of a better word.</p>

<p>Plus, my essay should be interesting, I really would like the college to see my personality because I think its my strongest asset. Its not that I'm great, its just that I'm a bit unusual, so I should bring something interesting to the campus. Of course, I might just blend in with the papers.</p>

<p>Schools: UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCI</p>

<p>in my wildest WILDEST dreams: Brown, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell.</p>

<p>Please help a desperate asian in need of advice. I will bake you brownies. O, and recommendations to my school list would be appreciated. BE BRUTALLY HONEST. Its more fun being mean than nice anyways. </p>

<p>THANK YOU FOR READING THIS SUPER LONG POST. I talk too much, therefore I write too much.</p>

2

<p>I know my post is very lengthy, but I'm starting to work on applications. Here's a shorter version -
GPA: 3.7 UW 4.1 W
SAT1: 2120 (taking again, will raise up)</p>

<p>Chances in UC's please!</p>

3

<p>monta vista? </p>

<p>probably make all teh ucs if your essay is decent.</p>

4

<p>Really? That's very encouraging to hear! I thought for sure that UCLA and UCB would be hard for me to get into. I plan to work hard on my essays, so they should be good. </p>

<p>What is monta vista?</p>

5

<p>monta vista = one of the most ridiculously competitive highschools in CA... someone with your stats sounds like someone out of there</p>

6

<p>No, I do not attend Monta Vista. Does that change things? (admission to UC's) Oh, and keep the comments coming! They are really helping me see what I should apply to.</p>

7

<p>michellenkim:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Slight Reach
UCSD: Match
UCI: Safe Match</p>

8

<p>Does anyone know what else I should be doing in order to better my chances? I've worked really hard this year and I hope to raise my GPA by senior year. The SAT scores will definitely be going up, but is there anything else can I do? My dream is Brown, but I know that it's pretty much impossible. Any opinons?</p>

9

<p>Stanford and Columbia seem highly unlikely. Brown you need to be in top 10% of class but really want to be in top 5%, have a 2200 and SATIIs in the 740+ range, Cal and LA you'll have fair shots at if you get into top 10%. And keep your app a little more brief than your posts....</p>

10

<p>Hehe. Yeah, my post was really long, but I obviously will not be adding all that on my app. I just wanted all of you guys to know where I was so that I would know where I qualify. Thanks for the comments.</p>

11

<p>Michellenkim,</p>

<p>If you go to a very competitive High School with a high API score (top 20 schools or so) being in the top 10% of your class isn't AS essential for the UC's.</p>

<p>However, what you don't seem to realize is the UC's have their own method for calculating their GPA. It is not weighted, nor unweighted, but a combination of the two. Here is a "general" rundown of how it works.</p>

<p>First, they don't count pluses or minuses, so you can only have 4's, 3's, 2's, etc. Second, they give 1 extra point for each semester of an AP class and highest level honors class you take (in otherwords, your school's highest English honors class is English 3; English 2 shouldn't get honors credit). Third, and this is the important one, they ONLY consider your grades from Sophomore and Junior year!! Usually, major classes taken at a community college in the summers before Soph and Junior year count with an extra grade point; as far as I can tell, that would only be Speech Communications for you, as I doubt they would count something like Music Appreciate or Guitar in their GPA.</p>

<p>They also do not consider classes like Marching band. I would assume not the Academic Decathlon either, though they definitely would count Concert Band/Wind Ensemble.</p>

<p>Now, the good news is that since your school offers a lot of honors and AP classes, you're not at a total disadvantage. If I've calculated this right...your UC GPA should be...</p>

<p>a 4.2!</p>

<p>This is ABOVE the average for both Berkeley and UCLA...which should place you in the "match" category. You definitely have good ECs and if your SATs are above a 2100...(which you do)...well...you SHOULD have a shoe-in. However, the UC system can still be unpredictable, as many people with your stats are applying to the schools.</p>

<p>The one thing I foresee working against you is your SAT Subject Tests. Your highest is a 720, which while alright isn't that great. Think you could retake some of them and/or take new ones you'd do well in in October? If you do well on the Subject Tests, you'd be a bit more competitive, most likely, although I have heard the UCs don't seriously consider them for students who've done well in their classes.</p>

<p>I would therefore consider UCLA and UCB to be a match...but do realize, a match doesn't count as a garuanteed in. They will look at your senior grades even if its not calculated in your GPA, so work hard and keep up whatever leadership positions/tough classes you've got!</p>

<p>Good luck. :)</p>

12

<p>dear confused student,
you are my light of hope during very dark times. That may be too dramatic, but still, it makes me feel hopeful for the future. Now, if I can bake you brownies, I would, but since we are in an annyonomous relationship, I hope you accept the virtual brownies I give you. SO thank you again!....</p>

<p>If you ever need anything, please just ask! I'd be willing to help, just as you have helped me.</p>

13

<p>Check the number at Cal and LA that were not in the top 10% of class. I'm pretty sure it's under 5%. Then think about all the recruited athletes.</p>

14

<p>Dear Suze,
The ranking I put down was before this report card, and my ranking is messed up because my freshmen grades were low. I've progressively improved since then. Do you think that matters at all? My ranking is probably better after this report card, but if I still don't make the top ten percent, do you really think that I have no shot at LA and Cal?</p>

15

<p>I didn't say no shot, but it will hurt. The UCs are totally numbers oriented and are not as flexible as most privates. Several have formulas. You need to figure out your UC GPA. Average for acceptees at those schools this year was over 4.2. And while your sats are low for top privates, they are fine for UCs. Since UCs don't count senior year grades, the best way to raise your chances now is with higher SATIIs which often count double at UCs. UCSD is a match and UCI should be a safety, so you're fine if you love one of those. Otherwise, I'd add some match schools because your stats are great for many good schools. There are lots of great LACs with great poly sci you might look at. I'd look at schools where average sat this year was 2000-2100 and that don't get a ton of Asian applicants.</p>

16

<p>confused_student: I don't understand how you calculated her UC GPA to be a 4.2. The UC GPA only counts 8 semester of that extra grade point, which equals to 1 class sophomore year and 3 classes junior year. Can you please clarify?</p>

<p>Michelle, your grades are fine. And your SAT score is great too. I'd say you have a decent shot at most of the UCs.</p>

17

<p>Just chill, UCs are mostly GPA+SAT with consideration for extracurriculars only if you are borderline. GPA and SAT wise you are not solid, but close enough.</p>

18

<p>Dear Suze,
Do you have any suggestions for the liberal arts colleges that I should apply to? And would it make a huge difference if I get 800's on all my SAT 2? Because I know that if I study harder, I can do it. Plus will my community college credits this summer go into my GPA, or am I capped out?</p>

<p>Dear SarangxHae,
So are you definetely sure that I can only get 8 semesters of that extra grade point? Does that mean that some of my AP classes won't be counted as weighted? Thank you for your post. </p>

<p>Dear Hikaru2005,
I'm glad I'm close enough, but how do I become closer?</p>

19

<p>Regarding the 8 semester UC cap. All the UCs calculate the UC Weighted GPA, but teh more selective UCs like UC Berkeley and UCLA also calculate a fully weighted gpa. 4.3 in my opinion for school like UC Berkeley should be safe. </p>

<p>Community college classes generally count for an extra point (5 instead of 4). Well it depends. Not bs classes like PE weightlifting at your local community college,but ones like statistics or physics. Which community college do you go to? I'm going to de anza this summer. </p>

<p>There really isn't much more you can do. Write a good essay. You could try to cram a bunch of ECs in, but that may look bad and actually hurt. Besides, UCs dun care about ECs so much unless you have beastly skills.</p>

20

<p>dear Hikaru2005,
I'm going to el camino this summer. I'm taking three classes, history 1A, psychology, and polical science 1. haha, I looked up all the classes I could take for my major this summer. Do you think that's a smart idea?</p>