Deciding what colleges to apply to

College Search & Selection
1

Hi all,

I need help choosing schools to apply to the next school year. I am from California, so I would prefer in-state schools (and in-state tuition) over out-of-state schools. So far, I am applying to UC Berkley, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, and Cal Poly. I am looking for more schools to potentially apply to with great engineering programs, as I intend to major in engineering.

My stats: 1400 SAT, 4.4 Weighted GPA, cross-country captain, class board member, top 1% of my class, 4 on AP Biology & AP World History. I am currently taking AP Statistics, AP Mandarin, AP English, & AP Physics, and Math 3B (concurrent enrollment in community college). Next year I am planning to take AP Environmental Science, AP Lit, AP Government, AP Economics, and some other courses at my community college.
I am trying to minimize the cost for my college, as I have a sister in college (UC Berkley) and a brother who would enter college a few years after I graduate. So I am looking for good engineering schools with great financial aid or any scholarship opportunities I could apply to.

2

Consider adding Santa Clara to your list. Yes, it is private, but they have great financial aid, including merit scholarships, and lots of internship opportunities in Silicon Valley.

3

What is your UC capped weighted and Fully weighted GPA?

https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

Cal Poly SLO uses 9-11th grades instead of the 10-11th grades in their GPA calculation so input 9th grades and post your capped weighted SLO GPA also.

UC’s and Cal States give good need-based aid so I would run the Net Price calculators for any schools of interest.

Merit aid is available, but very competitive and you need to be in the top 1-2% of applicants for Chancellor and Regent scholarships.

I would start by identifying 2 safety schools that are affordable and you would love to attend. None of the schools listed are safety schools.

What type of Engineering major?

I would add UC Riverside, San Diego State, Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona to your list.

If you want a combination of need-based and merit aid, then you should look at some private schools like Santa Clara and USC.