Hi. I am a sophomore in high school, and I am wondering if I am able to get into USC or UCLA with my GPA. In my freshman year first semester I had a 3.5 GPA unweighted and a 4.0 GPA weighted. My second semester was a 3.3 unweighted and 3.8 weighted. I am also not in any sports and do not play any instruments, but I volunteer a lot and I might try out for a sport this year. Does my previous GPA effect my chances of going to my dream colleges? Thanks!
At this rate, your GPA is low for UCLA or USC. To have a decent chance at UCLA, you’ll need a weighted GPA of at least 4.2-4.3+. For USC, the UNWEIGHTED GPA should be around 3.8+. You still have your sophomore and junior years to make up the difference. Additionally, for USC, the GPA for the 1st semester of your senior year will count since applications are due in January during your senior year. For both schools, you should have good SAT scores (1450+) or ACT (30-31+) in addition to good extracurricular activities. Also, consider, the more impacted the major (i.e., engineering, computer science, biology, etc.), the more difficult it will be to get in.
The UC’s do not look at freshman year. But if you GPA doesn’t improve UCLA and USC will be out of reach. If you are OOS, there is no financial aid at UCLA.
At this point, do your best, don’t take classes that will tube your GPA, limit your ECs - GPA is king and time spent not studying will hurt you there. Then let the chips fall where they may. It is certainly possible to get into those schools with your freshman stats. Even if you keep your 3.3 GPA, you’ll have plenty of schools open to you so, don’t fixate on one school.