Do I have a chance with UCD?

Ok so I’m a junior in high school. I attend Penn Foster online high school & I’ve been going there since late November of last year. My freshman & sophomore year I didn’t do too good in school due to excessive bullying & the fact I went to an unaccredited school district. my gpa was around 2.4. Now that I’m going to school online ice been doing way better. My course average is about 87, which calculates to a high B average. I’m aiming for a 3.8-3.9 so I can get into a really good school. I currently live in Missouri but I’ve been looking at many schools out of state. Currently I’ve chosen the following schools to apply to .
Mizzou
University Of California Davis
California State University Northridge
Saint Louis University
University Of Illinois at Chicago
Penn State
Lindenwood University
McGill ( in Canada )

Ok so my top choices out of those schools are

  1. Davis
  2. Cal State Northridge
  3. UIC
  4. McGill

I take my SAT the 1st time on June 6th of this year. I’m aiming for no less than 1350-1400. if I get anything below I’m taking it again next year . I want to know if I have a chance getting into these schools. I don’t have any extra curricular activities or community service experience. I’ve had four jobs though. I currently work at McDonald’s so is that relevant? I’ve been trying to find some things I could volunteer for in my community and haven’t had any luck due to the fact I’m working & quoting my job isn’t an option at all. so any advice for erring m I to my top 4 choices ? especially Davis. thanks !

( btw I want to major in Communications! is that a competitive degree?.. don’t comment about how useless it is I don’t want to hear it … money isn’t everything when you have a career you love…)

Assuming that you can get a job in the communications field and have a parent or spouse who will help support you and pay off your student loans for you.

UC’s and Cal states have their own way on calculating their GPA. You use only 10-11th grades with up to 8 semesters of AP/IB classes for the extra honors points since your out of state. Here is the calculator: http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

These are the average Stats for last years Freshman 2014 for UCD so you want to have GPA/Test scores at or above the averages for the best chances:::
Based on what you have posted, chances at UCD are low unless you address the bullying problem in your essays.

Averages
High School GPA (UC)
4.07

ACT Composite Score
28

SAT Critical Reading
620
SAT Mathematics
667
SAT Writing
637

Due to impactation, CSUN did not accept any applicants outside the local service area this year, but it does not state if they included OOS applicants.
You have a much better chance at CSUN with your GPA and possible test scores.

The most important question for California public schools, is the ability to afford the high cost. OOS students receive little to no financial aid, so plan to be full pay at $30K/year at CSUN and $55K/year at UCD. Good Luck.

I also wanted to add that as an OOS applicant, you need a minimum UC GPA of 3.4 to even apply to any UC. Even at the minimum, UC Merced might be the only UC option for an acceptance.

To be completely honest with you, you seem to have a relatively low chance. I have a couple of friends who were WAITLISTED with a 3.8 UC GPA and a 1.9k SAT. Although there are people with lower stats who are also able to get in, the chances of doing so are obviously lower than if you were to have higher stats.

For Davis, you have to greatly express yourself in your personal statement; otherwise, I have to agree with the person above. My stats (3.95 GPA/1300 SAT) weren’t so great, but at least it will provide you some insight.

@Premonition Did you get accepted though?