<p>Hey guys,
After I visited UCSB over this past week I absolutely love the school and want to make sure I get to attend. I dont want to be one of those guys who just vomits out everything he has done and all my GPA's over this board, but if that would help you guys in helping me then i have no problem doing so.
Basically i just wanna ask how did you guys get in? Any tips for extracurricular activities?</p>
<p>And is there any chance i can get in contact with a counselor or something at the school who can look over my "resume" and give me any pointers/guidance?</p>
<p>i appreciate your taking the time to help me out :)</p>
<p>I talked to one of the admissions officers, Ms. Acosta (?) when she gave a presentation at my HS. She told me that they love to see leadership on apps, especially if it’s in some activity that you’ve been apart of for a while and/or relates to your major. She also told me not to use “flowery” language on the two essays, but just write facts! And to remember that they have already seen the other portion of your app, so don’t just re-tell everything that’s on there in your essays. Instead, choose something that is on your app, and delve into it further with more facts.</p>
<p>For example…
I was in Mu Alpha Theta for 4 years. (Math Club)</p>
<p>So in my essay I explained what I did as Secretary and President, the various competitions I participated in, my service hours that I got through the club, and how the club helped me academically and personally.</p>
<p>See, not going against imgoing2college, I really had no leadership.
I had Mock Trial for 3 years and community service but thats about the extent of my leadership. Also, my essays were like narratives.
But do not go off of me, I might have been the lucky few who got in on that. Go with what imgoing2college said.
Leadership to the max
and fact-filled essays!</p>
<p>hey thanks for all the info so far guys
every little bit is great
haha keep it comin</p>
<p>so more about me then:</p>
<p>I’m finishing my sophomore year, </p>
<p>GPA:
sophomore - 1st semester - 3.83
sophomore - 2nd semester - as of now a 3.83 unless i can get my grades up</p>
<p>classes:
sophomore - pre calculus (adv math) english II accel, AP Chem, AP Euro, Yearbook, Soccer</p>
<p>Junior - AP Calc 1, AP Bio, AP US history, AP Lang, AP comp sci, Yearbook (no more soccer to perhaps focus on school work?)</p>
<p>my ACT practice test score was 27, my PSAT projected scores of around 650-690 in each category,</p>
<p>whats an SAT II?</p>
<p>and for EC im on yearbook, i missed out this semester of CSF but i do have last semester, so i guess i should keep doing that, NHS next year, soccer, </p>
<p>what do you recommend for community service hours?</p>
<p>and i plan on doing yearbook next year and senior year, hopefully to be Editor in Chief</p>
<p>TheSahand, I wouldn’t worry. I think you’ll get in no problem! But then again we really don’t know how the admissions will be in 2 years but it really seems like you are on the right track. You have a lot more then I did and I got in!</p>
<p>if any of you guys know much about econ and politics and stuff,
what do you think college enrollment will be like in 2 years with what Obama’s doing ?</p>
<p>Really can’t be sure…the economy can go up or down and if it goes down then admission will be harder. I hope from the bottom of my heart the economy will get better but there really is no way of knowing until it happens.</p>
<p>"what do you recommend for community service hours?</p>
<p>and i plan on doing yearbook next year and senior year, hopefully to be Editor in Chief "</p>
<p>^That’s good. I had 200+ service hours but I think that’s more than enough.</p>
<p>And if you stick with all of those AP classes…that’s really good! I only took one AP class junior year (AP Calc AB) and this year I’m in AP Calc BC and am self-studying for AP Psych.</p>
<p>Just curious…what do you think you may major in?</p>
<p>@imgoing2college : “Just curious…what do you think you may major in?”</p>
<p>you know i’ve been thinking about that,
and I could see maybe becoming a lawyer? Which is a little weirder because at UCSB they said there is no specific “prelaw” major you can take to then go to graduate school for law after, but instead i should major in something that would help me in law and help me get into a good law school. So like Political Science or Economics. But doesn’t everyone and their mother take political science? So i dont know man…</p>
<p>but i definitely wanna minor in Biology. What about you man?
you lucky dawg. already accepted into UCSB. :P</p>
<p>I’m majoring in Computer Science. And yeah I’m really happy I got in. UCSB was my second choice (behind just Stanford–and I didn’t get in–no surprise there! haha).</p>
<p>And the SAT IIs are like the SAT I (the normal SAT), but are bunched into subjects. I believe UCSB requires the SAT II Math Level 2 (there’s math level 1 and 2) plus an additional SAT II subject test. I had to take math II and a science since I applied to engineering…just check with the admissions website for what you need-but be sure to chose subjects that you think you could do well in!</p>
<p>Yeah you raise a valid point.
Next year when I take US history I’ll see how that goes and interests me you know?</p>
<p>But hey real quick
could you future gauchos possibly give me some ideas for community service? Like what do i just go to the library and do some there or what? I always hear those kids who are like “yeah i have 750+ community service hours” and you just think whaaaa</p>
<p>^I have a lot of opportunities at my school because we have to have 100+ to even graduate. But you can do a google search for “your town here volunteer match.”</p>
<p>That website definitely has all the major stuff around here.
Now the SAT II, if I take it in say, Math and Science, will that look any better than taking Math and English? It probably depends on what major you wanna go for I’m guessing…</p>
<p>And for example, the SAT II Science, is that as hard as an AP Chem AP Test?</p>
<p>I head that the US History one isn’t that bad if you take APUSH. So you may want to consider that. But just remember that you can take the SAT II whenever…so like if you were to take the SAT II in US History I would take it right after you took APUSH instead of waiting until senior year so all of that info is still fresh.</p>