<p>Hi, I am a grade 11 student from Toronto, Ontario and I am very interested in going to school in the US, especially UCLA which has been one of my dream universities.</p>
<p>I would like to know how I can prepare, since I have about 2 more years in High School before going to UCLA. I get good grades, I plan to have an average of 90% by the end of my senior year. I heard I have to take a SAT and ACP test? We don't have those in Canada so I would appreciate if anyone can expand on them, and let me know if I can take them more than once to improve my grades.</p>
<p>The tuition for international students at UCLA is very high, so I was wondering if there are any scholarship programs or ways to get student loans since I don't have that kind of money now.</p>
<p>Overall, I would really love to spend my college years at UCLA, moving away from everything and starting a new life sounds great, and since I have 2 more years I would like to know as much as I can to increase my chances of getting accepted. Any help is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You have to take the SAT or the ACT (not the ACP; I don’t even know what that is… Haha). And you also have to take two SAT Subject tests in any two subjects. Keep a high gpa! That’s very important with UCs, I find. And also immerse yourself in extracurricular activities - that’s always a good thing.</p>
<p>Alright I got a couple of questions regarding your post.</p>
<p>So I can take the SAT for any 2 courses I want? I thought it was standardized, English, Writing and Math?</p>
<p>Also, the GPA is the average of all my grades, but is that only for my senior year in high school or all of high school?</p>
<p>Finally, for extracurricular activities, I don’t really play a lot of sports, but I plan on volounteering a lot this year, so will that get me a better chance?</p>
<p>There are two types of SAT. The SAT reasoning test is the one you are familiar with and is generally the main test that people submit to universities. The Subject Tests are less commonly used in admissions and are based on a variety of topics. You must take at least two different ones for the UC system. The GPA looked at by admissions will essentially be only your Sophomore and Junior years because you apply in November before Senior grades generally come out. Volunteering is great but try to get leadership positions as well.</p>
<p>I agree with what kwwboarder says. The SAT Reasoning Test assesses your level on Reading, Math, and Writing. The ACT assesses English, Math, Writing, and Science. More on SAT Subject Tests though - you must take two different subjects (i.e. math, history, biology, chemistry, physics, literature, etc. They have the entire list on collegeboard.com) to apply to a UC. Pick the two subjects you are strongest in. I’m fairly sure all applicants, even international, must take the SAT Subject Tests, though I did hear that in the future, they were going to stop using them, but I don’t know if that’s true. </p>
<p>When it comes to extracurriculars, I highly agree with kwwboarder. Try to become an officer or hold a leadership position in clubs and activities! I have a friend who didn’t have an AMAZING gpa, but she was Class President multiple times and ASB President her senior year and she got into UCLA. And write a good essay! :)</p>
<p>I found a volonteering job that involves looking after little kids while they play sports and such at camp. Is that considered a leadership aspect?</p>