Good Uni w/ a 3.7 UW GPA???

Hey, I was wondering if you could get in a very-selective university (UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, JHU, CMU, BU, e.t.c) with an unweighted 3.7 GPA. What can I do to increase my chances of getting into one of the selective universities?

  • Increase my SAT to which minimum number?
  • How many SAT Subject Tests (for comp sci.)?
  • Since I’m a computer science major, should I develop an app? Invent a new technological device for the community?
  • How many APs should I have taken?
  • How many community service hours? I currently have over 500 hours, is that overkill?
    Please help! Thank You!

You’re an international from your other post so forget about UCs if you need financial/merit aid. Plus your UW GPA is too low for Berkeley/UCLA EECS.

Decent chances at BU, but the school is going to be expensive.

Forget CMU CS if 3.7 is your GPA. That particular major has Ivy League acceptance rates.

Try Case Western. I recall that the individual responsible for the creation of GMail graduated from CWRU.

Thank you for your reply! If I don’t need financial/merit aid for universities, would I have a chance at the UCs with a different major like architecture/civil engineering?

UC’s use 10-11th grades in their GPA calculation and you get extra weighting for each semester of AP/IB or DE courses (UC transferrable only) taken 10-11th so use the following calculator: https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Please post your capped weighted and fully weighted UC GPA. What are your test scores and EC’s?

If only counting 10-11th grades,

  • my unweighted gpa is a 3.8
  • my weighted gpa is a 4.2
  • my weighted and capped gpa is a 4.07
    my tests,
  • my sat currently is a 1500 but I am expecting to get a higher score this October
  • my sat math II subject test is a 780
    my ecs,
  • i am the captain of the varsity swimming team for all of highschool as i am the fastest swimmer in my district/swim meet
  • nhs president, njhs president
  • debate team, octafinalist in both taiwan regionals and beijing regionals
  • worlds scholars cup global round qualifier
  • high school student council- head of advertising team (11) and secretary (12)
  • varsity soccer starter for a year
    community service hrs
  • i have done habitat for humanity all throughout highschool and if one was around 6 hours, i would have 24 hours on that
  • i have volunteered to be a teacher assistant in a community church that is going broke and have volunteered all throughout highschool. i have gone almost every single week to volunteer except summer break and winter break where the church is closed. i have more than 200+ hours there

Thank you for your replies!!

Here is some UC statistical data to better gauge your chances. This data is major specific so you can expect Engineering admits would be at a lower rate with average GPA and test scores above the averages. UC’s are need-blind meaning your financial situation is not considered in their admissions but they will expect you pay close to full fees at $65K/year. There are some merit scholarships available but are highly competitive and cannot be counted on.
Your UC Capped weighted GPA is below average while your SAT is above the average. It probably will come down to your EC’s and essays for admission chances.

2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%

2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.25
UCSD: 4.23
UCSB: 4.16
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.13
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.90
UCM: 3.73

2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540

UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290

Admission Rates for International Applicants:
UCLA: 8.49%
UC Berkeley: 9.16%
UC San Diego: 29.7%
UC Santa Barbara: 34.6%
UC Irvine: 40.5%
UC Davis: 42.1%
UC Merced: 50.3%
UC Riverside: 69.5%
UC Santa Cruz: 74.5%

I should have stated “not” major specific data.

do you think i have a chance at ucla and berkeley with my stats and ecs? (not considering financial aid/support)

There is always a chance and your SAT is competitive but your below average GPA makes both schools a Reach especially for CS.