Hi, I’m a junior, second semester. My current GPA is 4.62 weighted and 3.89 unweighted and I’m going to take my SAT on saturday but I got a 1410 out of the 1600 on the new 2016 PSAT. I know its important to know my SAT scores for sure but I’d like to know my shot of getting into higher tier universities because I’m worried about a few things.
To start, my school only offers the IB program instead of AP. I was a part of the IB Diploma program but it was impossible for me to get to TOK everyday so now I’m just a student with full IB classes but not getting the IB Diploma. It seems like it was all in vain and I’m scared I will be thought lower of and be seen as somebody who gave up to the UC schools or any higher universities.
Also, I’m not really confident in my EC’s. I’ve really only been involved in clubs like Key Club for both this year and sophomore year not really holding any positions but next year I’m going to be a part of it’s fundraising committee. For sports, I’ve done wrestling for 2 years but I’m no longer doing it anymore because I couldn’t manage school with a highly demanding sport. I might do Speech & Debate next year so it might bump my prospects. Point is I don’t have any EC’s that I’ve been very committed to which makes me feel very weak since I won’t be getting the IB diploma. Over the summer however, I’m going to be doing over 200+ hours volunteering/possibly working at a retirement home.
I’d like to go to UCSC because I’m attracted to the Computer Science program here and I find the campus jaw-droppingly beautiful & I’m wondering if I have a shot to go here or possibly other really good universities like UC Berkeley or Irvine because I feel pretty worthless atm, thank you.
My parents have to get up at 4 am every morning to work so I never have a ride over to my school which is only a few miles away but my parents don’t want me walking or taking the city bus to school when the sun isn’t even out every day because I live in San Bernardino which is a really sketchy place.
Your UC GPA is fine for all UC’s. Your actual SAT score will decide whether you can apply to all of them including UCB and UCLA, but since you’re from San Bernardino, you’ll be cut some slack as long as your essays show intellectual curiosity, grit, and drive.
IN addition, there’s a box where you can write about special circumstances, and the following:
“my parents get up at 4 am to work; before sunup it is not safe to walk the few miles to my school because I live in San Bernardino. Unfortunately the TOK period took place in Period zero, which meant I could only attend in the arly Fall and in Late Spring due to these safety issues. Therefore, I had to withdraw from the class, hence from the full Diploma program. I am, however, taking all-IB classes.”
To answer your first question, as long as you’re taking 6 IB classes, you’re good. IB is automatically considered “most rigorous” and I’d advise you take the A related to your SL classes (can you list your HL and SL classes here?) in order to maximize credit and thus ease of placement and registration.
You may also want to look into Pomona, Scripps (if you’re a girl) and Harvey Mudd - elite colleges that provide generous financial aid to lower income students. (Along with Stanford and CalTech but your EC’s probably aren’t impressive enough for Stanford, not nerdy/stemy enough for CalTech. All three of Pomona, Scripps, and HarveyMudd would be reaches but you may have a shot, especially through Posse or Questbridge.)
Are you preparing your Questbridge summer application (college prep scholars)? http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/cps-college-prep-scholars-program https://www.possefoundation.org/
I find it odd that your school scheduled a req’d IB class (Theory of Knowledge) during zero hour, and then expects the students to find their own way to the school for it. Don’t they want as many Diploma graduates as possible? Are there other students who have this problem? Do you take a schoolbus to and from school each day? So you’re taking all of the other IB req’d classes? Extended essay?
Thank you so much your response, it makes me feel much less anxious and I’ll definitely look into these colleges.
For junior year, I’m taking:
IB Calculus SL,
IB chemistry SL,
IB Film SL
and then next year I will be taking:
IB English HL
IB Spanish HL (on the fence if I should because I’m the worst at it)
IB History of Americas HL
IB Physics SL
IB Math Studies SL (don’t know for sure if I can since it might only be offered to full diploma candidates)
IB Film HL
And no but I looked them up and I’ll try and apply right now. Tysm
Yes, I’ve noticed how other students who have much more potential than me are in the same situation as I am whether it be due to being in the same time as their church services or having no rides to school like me. No, I have to take the city bus to school everyday since there are no school bus stops by my house but generally everyone has to find their own rides and extended essay is the first semester-only senior 0 period class where as TOK is the second semester junior 0 period class. But essentially I am full-IB.
You’ll still be taking Math SL next year, and Film Studies will also be SL since you already have your three HL’s.
Make sure you take AP Calc AB and AP Chem exams as your SL’s won’t get credit, but you should be able to go from SL to AP in those subjects to warrant at least a 3.