Hi, I am a rookie here and would welcome any feedback.
SAT: 1520 (800 math/720 EBRW)
GPA: 4.32/4.0
EC: Varsity sport captain; debate team member
I am a 3rd-gen Asian male from a fairly competitive private school in Northern California.
I’m struggling between the following schools. Please let me know if I have a real shot or should I be look at schools with higher admit rates.
Safety: UW, UCI, UCSD
Thank you!
I’m currently undecided but am inclined towards Econ/business. Thank you!
Neither USC nor Georgetown has ED. Are all affordable? Typically you should have a clear choice for your ED. If you are struggling, why would you want to go that route?
Is your 4.32 UW or Weighted. Some schools go up to 4.33 UW.
Just trying to understand your grades. Also do you have a rank?
What type of ECs do you have?
You might look at Indiana which has a strong business school. Or Arizona Eller - where you’d score big merit. Just throwing out there.
Need to see more context but obviously - those schools you list - are reach for all.
As for UCs, @ucbalumnus regularly posts this table - but you’ll have to figure out your UC GPAs to determine although I’d imagine you are good there.
Fall 2020 admission rates by campus and HS GPA range from Freshman fall admissions summary | University of California :
| Campus | 4.20+ | 3.80-4.19 | 3.40-3.79 | 3.00-3.39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 37% | 14% | 2% | 1% |
| Davis | 86% | 55% | 16% | 7% |
| Irvine | 60% | 38% | 9% | 1% |
| Los Angeles | 38% | 8% | 1% | 1% |
| Merced | 98% | 97% | 95% | 88% |
| Riverside | 97% | 90% | 65% | 30% |
| San Diego | 78% | 39% | 8% | 1% |
| Santa Barbara | 81% | 40% | 9% | 2% |
| Santa Cruz | 92% | 82% | 59% | 26% |
Are you fine being full pay at any of these schools without taking on any debt? If not, have you run the NPCs?
Given that you are in-state for the various excellent Universities of California, it is not obvious that it is worth the cost to go out of state or to a private school unless you either can afford full pay easily, or have run the NPC and have a good reason to think that they will be affordable.
I am assuming that UW means Washington rather than Wisconsin (or less likely Wyoming). I do not know if the University of Washington is really a safety as an out of state student, although your excellent GPA and SAT score should help.
I also wonder if you should apply ED anywhere if you do not have a clear first choice.
Hi, thank you for your response. We have a rather bizarre situation at my current school. Our GC just left the school for family reasons before the start of the semester. Previously, we had worked together and were looking at schools ranked in the 30-50 range. This past weekend, I just got a significant bump on my SAT (my first test was 1440), and am hence looking at better ranked schools. I fully understand that rankings are not everything, but I do think a more prestigious school could help with job prospects after college.
Additional info: Full-pay, not looking for any merit. School does not rank but I think I am in the top 15% or so of my class. Lots of smart students from my school have gone up to top colleges.
Thank you. I will be full pay and not applying for aid, thanks to supportive parents. And yes, I did mean U of Washington instead of Wisconsin, although the latter also has a strong academic profile. Seattle is closer to home but not too close, which I think is good. I put it on my list mainly because I heard there are a lot of interview/job opportunities. Also a neighbor with similar stats (slightly lower than mine) had got it before.
Thanks again for your advice.
Hi there,
Thank you for the info. My GPA is weighted.
Based on your chart, UCB and UCLA are indeed very competitive, so my own hopes are not high. My parents both went to UC, and they think I might benefit from the smaller classes (and potentially better interactions with professors) at a private school. They were not pleased with freshman classes offered in large auditoriums.
I think your stats are good enough for any of those schools. They are pretty different places (Tufts and Duke are very different!), so if you are going to apply, make sure you can make a good case for why you are a good fit.
If you are happy doing economics rather than business, that’s a consideration as well. If you really want business, you should look at schools that offer that.
You need the weighted capped GPA for UC purposes.
Use GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub to calculate it.
You need some true safety schools since the UC’s are test blind and based on the admit rate chart, UCI and UCSD would be Match schools not safety schools.
You are very competitive but UC’s tend to be unpredictable.
For ED, pick the school where you want to attend above all others.
Best of luck.
Hi, thank you for the advice. Yes, I would be happy with an econ major at schools that don’t offer business.
It is interesting that you mentioned the difference between Tufts and Duke. I have family friends attending both but haven’t been able to distinguish them, other than that Duke has stronger rankings across the board. I visited Tufts years ago; it is cozy and not too big, but Duke campus looks big on paper. Duke has strong sports but Tufts is D3. Could you please share some more? Thank you!
Duke is definitely more into sports (which is fun and great for school spirit), has a much more active Greek scene, and is probably less comfortable for a quirky student. The vibes are so different.
Students I know at both suggest that there is more conspicuous wealth at Duke, possibly because the Greek system facilitates it. (Not necessarily more wealth, but this may also be a bit of a NE vs southern thing.)
Boston is a fun student city and upperclassmen in particular take advantage of it for their social life. Duke definitely has a milder climate, and that impacts how people “play” as well.
Since you have friends at both, you can ask them about everything from how people socialize, substance use, academic environment, etc. Iow, the things that may be harder to figure out from published info.
Duke appears to be dismantling the Greek scene, with the advent of the new residential college system (QuadEx).
That’d be great… But there was rush this fall!
They have taken away houses, but they are given housing together and sponsor social events (semi-formals, etc.), As with anything, there is a cohort that likes this and others who don’t. For OP, Vandy is closer to Duke. NU probably in the middle between Tufts and these two.
UW does not have early decision. It is also not a safety, even in state, much less out of state.
I think your list of schools are all reach schools and UW, UCI, UCSD may be matches. You mentioned that UCLA and Cal have big classes, so your parents are trying to sway you to avoid the big lecture halls. You should know that it’s not that different at UCI and UCSD. As a UW alum and even 20+ years ago, the classes at the UW thru about second quarter of sophomore year are also really, really large in size.
As an aside and not knowing your essays, etc., and only looking at what you listed, I think your ECs are on the lighter side unless you have a ton of depth with the ECs you listed. I’m not an admission official but based on stats I’ve seen, many of your listed schools will be super reach schools since your GPA and SAT scores hover below their 50%th.
You may want to consider other private schools like LMU, Pomona, Pepperdine, etc that are just as solid but may not be as selective.
For USC and Vanderbilt, apply before 12/1 so you can be considered for some of their merit $.
I do not think you are ready to ED based on where you are in this process and being undecided - so you need to know more about several options with each college. If in the small chance you get in ED that is it. It may be better for you to have a few to consider in the Spring as you research various majors and opportunities at the different schools.
EA options may be better for you. This page has a helpful list. Early Action and Early Decision Deadlines - Compass Education Group
Thank you again for the additional feedback. My friend at Duke says the same thing, i.e. great school spirit with Southern comfort, not super stressful (he’s only a sophomore), strong Greek life on a very large campus.
I visited Tufts with family several years ago. Small and cozy campus, and the vibe was a bit on the studious/serious side. Medford is quiet but has direct access to Boston, which is a big plus. I never got to visit Northwestern, but heard it has a similar setup with trains and buses going to Chicago. NU was little known in CA until recent years (most parents here are thinking Ivy plus Stanford only); my guess is because it made the Top 10 in US rankings?
I also have a neighborhood friend attending Vandy. She is having a great time there, raving about the nice and vibrant campus, laid-back Southern fun but also world-class professors. They also have a strong Greek life that is facing some scrutiny.
Thanks again!
Thank you. Pomona was on my “maybe” list, along with Santa Clara University. I will give it a serious thought this coming week. I am not sure about Pepperdine, as some people have referred it as a party school, similar to Chapman. I could not verify it as I do not know anyone there.