Hi I have a really good Act score, 31 composite (27 E, 29 M, 31 R, 35 S) but a 3.5 GPA and a 3.89 Weighted GPA what are my chances at the UCs like Davis, Santa Barbara, LA, and San Diego?
I run XC and Track, have played soccer (will not play this year) and work as a volunteer at a hospital. I also peer tutor and babysit if that helps.
Thanks!
I think you are hyping up your ACT score a little. A 31 is not terrible, but it’s not “high” either. We need to know your UC GPA, residency status, intended major, and financial aid needed to chance you
http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
UC’s are very GPA focused so if your UC GPA is at or above 4.0, you are in good shape with that part of the application.
Intended major, HS course rigor, essays and EC’s will all contribute to your chances. Need more information to chance you properly.
I agree with what the last two have said. A 31 is good, but nothing that’s going to set you apart. Your chances aren’t good with the current information.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-colleges/1782353-uc-bound.html#latest I found your previous thread. Your GPA is by no means “stellar”, we even need to know your UC GPA, if you don’t know how to calculate it, then feel free to ask any one of us. You are OOS, so it will be tougher for you. LA and SD are high reaches to reach, Davis is reach/low reach, and SB is high match. But this is based on your current information. Chances will change (you may have to remove LA and SD from the list) based on your intended major, true UC GPA, etc.
Im actually instate and my UC GPA is 3.68. And would taking off LA and SD off my application list improve my chances of getting into a UC? I intend to either do molecular biology/genetics or psych as my major. Im middle class so theres nothing to really help my chances there
Is GPA really that important in the scheme of things if I write a good essay about my culture (greek) and have good recs?
@stargirl546 GPA is king at UCs. Look at the CDS if you want the importance of things. The reason I suggested dropping those two is because you might be paying $140 to get yourself rejected. But still apply, you never know! A good (maybe outstanding in this case) essay may bump you up to the “considerable” level. I’m very surprised that you, as an instate student, do not know that UCs (with the exception of UCB) do not accept rec letters.
@stargirl546. If your UC GPA is 3.68, UCR/UCM and UCSC would be the only target UC’s. Although your ACT is competitive, your GPA will hurt your chances. The rest of the UC’s will be Low Reach to High Reach. Essays and EC’s do contribute to your overall application but if you look at the link below, you will see that your UC GPA is below average for all the UC campuses except UC Merced.
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/uc-freshman-application-data.pdf
I would consider some the competitive Cal States such as CSULB/SDSU/SJSU/CSUF for solid target and safety schools. Also some privates such as University of Redlands, University of the Pacific, LMU and Pepperdine would be within reach. Not sure about Biology/Genetics major at these schools, but definitely good Psych programs.
could my gpa be slightly overlooked if the reason it is so low is because I took AP classes ( too many and fucked up?)
and should i say that somewhere on my application?
@stargirl546 No. You are not special. People take a lot of AP courses, and some of them do very well, others not so much. When you sign up for a class, you should have known what to expect (according to colleges), and you did not perform very well. Putting that on your app will make you sound like you are not prepared for higher leveled courses. Maybe you’ll get kudos for class rigor, but nothing more.