I am a junior in HS right now, I am thinking about applying to UCLA. I did not take any AP classes, but I am taking 2 my senior year. I did not take any sports, but I volunteered more than 200 hrs and I am on the board of a club. I know UCLA is competitive. Do you think what I did is enough? What can I do to be more competitive and have a higher chance of getting accepted? Any tips? Is it okay if my SAT score was less than 1300?
HS course rigor is very important for a top school like UCLA so not taking AP classes will definitely impact your chances negatively especially if your fellow HS students are taking several in 10 and 11th grade.
What are your test scores: ACT/SAT? Other than volunteering what other EC’s do you participated in? Do you have any leadership positions?
Intended major will play an important part in your chances especially for competitive majors in STEM/Psych/Econ etc…
High GPA and test scores should be your top priority. At the end of Junior year, calculate your UC GPA and post both capped weighted and fully weighted UC GPA. Compare your stats to last year’s Freshman class to see how you compare and if you are within range.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Admit rate — Overall: 18.0%
GPA and test scores of middle 25%-75% students
High School UC GPA: 4.12 - 4.30
ACT Composite Score: 29 - 34
SAT Critical Reading: 620 - 740-Old SAT scores
SAT Mathematics: 640 - 770-Old SAT scores
Are those figures above for admitted applicants (as opposed to attending students)? For example, UCLA’s middle-range ACT appears as 25-32 in this database (which has been adjusted for the new SAT format):
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/college-profiles-new-sat/
The above said, OP, your outcome may depend on how far below 1300 you have scored – your chances would seem to be reasonable with at least a 1280+, provided you finish with a very strong GPA. Note that at most selective colleges course rigor will be viewed as an important element to your application, however.
@merc81: These are the admitted stats for Freshman 2016 posted on the UC website.
Look closely at less competitive majors to increase your odds. Without a boost from AP or approved Honors classes it can be a tough admit.
Is architecture a competitive major in UCLA?
I don’t think you can apply directly to architecture at UCLA. You apply to civil eng and then transfer to Architecture later.
@my2caligirls @malayboy @Judyshaban GPA and test scores are the two most important parts of the app. Also see which major you want. If it is within the College of Letters and Science (L&S) then major does not matter when applying. Everyone is compared against each other and admitted to L&S as a whole. From there you are a pre major or undeclared and will petition to declare a major once you satisfy pre reqs and GPA min. To apply as an architecture major you apply to the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. That school is competitive and admits by major. It also requires a supplement so prior experience is helpful. Civil engineering is in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. That school admits by major and is competitive. Any non L&S major is hard to get into and admit by major. If you are L&S it is very hard to switch into a professional school major. Switching from Civil Eng to Arch is difficult to do since they are pretty unrelated in terms of curriculum at ucla.