I would really like to go to a UC.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, first time posting here.</p>

<p>Let's get straight to it.</p>

<p>GPA =
(weighted)
GPA (10-12): 4.07
Total GPA: 4.24</p>

<p>STANDARDIZED TESTING =
SAT score: 1680 (planning to take it in November and seriously improve it)
Bio subject test: 620
Literature subject test: I'm taking it tomorrow</p>

<p>HONORS/AP COURSES =
FRESHMAN;
English Honors
Geometry Honors
Biology Honors</p>

<p>SOPHOMORE;
AP European History
English Honors
Algebra II Honors
Chemistry Honors
Spanish III IB</p>

<p>JUNIOR;
AP Psychology
AP US History
AP English
Pre-Calc/Trig Honors</p>

<p>SENIOR;
AP Art History
AP Government/Economics
AP Statistics
AP Literature</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
- Red Cross Secretary for 2 years (junior and senior year)
- President of an environmental club (3 years)
- A decent amount of service hours from volunteering at blood drives/service projects held by the Red Cross organization
- Yearbook Layout Designer - sophomore year
- Yearbook Layout Editor - junior year
- Yearbook Editor-in-Chief - senior year
- Piano for 6 years</p>

<p>MAJOR
- Computer Science</p>

<p>DEMOGRAPHICS
- Female, Asian
- Currently living in southern California, parents are from Vietnam</p>

<p>That's about it. Can you guys let me know my chances of getting into UCI, UCSB, UC Merced, UC Davis, and UC Santa Cruz?</p>

<p>I really want to go to UCI, but my GPA and SAT score are killing me. I've been feeling rather depressed lately, especially since college apps are out. I feel like I can't get into a UC. I would really like your honest opinions.</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

<p>-Kelly</p>

2

<p>I think you can get into a UC but it is far from a certainy and may not be the one you want. There is no reason to be depressed about your GPA, it is competitive for all the UCs you mentioned. The problem is your SAT scores which are typical of students accepted at UC Merced and not significantly lower than those for UCSC matriculants. They are significantly below the scores for accepted students at UCI and UCSB. You did not give a breakdown for your individual M, CR and W scores. Since you intend to major in computer science if your math score was relatively strong, say 600 or over, while your overall score was pulled down by low scores in CR and W it would probably help you. You can also take some comfort in the fact that the UCs put more emphasis on high school GPA than on SAT scores.</p>

<p>Another UC you might want to consider is UC Riverside where applicants generally have SAT scores comparable to those at UC Merced and UCSC. In the final analysis though, unless you can significantly increase your SAT scores there is the real possibility you may not be accepted at UC. Therefore, you might want to think about applying to some of the CSUs with good computer programming. The only CSU that you would definitely not be competitive at is Cal Poly SLO.</p>

3

<p>@Lemaitre1: Thank you very much for the reply. I have considered Cal Poly SLO, but I’m not sure if I can handle the degradation that comes along with it. Don’t get me wrong, calstates are good schools, it’s just that most people (especially my parents) think that they aren’t. I will be looked down upon, and I’m not sure if I can handle that. </p>

<p>So in short, my SAT score is killing me.</p>

<p>Thank you :)</p>

<p>If anyone else has opinions regarding my current situation, please reply.</p>

<p>I’m starting to lose hope.</p>

4

<p>‘Degradation’ from going to Cal Poly SLO?
Didn’t it have the third-lowest acceptance rate last admissions season among California schools?</p>

<p>It has a very good rep in engineering. The average layperson is going to (as you have said) look down upon it, but luckily those aren’t the people hiring you.</p>

<p>Your SAT scores are really the only thing holding you back. I’d be curious to know your unweighted GPA if you have it, but with the information you’ve given us…honestly, your chances are extremely low at most UCs. Just from my own school’s Naviance data, your SAT score is about 200 points lower than the average for accepted applicants from my school (for UC Merced and Riverside).</p>

<p>A score of around 2000 should give you a fair chance at all the schools you listed (or push some of the schools to low matches). Which parts of the SAT did you have the most trouble with? There’s some excellent advice on this forum and elsewhere…</p>

5

<p>@Greekfire: Sorry, I didn’t mean it negatively. I am perfectly okay with going to a calstate, but everyone around me… that’s a different story. What are my chances of getting into SLO?</p>

<p>My lowest was math. A 510. I think I just did badly because I didn’t study. But that’s what they all say =/ However, if you have that particular link with the advice, please let me know :)</p>

<p>A score of 2000.
I’ll work hard.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>-Kelly</p>

6

<p>@greekfire
don’t be deceived by numbers.</p>

<p>the reason why it is so low is because of the increased pool of applicants from statistically substandard students. the application doesn’t require any req letter or essay whatsoever, thus increasing the pool size. csu tuition cost are fairly low compared to ucs, thus increasing the pool size. most students recognize cal poly slo as the higher csus, thus increasing pool size.</p>

<p>ultimately, cal poly slo is comparable to uc davis, ucsb, and uc irvine in selectivity although it may not share the same national recognition.</p>

7

<p>Don’t despair because of your SAT score, countless other students are in the same boat as you, so don’t fee like you are alone. </p>

<p>To do well in that test is really just practice, practice, practice. It requires no super IQ or special skills. You might also consider trying taking the ACT. It might suit your testing style better. </p>

<p>As for your desire to go to UC to meet your parents’ (and personal?) expectations is perfectly understandable. But to be very honest, UC Merced, Riverside, Santa Cruz and the mid-tier UCs would not be viewed as super prestigious either, especially in the eyes of graduate schools or industry recruiters. They are very decent and solid schools, but definitely no ivies in terms of prestige. </p>

<p>In fact, Cal or UCLA are probably the only two UCs that have true national level recognition (for computer science and other majors) in every corner of the US. </p>

<p>So don’t let this application scare you, just relax, getting into the mid-tier UCs is not climbing mount Everest, ordinary students do it all the time. And you seems to be a good solid hardworking student. So you will be fine if you just practice hard for SAT/ACT. </p>

<p>If you were applying to Caltech, MIT or Harvard only, then start panicking! :)</p>

8

<p>@redteabag: Hmm, now I’m really considering it. Thanks for the information. Do you know if they have dorms? Is it a nice location? Are my chances of getting in slim? :/</p>

<p>@ickglue: Thanks for reminding me I’m not alone :slight_smile: And yeah, I understand how mid-UC’s are viewed. But I would still like to go one =/ Again, thanks for the encouragement, and I plan to work extremely hard these next couple of weeks.</p>

<p>I want my parents to be proud of their daughter.</p>

<p>Oh Caltech! You are, and always will be, a dream T_T!</p>

9

<p>cal poly slo is similar to ucd, uci, ucsb. maybe slightly lower than all three. </p>

<p>honestly, unless you are confident you will get a bachelors in an engineering field, i wouldn’t begin to consider cal poly over the other 3. csus are, fundamentally, a crippled version of ucs. some how cal poly slo got a reputation of engineering and the csus applicants started to flock toward it.</p>

10

<p>Cal Poly is recognized as a very competitive engineering school and rightfully so. It is also extremely competitive to get into. I know several firms that recruit solely from Cal Poly as they have had great results. I totally disagree with redteabag about it being a crippled version of the uc’s- as far as their engineering program I would consider it among the best in the state.</p>

11

<p>@redteabag</p>

<p>You seem to be an authority on the quality of various engineering schools. </p>

<p>"some how cal poly slo got a reputation of engineering and the csus applicants started to flock toward it. "</p>

<p>I am curious on what information did you base your comment about Cal Poly Engineering school on?</p>

12

<p>CSUs do not use the writing score when evaluating SAT scores and for 2010 the average student accepted at Cal Poly SLO had a score of about 1,300/1600. Since the OP’s math score was 510 her CR score would have to have been an improbably high 790 to be competetive there. Cal Poly SLO would be a very high reach for her. There are other CSUs with good Computer Science programs like SJSU that would still be reaches but somewhat more realistic than Cal Poly SLO. The thing about CSUs is that other than GPA and test scores the only thing they look at is where the applicant lives. The OP would be in luck if she happens to live in the service area of one of the upper tier CSUs since she would have a very good chance of acceptance. If you are from outside the service area of an impacted CSU that you are interested in, getting into it is going to take a very high GPA, which the OP has, and very strong SAT scores as well.</p>

13

<p>Cal Poly is a peer school of the mid tier UCs. Anyone who understands the CA system knows it’s harder to get into than Riverside and Merced. </p>

<p>OP, if you want to graduate from the best school you can in the UC system, attend community college for 2 years.</p>