<p>If the Uc’s only look at your Junior and Sophomore year, then what is the point of taking certain classes such as AP and honors classes in your freshman and Senior year? So if someone were to get a 3.0 GPA or something in their freshman year (or senior year), could they still make it into any UC if they did really well in their sophomore and junior year?</p>
<p>The sad answer to your question is: There is no point, at least for the UCs. So yeah, if you did bad freshman year, you could still go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>Bottom line: sophomore and junior year only. UCs admissions are fairly formulaic, so they just don’t look at the rest. From a UC perspective, the point course of action would be to cram all your APs into 10th and 11th and do a lighter load for freshman and senior years. Weird, right?</p>
<p>Hello! Post #2 above is misinformation. </p>
<p>It is true that the UC GPA calculation uses only the classes starting with summer of 9th grade through summer of 11th grade. Summers are included for the students who may take a-g classes at CC (community colleges).</p>
<p>The UC’s do a comprehensive review that is described on the UC websites, you can easily check it out. If you make the cut in terms of the SAT, UC GPA, Strength of curriculum, and Brownie point (community service, talent, EC etc.) evaluation – this is what the previous poster calls “formulaic” the application packet is assigned to two or more readers. These readers read the packets that made the cut and put them into separate piles like an Adcom of any other elite college - definitely admit, Maybe, and do not admit. The Maybe’s are then reviewed in admission committees where the readers present the case.</p>
<p>Even for the formulaic number, you’re not going to make the cut to Berkeley, LA, or even San Diego if you didn’t have a strong curriculum in the Freshman and Senior years, measured in terms of the “a-g” classes (e.g. PE, Health etc don’t count), number of real classes taken, and AP and CL classes.</p>
<p>I think that I am taking more of my harder classes in my junior and senior year since it I can’t really take that many AP classes in my sophomore year. For my freshman year, there was only an honors class offered. I wasn’t able to take it though. Right now, I am in one honors and one AP class.</p>
<p>So if you were taking an a-g class at a community college, would it still be transferable? So if someone did not get a good grade in PE or health, it would not matter anyways?</p>
<p>Thanks though. :)</p>
<p>Yes, you enter the UC transferable community college classes on the app. You’ll also send in the CC transcripts after you matriculate.</p>
<p>PE, Health and other non a-g grades don’t count. Your school can tell you what’s a-g and what’s not.</p>
<p>Are there any East Coast schools that just look at sophomore and junior year?</p>
<p>Sorry, didn’t mean to imply that the UCs are TOTALLY formulaic. I just mean that they do enroll a large number of students based on GPA and SATs alone. It’s understandable though, they get so many applicants! Plus, they’re underfunded…who are they going to pay to read them all? And UC never claims to be holistic, which they’re not. But yeah, if you’re a “maybe” they will read your essay and check out the rest of your app. They don’t do it for everyone though.</p>
<p>About your senior year, if you were to fill out the application form, how could they tell whether you are taking AP classes in your senior year? Would it even matter to take the AP classes in your senior year? What about if you are accepted already?</p>
<p>If the actual classes you take are not the same as the classes you said you would take, you are expected to immediately inform them. If you don’t, then at the end of the year they get your final transcript, and your admission is then rescinded for providing false information in your application. Which sucks of course.</p>
<p>They do look at what you’ve taken other years and do want to see a rigorous senior schedule.</p>
<p>So they get to look at your classes ahead of the time?</p>
<p>What happens if you do worse and they reject you? For example, if earlier, you got accepted, so you declined all the other college you have been accepted in. Then you realized that you didn’t make it into this college?</p>
<p>Once you get the acceptance letter for the UCs, you’re pretty much set. You CAN have it revoked, but only if you get below a C in a class or your GPA drops below 3.0.</p>
<p>oh my, Post #2 is flat out wrong! </p>
<p>Strength of senior schedule is one of the key criteria for admission, particularly at the more competitive campuses.</p>
<p>And yes, raelah, they do READ the essays for those apps on the bubble or to see if the appilicant faced any life challenges.</p>
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<p>In theory yes bcos upward trend beat the alternative. But, don’t forget, that some apps may get flagged for augmented review – those apps that are on the bubble. In such cases, which are few, senior grades ARE requested.</p>
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<p>Is that really true?</p>
<p>Almost everyone took it easy at my high school during their senior year. Personally, I took 5 AP courses and 2 regular courses during my junior year while I only took 2 AP classes and 3 regular classes during my senior year. The reasoning behind this was that UC’s don’t see your senior year transcripts anyway until you are accepted.</p>
<p>So, if you list a rigorous course for your senior year, UC’s have no way of knowing how well you’ll do. You can get straight A’s or C’s; the point is that it’s not a real hefty factor in the admission decision since there are no empirical results. That’s akin to saying somebody who coasted by with a 3.5 in jr. and soph. year and listed a rigorous courseload can get a leg up on someone who had 3.8’s and listed a modest courseload. Listing what you intend to do is not a big deal; having results of what you’ve done is more important in the decision process.</p>
<p>So if you list as many AP classes you are going to take in your senior year, would they consider that even if they don’t know your final GPA yet?</p>
<p>Yes it is true that the UC’s look at the rigor of your senior courseload. I don’t know to what extent these would be a factor, however.</p>
<p>According to [University</a> of California - Admissions](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/general_info/uc_reviews/freshman_app.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/general_info/uc_reviews/freshman_app.html), senior course load is a factor for admission decisions:
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<p>I’m sure the fact that you’re taking more AP classes you’re senior year will only help you.</p>
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Take a look at the UC app. You tell them what classes you are planning on taking. Then on the admission website they warn you that you must notify them if your schedule changes from what you’ve planned. And they do a review of your transcript the summer after you graduate; people have had their acceptance rescinded for not taking the classes they said they would, or for not maintaining their GPA.</p>
<p>So its not really true they don’t look at your senior year. They evaluate both the courses and the GPA you get.</p>
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<p>Uh, no you can’t. Straight C’s will get you rescinded, even at Merced!</p>
<p>Wow, I don’t know if there’s more misinformation on this thread, or on the one where someone suggested an OC Register article said the UC system was accepting no HS applicants this year, just transfer! The lack of logic astounds me. How would they populate the freshman class???</p>
<p>^ITA. If you don’t know what you are talking about, don’t post. People not only are overgeneralizing admission procedures, but are giving completely false misleading information. </p>
<p>1) Senior course load counts. Some UCs it matters more than others. Look it up!</p>
<p>2) You must get a 3.0 W/UW over the course of your senior year, again, depending on the UC.</p>
<p>3) They read your essay.</p>
<p>4) They consider your ECs</p>
<p>5) All of your questions can be answered if you go to the website and check it out.</p>