<p>Im a Sophmore attending one of the top 10 public High Schools in the U.S. (in 2004 according to US news magazine), Mercer Island High (doubt you've heard of it). Lately my grades have been slipping as summer neared. Freshman yeah i got a 3.4 GPA, i was ok with that because I understood colleges don't examine freshman year. This year its gotten worse. I dont know if I should blame my lazy study habits or the 3 Honors Classes i'm taking. Here is my schedule:
Physics/Chemistry 2nd year Honors
World History
Percussion
Spanish 3rd year Honors
Biology
English 10 Honors
Algebra 2 </p>
<p>I understand this could mean nothing to you but my grades have slipped to a 3.0 ~ 2.9. Next year, the year schools really look at, i have an easier schedule with 2 AP classes and an Honors, but they should be easier. I'm really looking at the UC school system, UCB my #1, UCLA #2, UCSB #3, but i live in Washington and only 5% of out of state residents get into most of those schools. I am extreamly active extra curricular wise, year round sports including waterpolo state champion, went to District finals in Track, i do boy scouts (its almost embarrising to say, im 16). Any way, any feed back would be apprieciated. Thanks! (this website is great)</p>
<p>UCs look quite closely at the two middle years of college, and unfortunatly for your GPA, it's going to be tough considering UCs weigh GPAs so much. I wouldn't take my advice for a fact since I rarely reply to these kind of topics, but I'd say as an out of state student, you'd need a 4.0+ and high SAT scores to even be considered for Berkeley and Los Angeles, and I think the chances are pratically slim to none below a 3.8. You'll have to bring your GPA up to be a reach at UCSB (I'd guess in the 3.7-3.9 range). That's my best guess, I'm sure someone will post a more accurate analysis shortly.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how it works for out of state students, but I guess it's possible that if you really want to go to a UC, you can go to a community college like Santa Barbara CC for two years and then transfer into a UC. The mid tier UCs have guaranteed transfer options with community colleges, so maybe that can be an option. Of course, you'll be paying high tuition costs all the way through and I'm not sure if it's worth it.</p>
<p>thesloc, he mentioned that he lived in washington state,
rc251 and to the OP, UC's don't even consider your freshman grades that's why it is necessary to calculate our "UC GPA's" that's on every transcript for every public high school student in California...</p>
<p>now specifically to the OP, your schedule itself seems very weak and even if you get straight A's in those courses, it will probably be far short of other Out of State applicants... Just looking at what you've gone, it'll be darn near impossible to get into a Berkeley or Los Angeles... you've still got an outside shot at Santa Barabara if you can play up your athletic abilities, but you'll still need straight A's to complement even for Santa Barbara... best of luck,</p>
<p>Mercer Island is in between Seattle and Bellevue. </p>
<p>If I were to raise my GPA jr. year to a 3.9+ do you think Berkeley might CONSIDER me? or Santa Barbara? To answer a few of your questions:
We can pay the money, thats not a problem.
I REALLY want to go to a college in California, and the UC system looks the most appealing to me. Does anyone have any suggestions of alternate colleges of equal respect in California? I have alot of family there and i used to live there. Not to mention i LOVE it. Thanks for the input so far!</p>
<p>i used to live in Bellevue! woot! would've gone to Newport, but moved down south to the OC. </p>
<p>lol. home of Bill Gates.</p>
<p>Yes, out of state...UC doesn't seen your frosh grade, so if ur soph grades are low...they're low. It takes a lot to get into Berkeley and UCLA out of state....and Berk. cares a ton about grades. Excel in ECs (or keep it up) and LA could work.</p>
<p>Ebony, where'd you go to school for college? Also, UCLA and Berkeley may be my top choices, but again, i just really want to end up in California in a 4 yr college with an above average reputation. Also, just curious, does UCSB have a good reputation? I know its got a GREAT campus and area. USC a good canadate?</p>
<p>lol. nope. now a senior. so will be applying next year.</p>
<p>UCSB doesn't have a good reputation. At least in my opinion. I regard mostly SD, LA, and B, and everything else just falls into a muddled pile at the bottom. I would recommend USC, however. They would recruit you if you're good. Plus, privates are big on sports too. Still try LA. ECs matter much more there an at Berkeley.</p>
<p>I think the chances of getting into USC, UCLA, and UC Berkeley are beyond slim. Santa Barbara might be a reach, but even that's only if you get killer SAT scores, get straight A's from now on, and right an incredible essay.</p>
<p>UCSB is generally well regarded. It's considered to be the "party school" of the UC system, although many UCSB students say that the hype for that is a little overblown. UCSB has had 5 Nobel prize winners since 1998, and they've really been pimping that recently. UCSB also had the biggest climb in applications percentage wise this year, and stats for incoming students continue to go way up. </p>
<p>Like I said, if you want to go to California under any circumstances, you can go to Santa Barbara Community College for two years and then transfer to UCSB. There is a guaranteed transfer program for most majors, where a 3.0 (for Fall 2007 transfers) will get you a spot at UCSB. Many SBCC kids live near the UCSB campus, so social life for those students is supposedly good too. Of coures, you have to pay out of state fees for all of this, but I guess you can afford it.</p>
<p>UCSB doesn't have a good reputation. At least in my opinion</p>
<p>I don't think there is anything wrong with the middle tier UCs. They are all ranked within the top 50 private and top 13 public schools in the nations, and undergraduate wise, the difference between the top UCs and mid UCs isn't night and day.</p>
<p>Sports? Are you talking about scholarships or will it get me into the school easier? I think i still need to see if there are any other less "main stream" schools i can look at maybe. Thanks for your help.</p>