So right now, I’m in a bit of a rut. I had some pretty good grades in high school, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. My grades in college are pretty meh, mostly just B’s and a few A’s, and my GPA is sitting around 3.2 to 3.3. I’m a Bio major looking to transfer into a pretty good UC, and I was kind of aiming for something like Davis, San Diego, or maybe even Berkeley. I’m following the breadth requirements and by the time I’m done with CC I’ll have about 89 credits. I have a job, and I work at a nutrition shop (I chose this place because it deals with health, and I have the impression that this would look good as it goes hand in hand with the occupational field that I’m trying to get into). I’m even looking to undertake a medical internship to increase my chances, but as of right now, I feel stuck. I feel like my circumstances will not be enough to fulfill the rigorous requirements of the UC’s. Now don’t get the impression of me pulling off an, “oh woe is me,” type of deal. I genuinely feel like I just hit a bump in the road and I’m stuck. I don’t really have anything to gauge my situation with, and as of right now, I’m just trying to figure out what my chances of getting into one of my listed UC’s are. So, in sum, I am a now 2nd year community college bio major with a 3.2-3.3 GPA, looking to get into a good UC. I have a job, and soon I’ll be a part of a medical internship. From what you guys may think, what are my chances of getting in? If they are pretty slim, I was just wondering if anyone could throw some advice my way so that I can just get an idea of what to do. Any bit of help is really appreciated.
Oh yeah, by the way, I know a bit about the TAG program, and I think I’m eligible.
She had 3.0 GPA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r4GQdSPkQk
…and got into UCLA as BioChem major 
…and got into Pharmacy school later I believe.
She must be genius!
So, what I’m saying is: you have a good chance!! If someone got into UCLA with 3.0, then you can too!
- You have great EC (having a job is a really good EC)
- You don’t have many Ws or other downsides like NP.
Not sure what your major GPA is, but I am guessing it’ll be much higher than your overall GPA.
Major GPA is just calculating your GPA based on major requirements. Each UC has different requirements per major.
You’ll get into either UCLA or UCB if you just apply and do well rest of this year 
Trust me! You’ll get in. If not, UCD and UCSD are great! Looks like you are taking a pre-med path. UCD and UCSD will still give you a prestige edge for getting into Med school. Trust me, getting into med school is a more important criteria for you. Remember, UC David and UC SanDiego have a high prestige!!!
Thanks for the info, this really helps, honestly.
Right now, I’m looking into taking after what the girl did in the video that you posted up. Soon enough, I’m going to sign up for an internship at a local hospital, and in addition to that, I’m going to be joining clubs, and even the tutoring program at my college.
I’ll look into the major GPA however, that was something I honestly neglected to research.
Also, do you think that UCD or UCLA is a better choice over Berkeley (in terms of looking towards medical school)?
But in all, thanks again for the help. I really appreciate it. It gives me better hope of what’s to come. Of course, I’m not gonna take this as a direct prediction of my future, but is there anything else you think I would need to be on the look out for?
@laccstudent Alright, look. What you just posted is patently terrible. Naming off an exception does not hold true for the rest of the population. People with subpar GPAs getting accepted to UCLA does NOT write off the vast majority of other applicants that are in fact rejected with much, much higher stats.
@DeveraAlex Your current chances at either UCLA or Berkeley are currently very low. UCLA is primarily a numbers game and Berkeley is holistic (and number still matter a lot). Either way, you are currently not a strong applicant and you need to really boost your GPA to be in the competitive range.
https://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof15_mjr.htm#MN
The above link has information from UCLA about the GPA ranges of its admitted applicants for a variety of majors.
Most people accepted to UCLA or Berkeley as a transfer student fall somewhere in the 3.70~4.0 range as a general rule. This range can increase or decrease dependent on the major. More technical majors usually have lower GPA 25th-75th percentile ranges but, unfortunately, Pre-Med and Engineering route majors actually have very high GPA ranges because of how high in demand and bloated those majors are.
Now, this is not a “there is no hope for you so don’t apply” post. I only want to be as straight with as possible in that GPA is the number indicator of acceptance for the UCs in transfer admissions. UCLA and UCB are both “highly selective schools.” Both have acceptance rates somewhere around 20~25% for transfer students and their 25th percentile GPA for most majors is at least a 3.7. You are in the competitive range for UCSD, UCSB, UCI and UCD. You are an above average candidate for UCSC, UCR, and UCM.
As to your question about medical school, I wish I could help more but I only can answer what I’ve heard from my peers that have gone on to med school. From their tribulations, their struggle seemed very similar to any other graduate school struggle: undergraduate GPA, standardized testing (MCAT), recommendation letters (huge), relevant resume points.
If you are looking forward to transfer as Biology major, it might be better off going to Berkeley to utilize their semester system.
All general Bio majors (Molecular/Cell Bio for Berkeley) require you to meet most of medical school requirements.
1 year of Bio
1 year of Physics
2 years of Chemistry
2 semester of math (Calculus)
Although the only thing you’ve left out is Biochemistry, but you’ll take it after you transfer (as a requirement- UCLA does it).
You’ll need your chance to prove yourself in a 4 year university that you can take their rigorous curriculum.
And, from what I’ve heard, 4 year university is a lot harder. You’ll have hard time earning an A.
So if you look at Upper division from Berkeley and UCLA:
Berkeley requires you to finish 6 courses.
Meanwhile, UCLA requires you to finish 10 courses.
Quarter system is fast paced. 10 more Bio/Ecology courses in Davis and UCLA? Personally, I am going to get exhausted.
Berkeley’s MCB (Molecular/Cell Bio) only requires 6 courses in upper division.
https://mcb.berkeley.edu/undergrad/major/major-requirements/cdb#CDB UD
And 1 or 2 are just electives- depends on which one you’d concentrate on.
Cell & Developmental Biology in MCB has 2 electives to choose from, meanwhile Biochemistry & Molecular Biology in MCB requires only 1 elective. I think it would give you an edge as med school applicant if you choose to take Bio Stats as your elective.
UCLA’s General Biology requires 10.
https://www.eeb.ucla.edu/images/15S_BIOLOGY_MAJOR.pdf
Not sure about Davis- they require you to do 6 hours of lab/field work- it could be either 9 or 10 courses.
For me, I’d go with Berkeley.
However, UCLA/Davis are good, as long as you can survive their fast paced quarter system.
All Davis/UCLA/Berkeley have their own resources to help you guide to med school. You can’t have personal adviser, but if you do your own self-guidance, you’ll be alright. Letters of recommendation and etc- professors all know what do so … since all three schools supply large number of students to med school!
@Burdened Yeah, I guess my advice was terrible.
But hey, let’s appreciate the fact that there can be an exception!
It won’t apply to everyone, of course 
Again, I appreciate the help.
But to be clear, aside from becoming more active with extracurricular activities, my main goal is to boost my GPA, correct?
Yeap. That’s pretty much it!
Oh, and by the way, do colleges “appreciate” it more if you partake in certain extracurricular activities that relate to your intended major, or occupational field? For example, I mentioned that I worked in a nutrition shop, and I applied to this store in particular because it puts me in a similar vein to medicine, and health. So with that said, will signing up for an internship at Kaiser, and/or joining the med student club (or possibly psychology club?) at my college look better for me?
I honestly feel that this is true, however. I just needed to confirm, because I highly doubt that colleges look at your job as just “a job,” or the club you’re in as just “a club.”
Don’t trust me 100%. But I’ve always believed that if ECs relate to your interest and major, it’s a plus.
There should be an article or official statement like this. But I am not sure. I’ll look into it!
ECs can be anything. They want to see you involved in things you’re interested in and, most importantly, the impact you had. It doesn’t hurt to have something related to your major, but just find stuff you enjoy being a part of.
Between school and your community, there’s an endless supply of ECs you can be involved in.