Im currently a junior in California high school and have 3.5 unweighted gpa / 4.2 weighted gpa. My UC gpa (capped) was 4.02.
I want to major in psych or business at UCI or UCSD but I’m concerned about my unweighted gpa because it’s pretty low.
My gpa dropped because of some family issues during the first semester of my junior year.
I’m in many leadership positions and did a lot of activities + alot of volunteer hours.
Would UCI be a reach for me?
“Good enough” is really vague because college admissions, especially due to COVID, is totally wack and random it seems. I was a 2021 HS grad from a California HS, had a 3.8 something UW GPA, 4.6 W, and got rejected from UCI, but waitlisted at UCSD,UCSB, UCLA, UCB, UMich, etc. Meanwhile, I have several friends who had 3.1/3.2/3.3 UW GPAs and got accepted to the UCI/UCLA/UCSD. Make sure you explain the drop in your grades. The concept of “holistic” admissions means less dependence solely on stats, and a essays/ECs are definitely more likely to make/break an applicant’s admission decision. That being said, I think a 3.5 is a decent UW GPA for UCI, especially since you’re in-state. Keep in mind, UCI also offers the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program for California Community College students. If it’s truly a top pick school for you, consider taking dual enrollment courses and spending 1-2 years at a CCC, looking at TAG requirements, and then you’re guaranteed to secure a spot at UCI. That’s what I did bc I chose the transfer route, and I TAGd to UCI, but was accepted to UMich. Good luck, regardless! Apps are stressful but grades/schools don’t define you and there’s plenty of alternative routes to get to the school you dream of attending.
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Also, dual enrollment classes might be a way for you to raise your UW GPA a bit extra, and show a commitment to and success with academic rigor, which college admissions value! But if you want to determine UCI as being reach/target/safety due to stats alone, this is the profile for admitted first-year students 2019 (keep in mind that test scores were still being used and it was pre-Covid circumstances): Freshman admission profile | UC Admissions
And here is the 2021 profile: Admitted Student Profile | Office of Undergraduate Admissions | UCI
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Thank you!
GPA is only one factor in the 13 areas of UC application review criteria although Very Important.
The UC’s look at 3 UC GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped weighted and Fully weighted see the calculator: GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub
So wait until end of Junior unless you plan to take a summer class and calculate your actual GPA’s.
Family issues can be explained on the UC application with either the PIQ’s or the additional comments section. UCI had an overall 29% acceptance rate for 2021 and probably for this year it will close or even lower. Anything below a 30% acceptance Rate should be considered a Reach school for the majority of applicants.
The best thing you can is continue to improve on your grades, perhaps take a class this summer to bump up the GPA since it will be included in your GPA calculation and try to enjoy your last year of HS.
Also, formulate your college list from the bottom up so find at least 2 Very Likely schools where you are guaranteed admission, are willing to attend and is affordable.
Everyone has their favorite schools where they can see themselves attending, but just remember where you go for Undergrad does not define you, it is what you do with the opportunities are you given that will make you successful. All you can do is your best from here on out.
Psychology and Business also happen to be very popular and competitive majors at both schools. UCSD does not however have a Business school or what most people consider a Business major like Business Admin.
Both schools admit into the University first and then into the major, so make sure you select an alternate major. The possible scenario’s if you are admitted could be 1st choice major, alternate major or Undeclared.
Best of luck.
UC admit rates for 2021 based on the Capped weighted UC GPA and not major specific.
| Campus | 4.20+ | 3.80-4.19 | 3.40-3.79 | 3.00-3.39 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 30% | 11% | 2% | 1% |
| Davis | 85% | 55% | 23% | 10% |
| Irvine | 60% | 31% | 14% | 1% |
| Los Angeles | 29% | 6% | 1% | 0% |
| Merced | 97% | 98% | 96% | 89% |
| Riverside | 97% | 92% | 62% | 23% |
| San Diego | 75% | 35% | 5% | 1% |
| Santa Barbara | 73% | 28% | 4% | 1% |
| Santa Cruz | 91% | 81% | 46% | 9% |