Is it worth applying to UCs?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Okay, here's the situation. I don't want to sound arrogant, I just want to get more opinions on this. I put it here because it relates to my chances, I guess.</p>

<p>Okay so here are my stats:
Gender/Ethnicity: Male/Hispanic
GPA: 4.0 UW/4.5+ W
Rank: 12/540. I made a thread about this a while back; I got terrible grades in classes taken in 8th grade and since then have gotten straight A's.
School: Poor, crappy public</p>

<p>PSAT: 236
SAT I: 800 Writing, 800 Reading, 740 Math
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Literature, 800 US History
APs: Environmental Science and US History (5 on both). Taking 5 APs this year (max).</p>

<p>ECs:
Debate 11-12: Started off horribly, got a lot better, and eventually won my league in public forum debate (wrote an unconventional essay on this experience). Varsity public forum captain in 12th grade, also treasurer.
Academic Decathlon 11-12: Slacked off before scrimmage and ended up on 2nd team. Got the second-highest score on either team, barely losing to a senior two years ahead of me in math, taking economics, and with musical background. This year, I'm working really hard and will probably score significantly higher. Also a captain.
MUN 11-12: Treasurer 12
Vietnamese Culture Club 11-12: Vice President 12.
Science Fiction Club 9-12: Vice President/Secretary 12.</p>

<p>Awards:
Student of the month, several academic achievement awards, National Merit Semi-Finalist, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar for PSAT.</p>

<p>Intangibles:
Really good essay writer, and my teachers love me. My English teacher this year said I was probably the best writer/student he's had in almost 40 years of teaching. I admit that roughly 95% of my app starts junior year. This is because I was extremely afraid of taking risks early in my high school career, and it was a huge step for me to join all of those things. I touched on this in an essay. My classes are not the most difficult offered at my school because I was forced to repeat Algebra I in 8th grade after receiving a B- in 7th grade (really hard year for me, had major problems with the teacher). Thus, I'm a year "behind" in math (actually on the normal, not accelerated, path), but I'm skipping Calculus AB and going straight to BC this year, so I'm caught up.</p>

<p>I'm applying to Yale SCEA, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and USC for sure. If I don't get into Yale, I'll apply to UChicago, Duke, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Amherst, and Williams, plus maybe a couple more. At USC, I have a huge legacy. My uncle, mom, and grandma all went there, and my grandpa taught there for 50 years.</p>

<p>Now, I want to know if you think it's worth applying to UCs for me. I'm in-state, but the application is kind of a pain (1000 words split over two lame essay topics), and I think my chances of getting rejected from USC are pretty minuscule. So, what are your opinions? Oh and if you want to chance me, feel free, heh.</p>

2

<p>pretty good stats. great standardized test scores, ecs seem pretty focused. if you have the good recs, you'll probably get accepted at one of the ivies. i would still apply for uc's, though...you never know what would happen.</p>

<p>please chance me back <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/572875-ivies-ucs.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/572875-ivies-ucs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>Any more takers?</p>

4

<p>Dude, you have a perfect GPA, a 2340 on the SAT, ECs, and awards, plus you are a URM. Apply anywhere you'd like!</p>

<p>Still, I'd apply to UCs perhaps as safeties. Still, UCLA and UCB are amazing, so why not apply to them? :)</p>

5

<p>I agree you don't have apply to any UCs. I think you definitely get into USC. URM, high SAT scores and with very high GPA. </p>

<p>PS: Somewhat unusual ECs, Hispanic in a Vietnamese club :)</p>

6

<p>I'd say UC's might be good as FINANCIAL safeties. Unless you are in some economic sweet spot, come April it could be nice to have another affordable option. Economic situation could be pretty grim in April, even for the schools!</p>

7

<p>Yeah, the economic thing is a partial concern... but my parents have said not to worry about it. I know they're both great schools and I like them a lot (Hell, my dad went to UCLA, and I was raised on Bruins football), but I don't know if I have time to deal with those essays. I have nothing that really fits either one and it just seems like a pain.</p>

<p>And yeah, I'm in VCC because I have several Vietnamese friends and I wanted to get to understand their culture better.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input.</p>

8

<p>I would apply just to UCLA and UC Berkeley as safeties.</p>

9

<p>"....but my parents have said not to worry about it...."</p>

<p>Yeah....that's what I told MY daughter..six months ago.....I can't even get myself to LOOK at her college fund....</p>

10

<p>i thought the UC essay was just a personal statement and you could just cut and paste... anyways, I'd say apply to the UC's b/c from a financial standpoint you can't go wrong. 20K a year vs. 40......pretty clear lol</p>

<p>and you'll prob get into ucla and cal, two equal level or better schools than sc. </p>

<p>please chance me back too: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/569604-so-last-one-had-too-many-errors-one-s-better.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/569604-so-last-one-had-too-many-errors-one-s-better.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

11

<p>apply to ucla and cal for the hell of it.</p>

<p>edit- i take that back! lol if you don't want to go please don't make the admission selectivity even harder :o</p>

12

<p>I would not be surprised if you don't get trustee scholarship from USC which makes it cheaper than UCLA and UCB. BTW, my daughter used the same essay for USC and the UCs. I've also heard that USC does not really count legacy that much. But you get in based on your stats alone.</p>

13

<p>i've heard contrasting opinions than that your source. i've heard legacy does help. i thought you were at first referring to ucla disregarding legacy and basing one's admission on stats, not usc. i'm pretty sure legacy is beneficial at usc. maybe they've changed because i know it used to be huge. considering that they've changed overall, as it's more competitive today than decades ago, i don't doubt that legacy no longer carries the same weight that it previously did.</p>

14

<p>Wow, thanks for all the responses. So it would probably be equally economically viable to go to USC as UCLA or UCB for me?</p>

15

<p>if you get a ballin merit scholarship chyea</p>

16

<p>Why are you in a vietnamese club?</p>