Is my GPA good enough for UC's and what should I add to my personal statments?

Hi everyone
Currently im a biology major attending a community college, in my first semester i didnt do my best i had 2 C’s and 2B’s which im not proud of. But moving forward i did better my second semester and now im taking two calculus courses over summer and sadly i got a C in calculus 1 and im currently trying to get a B in calculus 2. I used a gpa clculator to estimate my gpa for when i apply for transfer which will be the Fall of 2021. And if i get all A’s for the remainder of my courses then by the time i apply I will have a 3.3 gpa.
My dream school would be UCSD and im wondering if my gpa would be good enough for UCSD and UCI. I also have alot of community service because ive been a girl scout for over 12 years and a troop leader for 5 of those years as well as volunteering at a hospital. And i am planning on starting two clubs at my CC before i transfer. What do you guys think would i get in?

UC Transfer GPA admit range by major and campus: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major

According to that link I have no chance, it said 3.34 or 3.8 so sadly i dont think ill get into any uc’s.

A 3.3 may not make you competitive for UCSD, but there are no other schools you are interested in attending?

You can TAG to UCSC, UCD or UCR with your 3.3 GPA and you will get a great education at any of these campuses. Also the admit ranges are for the 25th-75th percentiles, so there are applicants that do get accepted with a GPA lower than the 25th percentile. I would say you have nothing to lose and apply for Fall. If you are unhappy with your admission results, then stay another year at your CC, bump up your GPA and try again.

Also consider some of the Cal states as another option. What is your career goals with a Biology degree?

@NarehP given your Biology major and hospital volunteer experience my guess is you’re thinking of med school. You’re only one year into college so the future isn’t written in stone, but your chances for med school are looking a bit shaky at the moment. Taking accelerated math in summer school may have been a tactical mistake since you’ll have those grades forever; you may have done better doing the same work over a full school year.

If you get those A’s you mention things look a lot better but the best estimate of how you’ll do in the future is how you’ve done in the past. You need to ask yourself what is going to change to make you a straight-A student. Study more? Learn better study habits? (the book “Make it Stick” is a great resource) Get workbooks for practice problems? Visit office hours? Get tutoring? Form study groups?

And start to think about options for your future if those A’s don’t materialize as you hope. There aren’t a lot of great jobs out there for people with a BS in Biology.

Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, to name but just a few. as you can see on http://explorehealthcareers.org Your CC may have programs in some of those areas. One possibility is to get a Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) at a CC which makes you a RN. With that you’d be immediately employable and can then take advantage of a RN->BSN program which are relatively easy to get into. You could either do it part-time while working or continue on full time for the degree.

I want to go to med school. I was looking into either pediatrics or fertility. Ive changed my study habits and in my first semester i wasnt sure what to expect and Im constantly putting myself down by thinking about the mistakes I made that time. I raised by grades my Spring semester as well as my gpa, ive taken precalculus over winter and havent had a break from school other than a week from spring break. This summer is the only time I could finish my calculus sequence because I dont have room in my schedule after that due to the high volume of chemistry and biology classes. Im worried about getting into any UC because even though I think that a gpa ranging from a 3.1-3.3 is good thats not what some schools want to see and ive been putting my best foot forward so far even though ive always struggled with math i managed to pass calculus in 4 weeks. I know i apply next fall but Iim still worried about the possibility of not getting accepted anywhere.

TAG guarantees an acceptance as long as you meet the GPA and courses requirements. If Medical school is your goal, you are going to have to step it up several notches to reach a Medical school worthy GPA of 3.6+ and a UC is not a golden ticket to Medical school. Getting a High GPA along with competitive MCAT scores can be accomplished at many schools.

Just be aware that some medical schools will not accept CC credits to fulfill med school admission requirements, many will
IF you take additional upper level credits to supplement any CC science credits that you earn.

For example, if you take 3 quarters of intro bio at the CC, you MUST take at least 3 more quarters of upper level biology credits when you are at your 4 year transfer university. If you take 3 quarters of gen chem at the CC, then save ochem and biochem for the 4 year.

Some of the UC‘s are on the quarter system. If you’re at a community college, that is on the semester system, you will be in for a reality shock with the pace and speed at which the UC‘s expect your academic performance.
UCSD would not be my first choice. I’ve had so many complaints from former students who just felt that that university was so impersonal, competitive and tough.
Another concern would also be that your academics would be severely impacted by any new clubs that you’d be trying to start at your CC. Med students study all of the time. When they aren’t studying they’re putting in their time at their clinics and labs.

Have you met with the premed academic advisor at your CC? Does your community college have a premed academic advisor?Are you going to tutoring sessions? Tutoring is not just for people that are falling behind. Tutoring sessions actually include a number of students who want to keep ahead of the coursework. Plus the tutors can help you with your organization and how you study. My daughters were very strong students, especially in math, but they learned early on, from upperclassman that if you want to maintain your A’s, you go to the tutors. They both maintained A’s throughout their college careers.

I currently have a daughter, whose undergrad roommates (4) all got into med schools and my daughter got into the tough pharmacy school at UCSF. If you’re planning on med school you need to access all the help you can get because it is not an easy road. It’s very expensive and tough. Now with Covid, and my daughter and friends in their rotations, it’s been hellish, extremely demoralizing and depressing for these five young women. You need to be absolutely sure that this is what you want to do. A lot of her classmates didn’t get in anywhere for med school and that’s really common. You need to be an “A” student because most med schools will not except anything less.