Kind of messed up high school, what are my chances at getting into U.C. Davis or Irvine?

Hi everyone,
I just finished my 1st semester of junior year and I made a ton of mistakes throughout my high school career so far. I completely bombed freshman year because I just didn’t try hard enough, so I ended up getting a 3.3 GPA (I really wish I could go back and fix that, but there’s no point in wishing because it’s over now), so I was really happy to hear that UCs only look at sophomore and junior year grades. Sophomore year I got a 4.0 GPA both semesters but the thing is, I didn’t take any hard classes (all of them were regular courses) so I’m kind of mad at myself, because I feel like a 4.0 GPA in regular classes won’t mean much. And I just messed up my first semester of junior year as well with a 3.5 GPA (1 AP and only 1 Honors because of some counselor issues- she made a dumb mistake and ended up leaving the school before I could talk to her about it :/) but I did take an online psychology course and got an A in it. Some of my extracurriculars have been Cross Country since sophomore year, some volunteering, and Science Olympiad- so I realized I don’t have the best ecs either. My test scores are alright, with a 2100 SAT score and I’m practicing for the ACT and ending up around the same range. What do you guys think my next steps should be if I am aiming to get into a college like UC Davis or Irvine. especially given that I go to a pretty competitive school? I feel like I have a really low chance but I would love to hear what you guys think. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thank you so much!

First list your intended major and race. What would I recommend:

1). Do well your second semester in junior year high school.
2). Take more AP’s next year (senior year). Make sure you do well that first semester senior year with decent AP/Honors (maybe 3 AP/honors) and that’ll send a message that you constantly improved and can handle a decent workload.
3). Work on your EC’s. Try out for officer positions for senior year (even if they are small clubs).

I think UCD and UCI are very reasonable schools for you. You’ll have to work for them, but you definitely have a fair chance. I currently go to UC Davis, so if you have any questions about admissions or campus life feel free to message me!

PS: My EC’s weren’t too great either. I just volunteered, was the treasurer of a small movie watching club (not impressive), and I had a marketing “internship” (note the quotes… I really didn’t do anything of value). I got into the engineering school which is more competitive than the others, so I think it is definitely feasible to get into non impacted majors with less credentials. I did not get into UCI though.

I’m an Indian American (as in South Asian), and I most likely intend to major in the medical or computer science field. Also, I thought UCs didn’t look at senior year grades but only sophomore and junior year grades? But I am definitely planning to take much harder courses next year- specifically AP Calc AB (or BC), AP French, AP Compsci, and some others (haven’t really planned out my whole schedule for next year). Thanks for the response!

Both schools are competitive and the UC’s do look to see if you have taken a rigorous HS schedule, which at this point may impact your chances somewhat. Senior grades are not considered in UC admission decisions, but they do look at your planned classes for Senior year so a more rigorous schedule will help. Just FYI: do not overload yourself Senior year since you do not want to get D’s or F’s in any of these classes which could result in your acceptances being rescinded. Take classes you feel you an excel in.

At the end of Junior year, calculate your UC GPA: http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

Aim for a UC GPA of 4.0+ for the best chances. Your SAT score looks on target for both UC’s. Continue with your EC’s and look for any leadership positions.

Good Luck.

Race has nothing to do with admission to UCs.

@anxiousenior1 Well I guess I should rephrase the question to: Do you qualify for EOP? Which is the equivalent of asking: Are you a low income latino/latina?