<p>[A</a> Student Site for ACT Test Takers | ACT Student](<a href=“The ACT Test for Students | ACT”>http://www.actstudent.org/)</p>
<p>It’s another standardized test that colleges accept. I don’t know if it is offered where you are.</p>
<p>Do you think it’s harder than the SAT?</p>
<p>It’s a different test. Some students do better on it than the SAT, some do better on the SAT. Students can take both and see which one they do better on. </p>
<p>Look online at some of the sample questions. [Test</a> Prep | ACT Student](<a href=“ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources | ACT”>ACT Test Preparation | Test Prep Resources | ACT)</p>
<p>Hi guys, </p>
<p>It’s me again 
</p>
<p>Is anyone willing to read over my Personal Quality essay? </p>
<p>Thank youu</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>I’d be happy to read it! :)</p>
<p>Even with your mitigating circumstances I think you will have a huge problem getting into any Top rank Uni with that GPA. If you want to apply as a freshman I’d personally rec you look into lower tier schools such as Ohio State. </p>
<p>The best option (especially because you had take half your education in Chinese) would be to attend a California Community College. Given how high your SAT scores are I’m sure you’d nail a 4.0 and get into UCLA or UCB.</p>
<p>I would recommend that you might do some greater research about types of colleges you want to attend. Your GPA and your SAT scores are good for one tier of highly selective colleges, but not necessarily Stanford and Princeton, even taking into consideration the language barrier.</p>
<p>However, you said you were interested in California - and there are a lot of colleges in California that are phenomenal. You have mid-size like private University of San Diego or Loyola Marymount, smaller ones like Occidental or Pepperdine – your SATs are in range for these schools, I believe, and your story re your grades should help. CC has search engines. Naviance (I am not sure if you can use this software if your school isn’t using it) is a great search and management software.</p>
<p>Hey lina1469! If you feel like you can perform WELL on two or three SAT Subject Tests, then you should go with those for the Dec. testing date (though, you’d have to pay a late fee now). SAT Subject Tests showcase your talent/ability in other subject areas besides those tested on the SAT Reasoning. If, however, you feel like you will not do well on the SAT Subject Tests, then there is no point in taking them. Either take the SAT Reasoning again or spend the time working on your college apps. I would suggest NOT taking the ACT now. It’s late in the game already; applications for some schools are due soon, and adapting to a new test will throw you off. If you still need people to read your Personal Qualities essay, I’d be glad to help! I was an undergrad in a UC school, so I’ve been through the grueling process myself.</p>
<p>Okay, so I talked to my school, and they said my GPA is ACTUALLY around 3.2, would that make a big difference?</p>
<p>I still have no idea what a GPA actually is to be honest…</p>
<p>GPA is just the average of all your grades. It comes in two flavors. Weighted and non-Weighted. Your GPA is most likely non-Weighted. </p>
<p>You can take a look at the UCLA acceptance results here.
[Profile</a> of Admitted Freshmen, Fall 2012 - UCLA Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof12.htm]Profile”>http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/Frosh_Prof12.htm)</p>
<p><a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+4[/url]”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+4</a></p>
<p>As you can see a 3.2 is very low with about a 1.64% of getting admit. So unless you want to mass spam universities you are out of the running for the Top 25. 25-50 is a reach, only if you luck out with an admissions officer who cuts you slack for being in local schools. Realistically you’d need to shoot for a 50+ uni.</p>
<p>Personally I would advise you to goto a California Community College and then apply as a transfer student.</p>
<p>People here will tell you to go to community college at anything below a 3.9; it’s ridiculous. 3.2 is better than average and will get you into plenty of schools, even without your compelling backstory.</p>
<p>And why would a New Zealander in Taiwan go to community college in California? Do you people even think?</p>
<p>Because UCs (including UCLA) give priority to CCC transfers and it’s a LOT easier to transfer into UCLA than get accepted as a Freshman. Also as it’s setup, CCC are looking for international students. </p>
<p>You have to be delusional if you think a 3.2 is better than average.
[Freshman</a> admission profile | UC Admissions](<a href=“http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/santa-barbara/freshman-profile/index.html]Freshman”>http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/campuses/santa-barbara/freshman-profile/index.html)</p>
<p>Avg gpa of UCSB (a mid-tier school) freshman was a 4.01, on the other hand transfer applications have a 50% acceptance rate w/ 95% being admitted from CCC. </p>
<p>This mitigating circumstances help but they are just that; mitigating. It doesn’t change the fact that other students still got better marks.</p>
<p>I didn’t say better than average at UC, I said better than average. Which it is. </p>
<p>3.2 is a competitive GPA at a lot of decent colleges. I agree that UCLA isn’t a good bet though.</p>
<p>On the whole, OP is going to have more luck at private institutions. Publics tend to evaluate stats more rigidly.</p>
<p>Still don’t see why CCC would be an attractive option for an international who can get into other 4 year schools, but thanks for explaining your reasoning in further depth.</p>
<p>Because from a CCC he could actually get into UCLA or UCB. His SAT scores prove he is smart enough to archive a good GPA. He just needs a curriculum in his native language. On the other hand, with that 3.2 he won’t be competitive at any Top 50 Uni. Even your top flagship state college, Arizona State, Michigan State, etc. have an avg HS gpa in the ~3.4 range. So he’ll have a shot at those schools. That’s a far cry from schools like UCLA tho.</p>
<p>Not that far a cry, really. UCLA is a pretty good school but nothing to hyperventilate over.</p>
<p>
Seriously?</p>
<p>I’ve looked through your posts and you seem to be nothing more than a ■■■■■ giving out bad advice.</p>
<p>Maybe, but you seem to have limited familiarity with admissions outside the California public system. </p>
<p>At private institutions that use a more holistic admissions process, having learned Mandarin by immersion by being thrown into a Taiwanese high school - and still maintaining a B average - could be a potential advantage. With the right essay, LoRs, etc.</p>
<p>If not, community college admissions are rolling anyway.</p>
<p>SAT 2040 may be too good for community college. However, there is nothing wrong going to CC and seek transfer to a 4yr university later. Many students (particularly international students) are going through this path. It can save big money. As for OP, he is likely to do very well in CC and should have no problem to transfer into a good university. Admission of student with special situation is hard to predict, but it should not hold you back from applying directly to 4yr colleges. Nevertheless, your chance at ivy caliber schools is not high if based solely on the stat.</p>
<p>I’m a she by the way.</p>
<p>And why are there people fighting on my page?</p>
<p>And just to clarify, I only aimed for the higher colleges because I was a pretty good student when I was back in New Zealand. I rarely got anything under excellence (our results are split into excellence, merit, achieved and not achieved), I took my IGCSE’s early, (I did math and science when I was 13 and got A on both, and english the year after and got an A also).</p>
<p>BUT now I know that colleges don’t really care what anyone does before high school I’m going to apply to lower universities.</p>
<p>But I don’t think I’ll be going to a CCC, my parents won’t allow it.</p>