Low GPA but decent test scores? Chance for prestigious schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>GPA: 3.63 (UW) 3.89 (W)
SAT: 2100 (600 CR, 770 M, 730 W) took SATs again this month, expecting 2200 superscore due to easy CR but hard math/writing
ACT: 33 (33 E, 33 S, 32 M, 32 R) 30 on Writing</p>

<p>I believe I have a low GPA because in middle school, I was a really bad student. I was in the stupid classes freshman year but I worked my butt off to get into all the honor and AP classes I could possible get into, which is limited because in my competitive school, the prerequirements are tough.</p>

<p>Took AP Chem (4), taking AP Psych, Calc AB, and Bio.
SAT Chem: 710</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian (reason why my high school is tough, full of first generation immigrants)</p>

<p>Service Work: Inlcudes EMT work, hospital work, catholic church work. There's more but not as significant.
Awards: National Honors Society, Tri-M (music) Honors Society
EC: Marching band (over here its varsity and competitive, we win state championships every year, get the chance to go perform at Disney every few years, and performed to the XLVIII Superbowl. This takes up most of my time and leaves me with only 2-4 hours of sleep a night during the fall season, which is a factor to my low grades), Bio-Med club, String quartets (more but insignificant)
Major: Biology (pre-med)</p>

<p>I think its significant that I participate in many music groups, playing 4/5 different instruments for school and have medical experience already. I wrote my common app/UC essay/supplements based on these. </p>

<p>Beginning of senior year, I have 2 C+. I'm expecting those grades to go up with more tests and my A grades to go lower. I have all honors and AP classes with the exception of gym. (and including honors orchestra)</p>

<p>Colleges in mind: UCLA, UCB, UCSD, Rutgers, Drexel, Boston University, NYU, Cornell, UPenn, U of Notre Dame, TCNJ
This list consists of what I think to be low/high/mid reaches. But my main goal right now are the UC schools. </p>

<p>I am OOS from NJ</p>

2

<p>My stats:
3.66 unweighted
4.29 fully weighted
4.00 capped UC (<a href=“GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub”>http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/&lt;/a&gt;)
2300 SAT score</p>

<p>My results:
Rejected by UCB, UCLA, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO
Waitlisted by UCD, UCI</p>

<p>Your chances for the UCs:
UCB - high reach
UCLA - high reach
UCSD - reach
UCD - low reach
UCI - low reach
UCSB - low reach
UCSC - high match
UCR - match
UCM - match</p>

3

<p>Colleges in mind: UCLA, UCB, UCSD, Rutgers, Drexel, Boston University, NYU, Cornell, UPenn, U of Notre Dame, TCNJ</p>

<p>Look up the 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores for each school. Some of those schools are safeties and some are really really far reaches. The SAT range for entering students will clue you in.</p>

4

<p>@Mangiafuoco how did you get denied from UCB and UCLA with that SAT score? How were your EC and essays? Where did you get in? </p>

5

<p>@TheMaskedPanda‌
Scatterplots show that the UCs care a lot more about GPA than about test scores. My GPA was poor, so I was rejected/waitlisted by most of the UCs. I do not understand why this would be surprising to so many people here on College Confidential. I am currently attending UCSB.</p>

<p>At my high school, almost all the students who were accepted by UCB and UCLA have a 4.5+ fully weighted GPA. However, not all students with a 4.5+ weighted GPA were accepted by UCB and UCLA. I only know the SAT/ACT scores of two of those 4.5+ weighted GPA students who were not accepted, and both had better test scores than mine. My 2300 SAT score is actually not very impressive.</p>

6

<p>I agree with @Mangiafuoco, that UC’s focus on GPA. My son’s both applied to UC’s, 1 in 2013 and 1 in 2014. Older son had 4.22 GPA with ACT of 25 and younger son had 3.73 GPA and 31 ACT. Older son accepted to 5 UC’s and attends UCD, younger son accepted to 1 UC and attends SDSU.
Note: Yonger son had a more competitive major (CS) vs Environmental Science for older son.</p>