I have a 3.67 unweighted with 1 C+ in Chemistry Honors. All my classes were AP’s and Honors. I feel that UC’s judge applicants mainly on GPA, so I was wondering if I should apply to other private colleges that calculate your extracurricular more heavily.
I would if I were in your position. The UCs mainly focus on GPA, as you said, and test scores. It’s not impossible to get in to at least one campus with that GPA, but don’t bank on it. Still, definitely apply to any campuses you’re interested in. As the saying goes, if you don’t ask the answer is always ‘no’.
In case you didn’t know, the UCs use UC GPA rather than unweighted GPA. Knowing your UC GPA gives a much better idea of which campuses to aim for. If you don’t know your UC GPA, calculate it here: http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
In addition to any private universities you’re interested in, look into the CSUs. I would recommend applying to a few of them as safeties if nothing else.
Don’t know enough about you to give much specific guidance. UCR and UCM are certainly reachable, UCSC, with a solid test score and essays. UCSB says they weigh essay and EC heavily so, they are worth a shot.
The others less so. You can use this tool to get a feel for your admission chances by campus.
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary