Hello all,
I did very poorly freshman year and I got a 2.43 and 2.14 GPA for my semesters. I got my act together, however, and slowly started improving. Sophomore year I took two AP’s (Physics B and World History) and got a 2.43 and a 3.28 GPA. I scored a 4 and a 3 on the AP tests. Slight improvement there but I wanted more. Junior year I took 3 AP’s (Chemistry, Calculus, and U.S. History) and got a 3.43 and a 3.82 GPA. I currently await my AP scores and hope I did well so I can get grade bumps. I also plan to take summer school to fix my second semester grades for freshmen year and hope to bump that GPA to 2.57. Next year I plan to take 4 AP’s (Stats, Bio, Calc BC, and Computer science) and get at least a 4.0. Right now my UC GPA is a 3.2 weighted and I scored a 1750 on my SAT ( 680 Math, 540 Critical Reading). I will also have done 4 years of band and 1 year of jazz band by the end of next year. Is there any hope for me at a UC or at least San Luis Obispo?
Freshman year is not considered by the UC’s in your GPA calculation, however, SLO will use your 9th grades in their calculation. Here is the UC GPA calculator: http://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
For SLO, use the same calculator but plug in your 9th grades. What is your intended major? Your major will make a difference especially at SLO.
Senior grades are not considered in admission decisions for SLO or UC, so your GPA will be set after your summer classes.
Based on your posted Stats: UCM/UCR and possibly UCSC would be your target UC’s. SLO is hard to gauge since you have not posted an intended major. Since your SLO GPA will include Freshman grades, SLO will probably be a Reach.
An upward trend will definitely help so keep up the good work this summer and try to bump up your SAT and GPA to be a more competitive applicant.
@Gumbymom My intended major is Biochemistry
For SLO, biochem would be in the College of Math and Science.
Average GPA: 4.06 SAT (Math + CR): 1340
http://admissions.calpoly.edu/prospective/profile.html
You can see how competitive SLO has become. It is comparable to many of the UC’s.
Since you seem to be a California resident, consider SDSU/CSULB/CSUF and SJSU as possible target schools.
SDSU would be the most competitive of these schools and if your EI (eligibility index) is 4100+ you have a good chance at an acceptance at all these Cal States. EI= (CSU/UC GPA x800) + (SAT Math + CR)
AP scores will not give you any grade bumps unless your school will bump up your course grade based on your AP scores. AP scores are not used for admission purposes but for college credit.
are you a rising senior? if yes, me too! my uc gpa is right around yours, and i’m applying to all the uc’s, as well as slo, too. however, i’ve heard of cases where top-tier uc’s are a bit more loose on the academics, if you provide an explanation on why your grades were so low when it was. (family death, circumstances, etc) as long as you have a good personal statement, i think you have a chance at some of the uc’s! our hopes shouldn’t be shut down so fast by anyone. try your best, so at least there’ll be no regrets. good luck! 
Your GPA and SAT will likely to keep you out of all the UCs and Cal Poly SLO. I hate to say it but, perhaps with an easier curriculum you would have performed better and been a competitive candidate. That doesn;'t mean you shouldn’t apply - just understand, admission is very unlikely. If you want to attend a UC, start looking into which of your local CCs are best suited for what you want to do.
CSUs like CP Pomona, Chico and Sonoma are probably within reach based on your CSU/UC GPA, of 3.2 and '1220 SAt. SDSU is also unlikely.
It is important to focus on the doors open to you at this stage.
Please withdraw from some of your AP courses next year. Pick 2 if you feel the need. Seriously, this isn’t a critique of your intelligence, work ethic or aptitude. Sr year presents motivational challenged for ALL kids, you;ll have distractions you don’t see coming and will probably have a tough time managing this course load. Having these courses in progress on your application won’t help at all. And poor performance in just one could cause your admission someplace like CP Pomona to be rescinded. PLEASE DROP A COUPLE OF THE CLASSES. If you don’t believe me, talk to a UC admissions advisor…