I’ve applied for admission to UCLA for Fall 2016 and I’m kinda worried even though I came into this expecting I am going to get rejected. My GPA is just not what UCLA typically admits, but people on this forum encouraged me to give it a shot because selection in UCLA is kinda a dice roll many a times. And so with a cumulative GPA of 3.15 by Fall 2015, I applied for UCLA. I currently go to UC Davis and have never been to a CC. I know that makes it harder to get a high GPA but nevertheless there are people who do get them high GPAs. I am a Math major at UC Davis but I always wanted to do Economics alongside it, so I applied to the Math/Econ major, which is not offered in UC Davis. I understand fully that UC Davis is already a good school, but having family in UCLA, it’s always nice to save some money by living at home rather than forking out a thousand dollars every month on rent. I am without any extraneous circumstances for my sub par GPA, but I am running a multi-million dollar business with my father. I do still have sufficient time to study but not enough to be getting straight As. I’ve never gotten a C though. Just As and Bs. I will have completed all my pre-requisites and UC Reciprocity prior to Summer 2016. Can anyone tell me if I honestly stood any chance? Because if I were the admissions officer, I certainly wouldn’t take me over someone else with a 3.8 UC GPA. Also, what is the lowest GPA you’ve seen that completed a transfer to UCLA?
Talk about your time commitments and how they impact your GPA.
Math/econ isn’t that competitive a major, so while your GPA seems to be below the average for that major, you shouldn’t be discouraged from applying. UCLA evaluates applicants holistically.
And by the way, people with 3.0s and 3.1s get in to UCLA if they have good reason to have lower GPAs. You should still apply. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot.
“Math/econ isn’t that competitive a major”
Actually, you are mistaken. Math/Econ at UCLA is now, according to UCLA, an impacted major.
There is a video on YouTube, where the girl talks about getting into UCLA from a CC with a 3.0 GPA and she believed it was her personal statement that allowed the admissions office to look at other aspects of achievement (other than GPA) in her application. She also did not have any particular circumstances that would put her off from a high GPA; she was just busy with work and other extra curricular activities.
A good friend of mine got into UCLA with a 2.8 GPA, and got in for business economics. She was ashamed of her GPA but realized she was doing the best she could with the circumstances she had been given. And that’s what I want to point out to you; you’re at a very challenging institution. If you are doing your best, then do not beat yourself up for it.
2.8 into business econ? …I don’t know…
@RAHforHEE
Can you provide a source? Because honestly, I don’t believe you.
http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/Tr_Prof14_mjr.htm
Last year, according to this, almost half of all applicants for math/econ got in. If it wasn’t competitive last year, I doubt that it suddenly became super competitive this year.
^Assist.org will tell you if a given major is impacted in a given year; it stays up to date. According to this, math/econ isn’t impacted. It makes sense since math-heavy majors are usually not that popular. There’s more math studied in that major than econ.
Oh, and there’s no way at all that anyone can get into UCLA business econ, arguably the most impacted major at UCLA(Where applicants with 3.8s and 3.9 GPAs routinely get denied), with just a 2.8. In fact, UCLA won’t generally accept applicants in even the least competitive majors if they have below a 3.0.
Your friend is either lying about their GPA, lying about getting in(I know a couple of people who actually lied about getting in), or you’re making stuff up.
Straight from UCLA’s transfer admission guidelines for minimum GPA:
"Academic Criteria:
GPA of 3.2 or higher earned in transferable courses."
Source: http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_tr/tradms.htm
Someone with a 2.8 getting in totally makes sense …