<p>Dear abcz,
The U.S. system of college admissions is very different from Canada’s. This is true for public U.S. colleges (UC’s and others) and privates. The U.C.'s have some of the most complex requirements and application reviews around: many aspects to evaluate, many tiers of evaluation. Add to that the in-state vs. out-of-state/international aspect. Not saying it’s impossible to get into UC from Canada (non-residents are being offered more spots now, due to higher fees being needed), but the non-resident still has to have an impressive application on many levels:</p>
<p>[University</a> of California - Admissions - The University of California offers one of the broadest ranges of study of any institution of higher learning in the world, all at an affordable price.](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/]University”>Admissions | University of California)</p>
<p>Admissions is very competitive, especially for the reach schools such as UCB and UCLA. Scores (with grades) put the applicant within an “eligibility” for consideration, but beyond that the application field is quite crowded (large state population), so being outstanding in some or several areas will improve one’s chances.</p>
<p>To be honest, a lot of U.S. students consider Canadian Universities to be much more straightforward and predictable in admissions, and a lot of them have been going north, especially in the last 10 years. Things like extracurricular activities, experience in leadership, application essays, economic status, and more, are important for U.C.</p>
<p>And if you want more specific help with more facets of what you offer, you might want to go to the University of California - General forum or the UCLA forum on College Confidential. (Other students post and respond to “chances” requests there.) :)</p>