Hi there! It’s been my lifelong dream to go to UCLA. I’m wrapping up my sophomore year and I’m realizing how soon that dream could become a reality or the lack thereof. Here are my current stats, extracurriculars, etc…
ACADEMICS:
I’ve had a 4.0 weighted GPA this year with one AP weighted class and one Advanced unweighted class. I’ve gotten As in both, the class holding me back from a 4.1 is Chemistry (ugh).
I plan on taking three weighted classes next year, resulting in a 4.5 weighted GPA.
I also plan on taking three-four weighted classes my Senior year, resulting in 4.5 or 4.6 weighted GPA.
EXTRACURRICULARS, ETC:
-President of the Glee Club at my high school
-Vice President of the Drama Club at my high school
-I’m in Theatre 4 (highest level possible/Varsity) at my high school (Including winning awards at my high school for achievement in theatre and making it to finals at competitions for performance)
-Student of the Year at my high school for the 2017/2018 year
-Link Crew member (selective leadership program)
-Camp counselor for children’s theatre every summer
-Photography business outside of school
-Feminism Club member
-Playwriting Club member
-I made a petition reaching 3,000 signatures, promoting arts in my community and attempting to prevent a change in our school district that would affect our arts programs negatively
-I plan on starting a charity fund relating to theatre this summer
OTHER:
My great-grandparents were immigrants from Russia, escaping Communism in Ukraine if that counts for anything…
I have legacy to an extent as my dad’s cousin went to UCLA (I know it may be pushing it since it’s not a super direct relation).
Do I have a good chance, or chance at all of getting in if I keep up the hard work, etc. for the next two years?
Please give any insight/advice/predictions! Thank you so much and GO BRUINS! 
Keep up the good work and you definitely have a chance (by the way Ucla is blind to legacy and race).
Legacy is not a factor in UC admissions
I hope you live in California as it is very expensive for OOS.
I’m not usually one to sugarcoat my opinion. UCLA is a tough school to get into with an average 17% admissions rate. Even if you score near perfect in your SAT/ACT, your chances would be 25% at best. No school is worth putting your hopes and dreams in. Real dreams convert to fruitful accomplishments later in life. College is only a brand name tool used to get there. It’s no more a dream than owning a Chevy. Get the best grades you can and apply to a wide variety of schools. Dreams should always transcend any school you go to.
I agree that you should not focus too much on any one school when it’s a school as selective as this. UCLA is one of, if not the most popular (in terms of number of applications) universities in the world. Start now learning about other similar schools that may also be a great fit for you and try to keep an open mind. I’ve seen other kids with this same UCLA dream and it’s a tough nut to crack.
The UCs have a very specific way of calculating your GPA based only on sophomore and junior year grades, and capping the number of weighted grades. Google “UC weighted and capped GPA” to figure out how to calculate yours.
You have good credentials, for sure. There is no legacy benefit even for the child of a graduate, so stop thinking about that aspect now.
Since you’re just finishing up sophomore year, use the time you have to continue to focus on sustained involvement in your ECs, and study for the SAT/ACT. Studying can make a real difference, and scores are definitely a big piece of the admissions puzzle at the UCs. If you come from a well-regarded school district, the expectations for your scores will be even higher. I’ve been advised that scores from the best districts need to be in the low 1500s for Berkeley and UCLA. Could be a bit lower for lower-performing districts. That’s not to say that there won’t be kids from good districts with lower scores admitted, but that should be your goal if you’re serious about UCLA.
Also, take a look at the several short-answer questions on the application, and start thinking about how you would answer them, and also how you can tailor your next year to give yourself the experiences and insights to produce a genuinely better answer.
Are you in-state? If not, prepare to pay about 60k to any UC. What’s your PSAT score? Major?
Good to know! Thank you so much.
You have a decent chance, though not a statistically likely one. Let me start by saying that UCLA doesn’t use senior year GPA in its calculations, so your GPA will be entirely dependent on how well you do next year. With a 4.5 next year, your UC GPA will be a 4.25, which will put you just below the 25th percentile for admits according to 2017 admit statistics. This is assuming that you will get a 4.5 next year, which isn’t that easy to do anyway. Many people I went to high school with made the mistake of assuming that they would be able to get GPAs in the range you are talking about after taking one AP class. However, if you are more driven than they are, which it sounds like from your extra-curriculars, then it is certainly possible to get a 4.5. Speaking of extra-curriculars, yours are very good. I would keep up the good work in that area and just be sure to put in a good number of hours into the activities. Your status of in-state or out-of-state might also make a difference, since OOS stuents are admitted at a higher rate, but with more impressive stats than in-state students.
Hi! It is still early and chancing doesn’t really work for a school like UCLA. I will say that you should use the Roger Hub UC gpa calculator to recalculate your GPA. If you are in state you can count non ap honors classes for the weighted otherwise its just AP if you are oos. @Gumbymom is the expert on the UC admission reqs and stats so if you are confused I would ask her. OOS past 60k with no financial aid so be prepared to pay that over 4 years. It is nearly impossible to become a resident if you enter as a non resident. UC’s are race blind and having great grandparents as immigrants has no effect. Legacy is also ignored. For private schools only parental legacy is usually considered. Best of luck!