<p>I posted this in the UC general forum, but I think I might be able to get better answers here...</p>
<p>I'm a sophomore of hispanic ethnicity at a CC in orange county ca. I am a political science major and I have 3.4 GPA. I signed a TAG agreement with UCSD last semester. I also recently joined my school's honors program. This will give me priority admission consideration to UCLA. Now, with the addition of the TAG requirements, and with the additional Honors courses I will need to take, my schedule in the fall could end up consisting of 22 units. So here's my dilemma...</p>
<p>While I would be extremely happy at UCSD, there's no doubt in my mind that I would much rather attend UCLA and UCB. UCB is where I REALLY want to go. The highest gpa I will probably be able to muster now is probably a 3.5 or so. My question is this: Should I forego some of the TAG requirement classes in order to ease the load of units I will have to take in the fall? If I do this, I will not have guaranteed admission to UCSD, and could conceivably not get into either of the three schools. But I would also not be taking as many courses, making it easier to put up a higher gpa.</p>
<p>So...will a 3.4-3.5 gpa + honors program member as a poly sci major get me into any of UCSD/UCB/UCLA?</p>
<p>Your thoughts/comments are appreciated..</p>
<p>p.s. I am also interested in applying to a few private schools around the country including NYU, UofChicago, Boston University and George Washington U.</p>
<p>Dont try Stanford. Its a waste of money, almost no one gets in. (Dont worry though, I understand the reference :-) In any case, I would definitely stick to the TAG classes. At least then youre guaranteed something. Your GPA is a little low for UCLA and UCB (as you know), so dont throw away your guaranteed admission at UCSD for that. I mean, definitely apply, but stick to the TAG classes. Are there any non-TAG classes that you are taking? Maybe drop those...</p>
<p>I just think it would suck to not get in anywhere and have nowhere good to go. And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. Im going to Cal next year, but I was also accepted to NYU and George Washington, so Id be happy to answer questions.</p>
<p>I had the same stats as you did, I'm also Hispanic by the way and I was admitted to Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, and some others out of staters as a poli sci major so I wouldn't worry aboit not getting in especially since you have TAG for UCSD. It's really up to you I'd say you have a 60% chance at UCLA and CAL but giving up UCSD guaranteed is not something I'd personally do. If its true that by completing the UCSD requirements you are guaranteed admission then stick to those classes. UCSD is a great school for poli sci I really considered going there myself and to CAL but decided to save money by staying in LA and because UCLA has always been at the top of my list. Iv'e heard many people on this forum as a matter of fact say that CAL is gaining ground on UCLA as the second best UC with poli sci. If CAL is where you really want to be then chance it and do those units but dont do it if you have doubts Iv'e had friends that screwed up sshots at great schools trying to do what your'e thinking of doing (taking excessive amounts of courses to finish fast and complete requirements for several schools) and it turned in their favor (now they attend CSU's both of them. I see this as a recipe for disaster but if dont want regrets and say I maybe could have been at CAL then go for it bro. Like I said thouugh you honestly should not throw away guaranteed admission to UCSD do you know how many people would literally kill for that opportunity? don't squander it. Suerte.</p>
<p>I meant to say that UCSD is gaining ground on UCLA not CAL. I know CAL is ranked higher etc. etc. just so I dont get all these CAL people mad at me.</p>
<p>I assume you are applying for the fall 2006 semester. While 22 units sounds a bit tough, I'm sure with the right amount of discipline and determination, you could manage. I myself took only 17 units this past spring, but since they were all heavily academic classes, I felt a little beat down, as I was used to only taking about 12 or 13 units per semester. I made it and kept my gpa stable.</p>
<p>The truth is, applying with a 3.4(ish) gpa could very well get you into Berkeley or UCLA, but there's also room to say that your gpa may be a little low compared to what most would advise you to have in order to stand as a competitive applicant. But it is very possible. Just take MexBruin for example - he was accepted to ucla, ucsd, and even cal with stats similar to yours. I myself got into Cal with a 3.7, but who knows if I would have been accepted with lower..the truth is, we will never know.</p>
<p>Personally, I think even if you applied blindly (i.e. without any guaranteed transfer agreement) to UCSD, you still would most likely be admitted. Your chances to UCLA and Cal seem fair, but both of those schools are hard to really pin point when it comes to who they admit and why. I understand and support the option of keeping your TAG agreement, just so you have a definite to fall back on. UCSD is a fabulous school, with a great program for you. But if Cal is where you really want to be, then I would say go for it. Apply broadly and invest your time wisely. Honors classes, a decent gpa, and great person statements will help. Perhaps try to increase your gpa a bit to up your chances; your grades for the fall of 2005 as well as the winter of 2005 (if you take it),will be taken into consideration and calculated into your gpa. Perhaps you could even push some of those 22 units into winter session to lighten the load.</p>
<p>As everybody else has said, you stats on average are a little low for UCLA and Cal. However they are by no means low enough that you should not consider those schools. I would reamin a TAG member however and really focus on that. As for taking 22 units, that is not going to be a whole lot of fun for you. I took 22 units in the Fall this year and it was pretty intense. Do you have a job as well? I was working up until the Fall semester, and in order to hold a high GPA with 22 units, I had to quit and devote all my time to school. However I did manage to come out of that semester with a 4.0. This past semester I went down to 21 units, and held a 3.6 (took a few classes I knew I'd get B's in). So while it is completely possible to get a good GPA at that high of a unit load, be warned that it takes a whole lot of work, and at times is rather overwhelming.</p>
<p>in case you weren't being sarcastic...orange county is not a town, it's a county...hence, "orange county". incidentally, there are 5 orange counties in the U.S., but the one that gets the fame of course is the one in california.</p>
<p>ptmagnolia, you seem quite bent on proving that you know your counties pretty well.... why dont you chill out and stop posting useless ramblings. As for Coast's question, i think you should definitely keep your options safe, as TAG at UCSD is an excellent "safe" option. apply to UCLA and CAL, 3.4 GPA may be a bit low for those schools, but there are a lot of other factors that go into such decisions. As for the unit load, its quite a lot, and as others have said, it can be managed, but you really need to go into the semester with a determined mindset, with so many units and excellent grades for the semester, you could push your GPA up quite a bit. btw, UCSD is an excellent school, some say quickly gaining up on UCLA, good luck.</p>
<p>i was merely correcting the previous comment, which was as much a "useless rambling" as you telling me to "chill out" (since, to you, i'm so evidently infuriated) and "quite bent on proving that i know my counties pretty well". i guess it's usefull to defend someone who states...</p>
<p>"Orange County? I did not know that was a real town at all...
I've seen the movie released 3 yrs. ago
Try Stanford too."</p>