please help me... im ina pickle >.>

<p>so, this is me: i live in LA and am currently a junior. i hope to make it into one of those "big" schools such as the UCs (berkeley, LA, sd, etc....) However, my grades and SAT score are suffering.
i have about an average of a 3.7 gpa unweighted (im happy with this i guess ::rollseyes:: )
BUT, what im very concerned about is my sat scores. I took it once in December and scored an okay 1920. i was somewhat unhappy as my goal was 2000+. Somewhat satisfied with my 1920 and knowingly most students do better the second time around, i took the SATs once again in April. The very first time i took the test i was very afraid, as if it was the end of my life. i was very uncomfortable and nervous. However the second time i took it, i was cocky, confident and took the test nonchalantly since i was banking on the myth that i would do better. BIG MISTAKE. i ended up scoring a 1760 which is hurting me real bad. Not only is this a HORRIBLE score but it should that i haven't improved since december but got worse.
This is my dilemna. Should i take the SATs again? making it a whopping total of 3 times or should i leave it be? i hear from many people that taking it 3 times shows that you are desperately trying to get a better score adn it doesnt look too good but the drastic depreciation of my score is just as bad. can someone please give me some advice</p>

<p>thanks,
me =)</p>

<p>btw i know that these schools are a LONGSHOT but its well worth the try.
and goodluck to all those taking APs next week. i know i need the luck becuase i have 2 aps (calc and apush) with and added bonus of math 2c next saturday.</p>

<p>im sorry admins. i know this should have been in the SAT/ACT sections but i didnt see this at first. i was in a hurry to ask as many people as i could for advice and neglected to look around this whole site. forgive my ignorance.</p>

<p>considering that the UCs only take your highest scores, itd be in your best interest to take it again.....id advise against doing it more than three times though....</p>

<p>your 3.7 gpa isn't going to hurt you as much as you think. that's actually the AVERAGE UW gpa for UCLA this year, and im presuming that your weighted gpa is a great deal higher. don't count yourself out of the running just yet...you're still a contender.</p>

<p>you could try the ACT, its different and easier for some people.</p>

<p>u definitely have a good shot, assuming your 3.7 uw= 4.00+ UC GPA. just raise your sat up and you'll have a great shot at the top UCs.</p>

<p>im not trying to bum anyone out but heres how it is:
my best friend (known him since i was 3) is a pretty decent/smart student. he had an 3.8 average unweighted gpa. his SAT scores were 700cr, 700wr,700 math. (very good id say since its very well rounded for a student) SATII scores were 760 for math2c and 740 for US history. He also has one of the best personal statements (essays you write for UCs) ive read, since i was helping friends correct adn providing advice for theirs. It was very consice yet powerful. Id say this is a pretty impressive application already and i didnt didnt even mention his Extra cirriculars yet. he has been in CSF for 2 or 3 years. KeyClub for 1. WaterPolo for 2. Cross country for 1. and has 100+ hours volunteering at the hostpital. all his aps (euro, apush, etc.... i forget) are either 4 or 5.
oh and i forgot to mention that he goes to a schol to which its students arent allowed to take regular classes. all his calsses are either honors or ap.</p>

<p>his results. UCsd, UCi, UCLA all accepted. BUT which struck me was that he didnt get accepted to berekely!</p>

<p>my other friend has terrible gpa maybe 3.2 until the end of his sophomore year maybe a few Cs too! junior year 2250 sat. 800 on both SATIIs and 4.0 gpa. pretty good essay. similar extracirrcular (since we're all friends and they both go to the same schools, i dont)
this guy got accepted to spring semester of berkeley yet rejected form UCLA</p>

<p>after i heard of these results i was completely dumbfounded and began to doubt the system. i was terrified to learn of this and even began to doubt my own abilities to be accepted into one of these so called prestigious schools</p>

<p>I'd say just try your best...university decisions are very random nowadays...about your SAT, I'd say take it one more time...it won't hurt and just try to raise your GPA (if that's possible right now)...you seem competitive enough to enter the UC's...but then again, it's very random so try to apply to some safeties...I have a 4.0 UW GPA and 1900 SAT and I was rejected by Berkeley...but that was very expected since I'm an international student...you'd probably have a bigger chance of getting in...good luck!</p>

<p>they arent random.. it hink they see whether they want you. If u are underqualified Vs another person but they feel YOU will fit in the college better, then its you not the 'better qualified' person.. </p>

<p>Better qualified is a term used only for statistics such as GPA/SAT... the guy with less may be better qualified to atten d college mentally and that shows in his essay...</p>

<p>I dont think admissions are random.... just my two cents</p>

<p>I don't think it matters how many times you took the sats. My friend took it 6 times and in the end broke 2300. He got into all the UCs without a problem. I took it 4 times and only got mid 2000's but still got into all the UCs and I am currently trying to decide between UCLA and UC Berkeley.</p>

<p>true.. altho I think 6 times should be capped..</p>

<p>I think a max of 2 times should be allowed or maybe 3...</p>

<p>I think you have a good chance to get into either Cal or La. My overall stats are lower than yours and I got into Cal, but rejected by La. Just for curiousity, I took the SAT 4 times, my best was 1810 worst was 1670. and my weighed uc gpa is 3.9, so don't give up hope. good luck</p>

<p>I get so tired of all these "admissions are so random" posts. Admissions aren't random. Why are there admissions committees, deans of admissions, etc.? The thing is that college have different defintions of what the "most qualified" applicant is. And there are often times not even enough slots for the number of qualified applicants. It's definetly not all a numbers game. </p>

<p>Having high numbers is helpful, but if they get to your application and its identical to someone elses except that they have competed at the international level in a sport, you get the boot......</p>

<p>i concur with banana</p>