<p>I am a HS junior. Here a list of the colleges I plan to apply. I am not sure if this is a balanced list. I plan to apply to California colleges only. I am in state. I think some of the lower level UCs might be considered a safety, but not sure. My stats: SAT 2300, UW GPA 3.95, UC GPA 4.78 uncapped. I might make it to NMSF.
CSEE major.</p>
<p>UCLA
UCB
UCSD
UCSB
UCI
USC
Caltech
Stanford
Harvey Mudd
cal poly san luis obispo</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with your list. You will get in some of them, good luck </p>
<p>Thank you @artloversplus I just cannot categorize them as what is my match, reach and safety. I know that Stanford and Caltech are reaches. Are UCLA , UCB, USC and Harvey Mudd matches or reaches for me since I will apply to a highly competitive major?</p>
<p>For you, I would categorize them as follows: </p>
<p>Reaches:
Stanford
Caltech
Harvey Mudd
UCB
UCLA (Low reach/high match)</p>
<p>Matches:
USC
UCSD</p>
<p>Safeties:
Cal Poly SLO
UCI
UCSB</p>
<p>To me, it looks like a pretty good list. More experienced members may have more feedback for you. </p>
Does your high school utilize Naviance?
It might give you a good indication of your chances.
^^, except Cal Poly SLO is more of a low match because it’s impacted. UCI and UCSB probably are too. I remember reading a thread a while back about a poster with a 3.7UW gpa and a 2300 that got rejected from SLO and waitlisted at UCI.
My school utilizes Naviance, but it is a limited version. It does not have any analytical information. Thank you everyone. Now I am really scared. I was hoping I have more matches with my UC GPA and SAT.
You haven’t mentioned your class rank. Is it safe to assume that you’re in the top 9%? If sou’ll get into some UC.
It’s a very balanced list.
You’ve got great grades & scores. Regarding your ECs posted on your other threads, you might consider trying to take things up a notch in order to maximize your chances at Stanford and your other reaches. The Pat. Pending could be a great hook, depending what it is. Perhaps you should try to develop a leadership position outside of your school activities. You’ve got time. Don’t sweat it, but keep at it.
Top 5%. What confuses me now is that I think I have high GPA and high SAT. Also good EC. I understand that Stanford and Caltech are reaches for everyone. But my test scores and GPA are higher then top 25% for UCLA and UCB and they still are reaches?
Is there a reason you don’t want to leave California? Just throwing it out there that if cost is a consideration for you, you may find that out of state private institutions are way more likely to offer you a full ride than any California school. And cost of living in places that are not California is generally lower (unless you go to New York). The UCs can cost upwards of 35K a year… for an in-state student! That is insane. I mentor teen girls in college applications in here CA and always advise they apply to at least one or two private schools out of state so come decision time, they have additional options–sometimes full rides–to consider. (also b/c the UCs are so hard to get into and not a guarantee even for the most gifted CA student) You’d be a really strong match for a LOT of private schools elsewhere whereas in CA you’re a reach, simply because the schools in CA are so competitive.
It was a 3.66 unweighted GPA, which is below average for those schools. OP’s GPA is high, so she should be fine for most schools on her list.
@Girlsworld
Your GPA and test scores are indeed higher than most students. However, top universities also look at extracurricular activities and essays. Caltech is very difficult to get in without prestigious awards (Olympiad camps, ISEF, Siemens, etc.). Stanford is very difficult to get in even with said awards. Assuming your extracurriculars are decent, here are my predictions.
Stanford - reach
Caltech - reach
Harvey Mudd - low reach? (I do not know much about this school’s admissions)
USC - low match? (I do not know much about this school’s admissions)
CPSLO - safety
UCB - match
UCLA - match
UCSD - low match
UCI - safety
UCSB - safety