I’m currently a Junior and deciding possible, realistic choices for colleges is confusing. Here are some of my classes/overall GPA for all of my freshman and sophomore year grades. (I’m a middle class first gen. college attendee and l am Asian)
10-12 GPA is currently 4.0 unweighted, Total GPA is 3.82 (not sure about weighted grades
I have taken a total of 7 AP classes and 1 IB class = (AP Human Geo (4), AP World History (5) AP Calculus AB (5), 4 AP’s now in junior year [AP Calc BC, AP Chem, APUSH, AP Comp. Sci A] + 1 IB class [IB English])
EC’s
- Started my own club that supports and teaches girls about STEM/coding (President and founder)
- Competed in Science Olympiad for 2 years (Soph-Junior)
- Science Club for 3 years (Fresh-Junior)
- Mock trial for 2 years (Soph-Junior)
- NHS (Junior)
- CSF (Fresh - Junior)
- Key Club with a total of around 15 volunteer hrs (Soph-Junior)
- Attended a coding camp and participated in many hackathons (Kode With Klossy)
Looking at my stats I really have nothing special about my application, so I’m open to learning more about what I can do in order to submit a stronger college application.
I have yet to take the SAT and currently do not plan on taking any SAT subject tests due to financial issues.
Interested major/career field would be Biotechnology or CS
Home state?
College budget?
Geographic location?
School size?
Home state is California
Prefer a large-medium sized college
Looking to stay near the West Coast. Besides that, I’m open to colleges in the U.S located in larger cities.
Unsure of college budget right now, but I plan to register to FAFSA
Pinning down how much your parents can contribute to your college education is the first priority. You need to find out if you need to be looking for merit aid along side need-based aid which can alter which colleges you should be targeting.
As a California resident, your in-state Cal States and UC’s are a good options for CS/Biotech and can be affordable.
Schools like Cal Poly SLO, San Jose State, San Diego State and the UC’s will make you an attractive CS graduate for employers.
I would also look at the University of Washington, Santa Clara University, Stanford, USC to name few private schools.
FASFA only determines eligibility for Federal aid so you would need to be low income to receive a Pell grant. FASFA also makes you eligible for $27K/ 4 years of student loans: $5500 Freshman year, $6500 Sophomore year and $7500 Junior/Senior year so any costs beyond this will up to your parents from their savings, current income etc…
Thank you, this was very helpful to know! Would there be anything I could do to make myself a stronger candidate?
Be aware that CS is often a major that is more popular than a college’s CS department has capacity for, so it may be more selective for admission than the college overall, or may require a secondary admission after enrolling and taking the first few CS (and perhaps other) courses.
You are on the right track so continue doing what you have been doing so far. Maintain your competitive GPA with increased rigor, and continue with your EC’s to show consistency and leadership.
The UC’s will probably remain test blind for the next admissions cycle, however, the Cal States and private universities may not so definitely consider the SAT or ACT testing along with the SAT subject tests (Math 2 and a Science) if financially feasible.
The UC’s and the CSU’s (except Cal Poly SLO) use only 10-11th grades for their GPA calculation. SLO uses 9th-11th grades for their GPA calculation.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
The UC’s consider 3 GPA’s: Unweighted, Capped Weighted (maximum of 8 semesters of honors points for UC approved Honors/AP/IB or DE courses take 10-11th) and Fully Weighted (unlimited Honors points).
The Cal States cap their Honors points for the GPA calculation at 8 semesters which equals the Capped weighted UC GPA. SLO will also use the same cap but includes 9th grades
Private schools will consider 9th-12th first semester grades for their GPA and admissions review.
Make sure you do some research on any schools you are considering and if they offer electives in your area of interest.
Like I stated above, pin down a budget so you know what schools to consider, come back at the end of Junior year and posters can help with your college list.
Best of luck and keep up the good work.