I have a 4.0 UC GPA, which is lower than the 4.09 average listed for engineering. However, my 32 ACT (which converts to a 2160 according to http://convertyourscore.org/) is above the 1977 average listed for engineering.
I have heard that UCSB is very lenient (in comparison to the other UCs) with people who score a 2200+/33+. How will my chances be if I bring my ACT score to a 33 Composite and a 34 E/W (equivalent to a 2230 according to http://convertyourscore.org/)? I am also working towards a 750+ on my Math 2 and Chemistry tests.
All in all, is it worth applying to engineering, or should I consider something else as my major when applying to UCSB?
UCSB, for some reason, was quite harder to get in this year than in years past. I believe the average GPA and SAT were 4.2 and 1980. Even then, you still look like a fairly qualified applicant. Improving your SAT Subject Test will obviously only help your application, so thats good…
One side note: You can apply for CE and then choose an alternate major in the College of Letters and Sciences. That way if you don’t get into the engineering department, you can still get into the school.
I was an applicant this past year, and all the UC decisions went all wacky. I think you’re in for UCSB with your current stats. I got into UCSB with 4.0 ish UC GPA (forgot my actual UC GPA, but it was close to 4.0), and a 2130 sat score. For my sat 2’s, I got a 780 on my math 2 score and a 760 for chem. I was also a dual enrollment student and did quite well in my CC classes, so that might have helped show them that I was ready for college. My EC’s werent that great; I did the usual 150 hours of volunteer service, treasurer of one club (which only had one meeting), and had one or two internships.
I think you and me have similar stats… maybe work on the sat 2’s?
Depending on your class rank, I think you may have shots at schools like UCSD and UC Davis. I went to a competitive and my 3.75 UW GPA put me at the 75th percentile. If you are close to the top of the rankings at your school, I think you have a good shot at UCD and MAYBE UCSD.
@QuiteAverage90 UC GPA I think. I agree with the above poster. Apply to UCI/UCSB/UCD/SLO and just see which way the chips land. They’re roughly the same in terms of selectivity/prestige.
@mototriu I thought the averages listed in that document referred to the UC GPA. This is because I took the overall average, and it came out to be a 4.03. This was the 2014 average for UCSB. Did you find any similar documents that showed that the average UC GPA for engineering was a 4.2?
@iamjack What major did you apply for? Also, if you don’t mind telling me, which UCs did you get into with your stats? This is just so I can have a more realistic idea of where I stand.
There is a third College at UCSB besides Engineering and LAS, and they have a (non-ABET accredited) Computing major. It is well worth investigating, as well.
Apply for the major that you love and want to do!!
I think @ItsJustSchool is talking about the College of Creative Studies (CCS), which has degrees in art, biology, chemistry/biochemistry, computer science, math, music composition, and physics. (But not engineering.) However, this is kind of like an honors program and admission is competitive. You have to apply separately and be admitted to UCSB and then apply to a major within CCS. In fact, you can apply to CCS after you are already attending UCSB.
@Ynotgo is correct. With your experience in studying and practicing computer programming, and your great academics, you would have a great chance at acceptance. Admission is competitive, but is based on degree of initiative and independence and likelihood to succeed in a research setting- kind of a “research-competitive” rather than a “past academic merits” competitive. Two minor points: You can actually apply concurrent with your UCSB application, so that you will know whether or not you have been accepted in time to choose another school in the spring; and the major was renamed CCS Computing to avoid clashing with ABET accreditation standards. CCS enjoys a very strong reputation among graduate schools; and you would have the same professors as in the CoE. If you are looking to go for a graduate degree, CCS is really worth taking a look!
Sure, I applied as an EE major and got UCSB was the only school I got into initially. I did not apply to Riverside, Merced, or Santa Cruz. I got waitlisted at Irvine, Davis, and San Diego, but only got OFF the waitlist at Davis, which is where I am headed this fall!
UCSB and UCD are very similar in terms of academics. Davis is most known for its Agricultural Sciences whereas UCSB is known for its Physics/Engineering programs. At the end of the day, most people make their decision based on other factors such as social scene, location, cost, etc. I applied to UCI, UCSB, and UCD and got into UCSB (will be attending) and UCI (waitlisted at first). However, I would’ve picked UCSB over Davis even if I had gotten in. It’s all about preference.
@DrGoogle You’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t be jokingly misleading on a prospective freshman’s thread. I chose Davis because I liked the overall vibe of the school better than sb’s. Davis seemed more calm and I’m not really a party type. That being said both Davis and SB are recruited by many companies and attending either school probably shouldn’t be a make or break decision for any employer.