<p>I’m a rising senior with average gpa and SAT scores. I have been looking at UCSD for quite sometime now and was pretty sure I have a good shot at getting in. But then my 2nd semester junior grades came in, I’m not so sure anymore…</p>
<p>UC GPA: 4.0
unweighted: 3.7
GPA from freshman: 4.0, 3.8, 3.66, 3.5, 3.83, 3.66 (Do UC’s look at trends??)
SAT: 2050 (620V 700M 730W) - will retake in oct, aiming at 2100+
SAT IIs: IIC - 780; BioM - 670, 680, 730; Chinese - 800</p>
<p>2 AP classes, 2 honors classes in jr year (our school wont let us take APs before jr year)
honors english and geometry in sophmore year.</p>
<p>The C in geometry dragged my gpa down a lot, and the B’s in AP Biology dropped me as well.</p>
<p>150+ hours of community services, but almost no extracurricular activities/leadership.</p>
<p>I go to one of the top schools in CA (in state).</p>
<p>I know that UCSD is getting increasingly popular now, would that be my “reach” now? If so, what UCs can I list as safety? match?</p>
<p>reach.... you could do more EC's. Well did/do you hold any cabinet positions that may get you more points?... SAT scores look good. Well of course your in to the lower division UC's (SB, R, M)... But so far you're on the right track to SD</p>
<p>yes they do look at trends, however, i would say that SD would be a match for you. Your UC GPA is just about at the average for an SD admit and your SAT scores are well above the average there. Dont worry, you'll get in.</p>
<p>Thank you Liux43 and GoldenBear10! is there anything I can do right now to increase my chances? I'm thinking about writing one of my essays describing how I was admitted into the Honors English track after coming to the US for just 3 years - I did not speak a single word of English when I came here. (a bit worried about the cliche of the topic through..)</p>
<p>I dont know if this helps or now, but my school sends about 1/2 of its kids to UCs each year. I think this year 50+ is going to SD.</p>
<p>9th grade - [we are not allowed to take AP classes during 9th and 10th grade]
Regular English 9 - A / A
Honors Algebra II - A / B
Physical Science - A / A
P.E. - A / A
Drama I - A / A
Geography (1st sem only) - A
Health (2nd sem only) - A
GPA. - 4.0 / 3.88</p>
<p>10th grade - [we are not allowed to take AP classes during 9th and 10th grade]
Honors English 10 - B / B
Honors Geometry - B / C (How much is this C gonna hurt me?)
Regular Biology - A / A
Drama II - A / A
Psychology I - A / A
World History - A / A
GPA - 3.66 / 3.5</p>
<p>11th grade -
Honors English 11 - A/A
Honors Pre-Cal - A/B
AP Biology - B/B
AP Statistics - A/A
U.S. History - A/A
Regular Chemistry - A/A
GPA: 3.83; 3.66</p>
<p>Community College:
Chinese II - A
Chinese III - A
Psychology 101A - A</p>
<p>I don't know if this counts as an "extracurriculum activity," but I was accepted into a local community college biotechnology program (16 people gets in each year). After 4 weeks of intense training, we MAY be offered internship.</p>
<p>I don't think that counts as an EC, but you can write about it or at least mention it in your application. You may want to write about it if it's.. hmm i can't find the word.. good? prestigious? worth writing about? lol. I don't think that C will kill you. Your GPA seems a big low.. for some reason it doesn't look like you gave yourself the extra honor/ap points. But you look good for SD right now, but who knows about UCLA and CAL. I know people who got in to CAL and UCLA with lower scores than you... and i also know one person going to harvard with like a 1700 - 1800 on the SAT's. Just make your essays good and worth reading.</p>
<p>the internship will definetly be considered an EC, or Work Experience if you get paid. by the way, your esssay topic would be great if you explain how difficult it was in the beggining and how you got into Honors after a few years. Make them REALLY interesting and make yours stand out, then you'll be in for sure. what is your planned major?</p>
<p>Liux43:
I'm definitely considering writing about the internship as one of my essays, but that also depends on how it turns out in the end. It SHOULD be pretty "good" since there are real biotech companies such as Genentech.
I only gave myself 8 honors points since the UC caps it. My real unweighted gpa should be 4.1111
I dont want to get my hopes up for LA or Cal, but I'm definitely applying there :D
thank you for your reply</p>
<p>GoldenBear10:
I still don't know if it's going to be a paid internship or unpaid.
I absolutely LOVE every subject, so I'm leaning toward "Undeclared" major.</p>
<p>thanks for your comment on the essay topic. I'll be sure to remember that when I'm writing it.</p>
<p>I'd say you have a decent shot at getting into the mid-tier UC schools (SB, Davis, Irvine), an okay shot at getting into SD, and a lesser shot at getting into Berkeley and UCLA. I think what it boils down to is this:</p>
<p>Having little to no extracurricular activities will hurt you. Then again, if you write a fantastic personal statement (perhaps explaining, in part, why your ec's are lacking), that might even out your application a bit. Overall, I'd say you're a decent candidate. Your test scores are fantastic (at least for the mid-tier UC's), and your GPA is pretty good as well. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think you'll probably get in, as long as if you're not doing Bioengineering or some other impacted major..but you have a great chance either way.</p>