<p>What does the test score bonus points mean and how do I get them?</p>
<p>@Reef2Reefuser I think you would get a whole lot out of a visit to CPSLO. The tour is delightful and they offer an information session that will answer ALL of your questions and more. You can also get a peek at the housing options while there. It was a bit of a drive for us but we learned so much, it was absolutely worth it!</p>
<p>I agree w/ SunnySoCalMom, nothing beats a visit. The admissions officers are very helpful.</p>
<p>Jobs and ECs are the last piece of the algorithm. They each count, but not for a bunch. Having a leadership position on your ECs, say captain of a team or president of a club adds extra points as does working in a field that’s related to your major. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean about test bonus points, because there really aren’t “bonus” points per se. It’s just a straight calculation from your SAT or ACT.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Ok thanks!! I actually had the tour Monday, asked quite a bit of questions and these are my new questions. 
it was a great tour!! Cal Poly is my dream school. </p>
<p>GPA counts for almost 50% of your chance to get in. Hammer your junior year. Those are the last grades you’ll submit. Good luck!</p>
<p>Will my math classes in senior year count towards extra semesters?</p>
<p>Yep, but not your grades.</p>
<p>Cool. My school is very small. And has only three honors or AP classes. Next year i will be taking all of them. Does this affect my chances of looking good on resume because I only get the chance to take 3 max in one year?</p>
<p>The most you can benefit is 8 semesters. You’ll have 6. That’s most of the possible bonus. Beyond 8 semesters it makes no difference to Poly. 10APs or 4 honors year long classes get the same benefit in their eyes. Good luck!</p>
<p>@Reef2Reefuser as an admitted senior planning on enrolling at CP in the fall, my best advice to you would be to take the classes you want to take for yourself. Don’t customize your schedule based on what you think Cal Poly wants to see. I think it’s smart to get up to 4 AP classes in your junior year, but don’t pick a class just because you think it’ll improve your chances. I guarantee the remainder of your high school experience will be much more enjoyable that way. I just took what I wanted to take and I was admitted for business. Make the most of what’s left of your high school experience!</p>
<p>Thanks! And jackechan, as of right now I’m set up to take the ap and honor classes next year. I was just wondering if it mattered. A</p>
<p>My daughter has maxed out on math classes by taking AP Calculus her junior year. Why wouldn’t AP Stats count as math? Her only other math option at our rural school would be accounting. </p>
<p>If she’s made it through Calc, she has the most Maths that the algorithm will count anyway so it doesn’t matter as far as bonus points go. On her application she’ll include certain classes from middle school if they are advanced, mainly Maths. She’ll be fine. Good luck.</p>
<p>link is broken. did you save a pdf by chance or do you know another link?</p>
<p>Check Keys II. </p>
<p>I found a PDF, but don’t want to email it out to a bazillion people. Is there a way to post it?</p>
<p>Perhaps post on the “Community and Forum Issues” board and ask if the admins can figure out a way that the document can be posted. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/community-forum-issues/”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/community-forum-issues/</a></p>
<p>@eyemgh do you have any other way to access the algorithm? The thread above isn’t on the website anymore!! 
</p>
<p>I haven’t figured out how to share it yet. I can give you some pointers thought.</p>
<p>There are 4 areas they evaluate.</p>
<p>GPA (as calculated and weighted only by Cal Poly, including freshman grades). The secret here, beyond the obvious of having a good GPA, is to have at least 8 AP or honors semesters. More won’t help you, but less than 8 will negatively impact your weighting.</p>
<p>Course rigor. Here, math is king. Once you’ve met the minimum requirements, you get bonus points for taking more classes in certain areas. By far the most “adder” points come from taking math (stats does not count). English and lab sciences are a distant second. The maximum score on the algorithm is 5000. You can get 500 bonus points just from math! Moral of the story here, fluff classes will hurt your chances.</p>
<p>Test scores. Do as well as you can on the SAT or ACT. They say they prefer ACT, but it doesn’t matter. Take the one you do best at. </p>
<p>Lastly, and by far the least important, ECs. It doesn’t even matter what you did, just the hours doing it. You get extra points for leadership, working and specifically working in an applicable job to your major. It only counts about 10%.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Apply for the city planning major. 70% acceptance rate. </p>