Trying to get into UC Davis, any suggestions?

State Forums
1

Stats:

  • Going to be a High School Senior this upcoming August
  • Current Class Rank 24/400
  • SAT: 1800 (520 Reading, 690 Math, 590 Writing)
  • ACT (plus writing): 31
  • SAT II Math II: ? (Haven’t Received; expecting ~mid 600)
  • SAT II Bio E: ? (Haven’t Received; expecting ~500 - mid600)

Avg High School GPA: 4.17 weighted; ~3.83 unweighted
Taking 8 APs total by senior year; expecting AP scores to be mostly 4s maybe some 3s

EC (By senior year predictions):

  • 3 years swim (2 years varsity)
  • Founder of History Club
  • 3 Years Leo’s Club
  • 2 Years NHS (4 semesters)
  • 150+ Hours of Volunteer work at Hospital

Any suggestions on what else to try to achieve? This could also help others who are trying to apply to UC Davis.

2

Do not submit SAT unless you plan to retake. Submit ACT instead. GPA and EC’s are good. Spend time on your UC essays and make them great. You look like a competitive applicant minus SAT, so apply and Good Luck.

3

Thanks for the feedback, is it possible to submit just SAT Subject Scores and not SAT score?

4

Yes. My older son submitted only his ACT and SAT subject tests 2 years ago. Since the SAT and the subject tests are taken on different days, you can pick to send the SAT subject tests separately based on date.

5

Forgot to mention that UC’s will use the highest test score from one sitting so they will take your ACT score regardless of your SAT score.

6

Thank you so much for the information; it was very helpful. Just one more question:

Supposing that my subject scores are going to be bad, should I retake the SAT, or Subject tests (I have already decided to retake the ACT)?

7

From a GPA/ACT/EC perspective, you are a very solid candidate. Stay the course and don’t kill yourself with demanding classes next year.

Also, UC admissions are very difficult to predict, please apply broadly.

Good luck.

8

UC Davis states somewhere on their website, that SAT subject tests can only help not hurt your chances. I looked this up last year for my other son whom applied to the UC’s. Since UCD does not recommend subject tests, it makes sense. Older son had 1 great SAT subject test score of 790, 1 average score of 680 and one bad score of 560 which he submitted. He was accepted, so how much of an impact it had, ??? As @NCalRent stated above, UC’s can be unpredictable so apply to several. Good Luck and Go Aggies!!!