So I read through some school website and also here, but still couldn’t find my answer, please someone help me out.
For UC, AP classes are capped at 8 semesters. My daughter’s school requires a total of 220 credits (or 44 semester classes) to graduate, so she need to take 6 classes per semester. The total semester classes for 10th and 11th grades will be 24. Assume that all classes are counted, and she has 8 semesters of AP classes. If she has all A’s, her maximum capped weighted GPA will only be at 4.33. But I saw people having upward to 4.75. How is that possible? In fact, in order to increase the GPA, she needs to reduce the number of total classes, but that means less rigorous coursework. ???
4.75 is probably a miscalculation, or not applying the 8 semester cap on honors +1 points.
Realistically, the weighted-capped GPA for UC/CSU purposes tends to be around 0.3 to 0.4 higher than unweighted GPA (10th-11th a-g courses) for a student who took substantial AP and UC-approved honors courses.
UCLA and UCB will also use UC weighted uncapped GPA (unlimited honors points for 10-11th grades). UCLA does post a fully weighted GPA on their website for the 2016 Freshman profile and so does UCB (above the 4.33).
The rest of the UC’s will used the capped UC GPA.
http://admissions.berkeley.edu/studentprofile
http://www.admission.ucla.edu/prospect/adm_fr/Frosh_Prof16.htm
If you check the UC Freshman Profile for each UC campus, the listed 25th and 75th percentile will be the UC GPA capped weighted.
Only by taking a few classes.
Note that the cap is only for the purposes of admissions eligibility. Under holistic review, the admissions reader will see (and can use) all GPA’s: unweighted, weighted capped, and weighted uncapped.
So I understand that oos students or is student who went oos high school won’t get real disadvantage from their honors courses not counted for ucb and ucla uncapped weighted gpa, as long as they still meet the cut off number through ap courses? Since they will be holistically reviewed once they are in there?
Correct. OOS students are reviewed by readers who understand that such students are ineligible to take UC-approved honors courses.
The weighted uncapped UC GPA still will use the UC approved Honors/AP/IB or DE courses, so if an OOS applicant has honor’s classes that are not approved by the UC, they are still at a disadvantage. They are holistically reviewed especially in the context of what is offered at their HS.
NO!!! Much harder to get into UCB / UCLA as an OOS student, holistic review or not. And you should plan on paying full OOS tuition too.
But I don’t think this applies if you’re a California resident who attends an out of state boarding school. In that case, I believe that you’re considered against the in-state pool, so you won’t be subject to the OOS disadvantage.
As to your point about OOS honors courses not counting towards the capped or uncapped weighted gpa calculation - I believe that the admissions people at these schools are smart enough to know that students from OOS high schools are disadvantaged by the UC weighting system and will mentally adjust the numbers and read the transcript carefully. Of course, I suppose it’s always possible that a reader who’s in charge of looking at a pile of in-state applications doesn’t notice that a California resident student went to an OOS high school so they forget to mentally adjust, but hopefully this is rare or their computers flag it as a special case.
Thanks for the help! D will probably take 4+ Ap during 10-11th grades combined, so capped is covered.
But for uncapped gpa at ucb & ucla, what’s a rough number needed for admission and not just to be reviewed, for an Asian girl with no hook?
One more question: How uc gpa will be calculated for students who repeat 11th grade?
Oh, gosh no. Quite the contrary. And the obvious reason is:
Those two statements are inconsistent.
You would need to ask. the chances a UCB/UCLA applicant would repeat 11th grade are minuscule.
Also, fairly certain they would call it 12th grade, and consider the fifth year a repeat of 12th grade.
I’m sure you know that there is no number that guarantees admission. But if you’re looking for a number that puts an applicant in the “that’s a really good GPA” category then it depends on lots of factors. Is the student in-state or out-of-state? What college within the university are they applying to? If they’re applying to Engineering, what major are they applying to? For example, EECS at UCB is incredibly tough for boys compared to a general admit for L&S. I think a lot of people would say that the “really good GPA” category starts at the 75% percentile number for admitted students in whatever pool you’re competing in.
I have no idea, but before having a really good student repeat the 11th grade I would advise you to: 1) make sure you have a really good reason for repeating the 11th grade 2) get a clean bill of health from a psychiatrist 3) make damn sure you have a really good reason 4) ask the school how the gpa calculation would work.
I’ve seen some of the propaganda that CA politicians have been circulating where they imply that OOS students have weak academics and are buying their way into UCB / UCLA.
But as they say, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts. I would encourage anyone who needs the information to look at the links that Gumbymom provided in post #2. Compare the admitted students profiles for in-state and out-of-state students at UCB / UCLA and decide for yourself.
Thanks for the advise again. To clarify;
D will be an In-State but Out of State Boarding School applicant. An Asian Girl with no hooks and the only major EC being a decent fine arts portfolio and some national arts awards. She’s done with all pre-AP hard sciences and is starting freshman with pre-cal & APES.
Let’s say she would apply to EECS. Is it a realistic goal if she will have 4.0 unweighted and 4.4 weighted uncapped gpa? Or would she better not waste a chance and apply to L&S? I am guessing the latter based on the admission profile that says 4.42 is average of all majors.
If she would, the only reason will be because she applied and was accepted to the elusive United World College or Eastern Mediterranean International School after 11th grade. She can’t apply after 10th because her younger age.
P.S. We would love more a top private that meets 100% needs for financial and other reasons. But UCB & UCLA provide a realistic admission chance as 1. she is in-state and 2. they seem to be less holistic about ORM, while still being affordable. Beside, D has met most of genED requirements at UC so she can focus on more interesting courses or 2nd major.
And she can try admission again as a transfer to UCB and UCLA after a year of finishing up major prereqs, since she already has ~60 California CC units with all A’s but a B, if she gets admitted to none of her desired schools as a freshman.
“She’s done with all pre-AP hard sciences and is starting freshman with pre-cal & APES.
Let’s say she would apply to EECS. Is it a realistic goal if she will have 4.0 unweighted and 4.4 weighted uncapped gpa? Or would she better not waste a chance and apply to L&S?”
There is absolutely no point in worrying about this now. She hasn’t even started HS yet. Who knows what things will look like in 4 years.
She asked me if she has a realistic chance for Computer Science or Engineering at a top university. I told her that it’s probably a crab shot at most privates but is still worth trying, while UCB & UCLA will give her a pretty good chance.
Then I read about the uncapped weighted gpa and learned that I was wrong.
While it is her who will choose her courses, I want to give her as accurate as possible information on how many APs she will need to take next year if she still wants a good chance at UCB & UCLA. For example, she can opt for AP Calculus AB instead of regular Calculus. And she can petition to waive regular CS for AP CSP.
Why do you assume that such posted numbers are “facts” and not UC-spin?
I would encourage anyone who needs information to do some research…its all out there, and has been for years.
(Hint: search for the key word “audit”, conducted by a State auditor…)
It’s just one number and when you get to high stats kids a 4.75 vs a 4.8 is not going to make or break any kid.
@VickiSoCal , But it will if she has 4.4 because her honors courses at a OOS high school won’t count, isn’t it?
@10s4life, Sorry for your experience. I am interested in if D will have that single digit chance or almost no chance with 4.4 uncapped from an OOS high school if she is in state.
Single digit chance at UCB and UCLA for my Asian D is as good as 20% at other single digit schools that use race as part of holistic review.