<p>Hi there people! I'm kinda worried about my chances at getting into the good UCs. My UW GPA kinda tanked in 11th grade but I have taken a very rigorous course load. Here's the basic stats overview</p>
<p>UW GPA: 3.6667
W GPA: 4.5000
UC GPA: 4.000</p>
<p>SAT: 2250 (retaking for better score)
Math: 800
Writing: 800
Critical Reading: 650</p>
<p>SAT Math II: 800
SAT Chem: 800
SAT Bio: Taking later in the year</p>
<p>10th Grade:</p>
<p>AP World (3) : A/A
Adv Video Productions: A/A
H Chemistry: A/A
AP Lang (4): B/A
Latin 1: A/A
H Pre-Calc: A/A</p>
<p>11th Grade:</p>
<p>AP US (5): B/B
AP Bio (5): A/A
AP Chem (5): B/A
AP Calc BC (5): B/B
H Latin 3: B/A
H American Literature: A/B</p>
<p>Senior Classes:</p>
<p>AP Literature, AP Physics, AP Statistics, AP Latin 4, AP Macroeconomics, AP Comp Sci</p>
<p>Extracurricular: JCL, Mu Alpha Theta, Kertamen Team(1st place state), MUN, Volunteer at hospital, won top ranks at UCI math competition</p>
<p>I'm applying for a bio related major at UCLA, UCB, UCI, UCSD, and UCD. Any help/suggestions/advice would be really helpful. Thank you and I hope you can chance me!</p>
<p>Just for reference, the GPAs are for 10-11 grade, I got straight A’s in 9th so my UW total is about 3.87, while my W is about 4.3. </p>
<p>You’ll probably going to get in UCSD and UCD. And maybe even UCLA and UCB. You are in good shape.</p>
<p>Your stats are really similar to mine, but my downward trend is not as extreme as yours.</p>
<p>My stats:
Unweighted (9 - 11th): 3.66
Fully weighted (9 - 11th): 4.29
Capped UC (10 - 11th): 4.00
SAT: 2300</p>
<p>My results:
Rejected by UCB, UCLA, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO
Waitlisted by UCD, UCI</p>
<p>The UCs hate downward trends and do not care much about high SAT scores. Your results will probably look similar to mine.</p>
<p>@Mangiafuoco </p>
<p>How do you think your essays were in relation to your submission? Do you think they were really good or average? I really want to get into these colleges and it would be depressing to find out that this sort of downward trend caused me to get rejected. </p>
<p>Does anyone else have some sort of similar GPA trend, but got into the UC system?</p>
<p>It really bothers me that I can’t add this to the main post, but I guess I can add it here. I’m also applying to USC, Cal Poly Pomona, Stanford, and a few other places. I’d love to be chanced for them as well. </p>
<p>Because the comments system is extremely annoying with edits, here’s some more information:</p>
<p>I’ve already taken Microeconomics and American Government over the summer at a community college. My 9th grade courses were the most rigorous ones that were available to me. I also participated in Science Olympiad for my school and placed in the top 25 for the Mu Alpha Theta Log 1 contest both sophomore and junior years </p>
<p>Retaking the SAT would be a waste of time. The only thing you could do is perfect your essays and app! Biology majors are usually the hardest to get into.
UCD, UCI, UCSD, CalPoly-- match- high match
USC, UCLA- low reach
UCB, Stanford-- reach, high reach </p>
<p>@Dream0n </p>
<p>In each of the UC’s, the major I’m interested in is found in the College of Letters and Sciences. Some people have told me that you go in undeclared. I know that Berkley usually wants you to tell of your interest, but what about the others?</p>
<p>Your GPA is low unless you have some extra circumstance that you can explain. But if I were you take off Stanford. Save you effort and focus on the rest of the application. It depends on your high school, If it were like my daughters high school you have a good chance. I think both UCLA and UCB are not good chances either. Top UC schools might overlook your SAT scores but not your GPA.</p>
<p>@theabnormalkid
I think my essays were above average. I think my crappy GPA and my downward trend were the reasons for my rejections/waitlists.</p>
<p>Interesting how some kids thing good essays will save them. Only if the essay discussed something that is not obvious in the application. Like one example, one kid from my daughter’s high school got into UCB but she had crappy GPA, SAT because her mother died in 10th grade. That affected her and her academics I’m sure. But in general a nice written essays that don’t explain something that could help the application it’s not going to save if one has poor GPA and such.</p>
<p>@DrGoogle </p>
<p>I went through depression starting in 11th grade. I’d rather not discuss the personal details of it here, but surely I can discuss this in the Additional Comments part of the UC application and perhaps in the Common App as well?</p>
<p>Also, for school statistics. According to my school’s Naviance page, I fit neatly above the curve’s average acceptance for every stat. For UCLA and UCB, my stats match up with the applicants that got in. </p>
<p>UCLA/UCB: Low Reach
UCSD: High Match
UCI/UCD: Match</p>
<p>If you have something perhaps put that in the application, it might help you. One thing to check out for Uw GPA for UCLA and UCB. It’s something I’ve heard repeatedly on CC.</p>
<p>Check the naviance for the uw GPA.</p>
<p>@DrGoogle @theabnormalkid Quirky essays can also incite the attention of the reader. Talking about how your existential beliefs shaped both your physical and metaphysical being while revealing what act of magnanimity you will perform for humanity. Kids on CollegeConfidential really downplay the significance that essays make. When there are 10 students that all have 2250 SAT scores and similar GPA’s and EC’s, it’s up to the personal statement to make the difference.</p>
<p>Since MangiaFuoco likes to use personal/friend examples, I will too
Student 1 and Student 2 and Student 3 all got into JHU, but student 4 didn’t
Student 1: SAT: 1980, ACT: 32 Ethnicity: Cuban 3.4 UW GPA/3.78 W GPA. Transcript had 3 C’s. Varsity Swim/Water Polo
He wrote about how the band Queen has impacted his life. He used exclusively Queen lyrics throughout all 500 words. Also wrote about how Carls Jr. is an evil organization. Very Quirky
Kid gets a full-ride as well.
Student 2: SAT: 2170 Ethnicity: Chinese 3.93 UW GPA/4.35 W GPA. Salutatorian. Key Club LTG. Varsity Tennis.
She wrote about how Key Club is great. Very Generic
Student 3: SAT: 2170 Ethnicity: Chinese 3.8 UW GPA/4.3 W GPA Top 2% Did summer research at JHU, Varsity Tennis
She wrote about JHU’s amazing research funds and programs.
Student 4: SAT: 2310 Ethnicity: Chinese 4.0 UW GPA.4.5 W GPA Valedictorian Played at Carnegie Hall, did JHU CTY, did Stanford Biomed research, took 16 AP exams all 5’s, nationally ranked pianist, Varsity Golfer
Wrote about how he’s achieved so much in piano and how great his prodigious skills are. Wrote about how he likes math a lot.</p>
<p>Point of all of this (tl;dr): Essays/Hooks can make TREMENDOUS differences in student’s results. Realize that.</p>
<p>Post #16. It’s not the essay for all 2 students. 1 is a URM borderline SAT and low GPA, 2 has fantastic GPA, 3 has research, ok GPA. 4 has everything.</p>
<p>@DrGoogle
UW GPA produces similar results with my statistics falling on the higher end of the spectrum and generally above the typical accepted student from my school. </p>
<p>@idiosyncraticboi
Student 2 got accepted? The way that you phrased that person’s essay made it seem like it was less likely. A generic essay about Key Club seems unlikely to get someone into the college. I realize how important essays are to the application itself and that they help the admissions officer or the school identify who you are as a person. Thanks for the additional support; it makes me a bit happier to know that I still have a chance if I can write my essays well.</p>
<p>This is a question for the UC application in general. If I were to discuss the downward trend in my grades during 11th grade and how it was related to a particular event/experience in my life, would I place that in the Additional Comments section or under the Personal Statement or maybe somewhere else entirely?</p>
<p>I think you could put in the addition section or write the essay it it makes sense.</p>