My friend and I were wondering which kind of person would have a higher chance into UC’s (like LA or cal).
We both have hard courses, 4.0s, and 2300+. He’s slightly outedging me in terms of course rigor and a bit more in SAT, but I’m significantly ahead in extra curriculars. Does that matter much for UCs?
Well, extracurriculars is a very subjective thing.
If you both have solid stats, then being ahead slightly in terms of SAT won’t matter at all. For the both of you it will come down to extracurriculars and essays and for Cal I believe teacher recs will also play a big role.
With ECs, depth matters more than breadth. Better to have 1 killer EC than a dozen middling ones.
Competitive universities like Cal and UCLA (especially UCLA) are starting to accept people as a “match” for their school atmosphere. UCLA generally likes to accept well-rounded students (high GPA, lots of sport activity/leadership, community leadership) and Cal does the same but focuses a little more on GPA, test scores, and leadership. Both, however, focus heavily on personal statements if it comes down to a “tie game” between two students.
Honestly, if both of your GPA/SAT scores are well above average, I shouldn’t worry about being accepted to those schools. Just have a good personal statement and I think you both can get in no problem.