UC's, Ivy League and AP and Honors courses.

<p>I heard that UC schools want at least 8 AP's in order to get in... Is this true? And what about Ivy League schools? Generally, how many AP classes would they want? And what about Honors classes?</p>

<p>It’s all in context of your HS. Highly selective colleges expect that you will take the most rigorous curriculum that is offered by your HS, whether it be AP/IB or honors.</p>

<p>If the average graduating senior has taken 8 AP’s then you had better do the same, just to be average and to be competitive for highly selective colleges. If your HS only offers two AP’s, colleges will not expect you to have taken more.</p>

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<p>No, not at all. Where you’re getting this number is that UCs will cap your weighted GPA at 8 weighted classes. So, in fact, if you take MORE than 8 APs it will matter insofar as rigor of your curriculum, but they’ll hardly even care…</p>

<p>Ah, I see… I had figured as much but I was still unsure. I’m really starting to get pressured about colleges, so that’s one of the many things I needed to figure out. Thank you so much for the help!!</p>

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<p>ONLY for admissions eligibility. ELC is uncapped. Admissions readers also see your uncapped gpa.</p>

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<p>Correct.</p>

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<p>Incorrect. See UCSD’s point system.</p>

<p>this is a case where knowing a little is more dangerious than knowing nothing –</p>

<p>“UC GPA” is NOT, NOT, NOT the criterion, or even the GPA, that Berkeley and UCLA use in admitting students. “UC GPA” is a formula used to establish UC eligibility, and does not play ANY role in admisstions at UCLA or Berkeley. It DOES matter at UCSD which uses a point formula that “UC GPA” is a part of.</p>

<p>Berkeley and UCLA look at your entire transcript (including freshman year, but without much weight), and use UNCAPPED WEIGHTED UC GPA … meaning the +1 assigned to AP and some Honors courses is not capped at 8 SEMESTER classes, or 4 full year classes, as they are capped for “weighted, capped, UC GPA”, which in abbreviated form is “UC GPA”.</p>

<p>UC GPA = all academic courses taken from summer after freshman year through summer after Junior year
Weighted = +1 for AP and (some) Honors courses
Capped = the +1 for AP and (some) Honors courses is capped at 8 semester grades
Uncapped = no limit to the +1 for AP and (some) Honors courses.</p>

<p>For Berkeley and UCLA, “UC GPA” or “weighted, capped UC GPA” as it is known in long form, is a concept that needs to be ignored. The “Weighted, Capped UC GPA” is used for reporting to UC Regents (who use it in their reports comparing admissions stats of the nine campuses), but that is its only practical use at Berkeley and UCLA.</p>

<p>UCLA and Berkeley both look at he entire trascript, then look at UNCAPPED weighted UC GPA, then the essays, SAT or ACT scores, then ECs, etc, just as any Top 25 school would do.</p>