<p>Hello, this is my first post. I really need peoples opinions on this subject. Im currently a sophmore in high school. Freshman year i had a 81 average so 3.1 GPA, and right now im in my last quarter for sophmore year with an 80 average so 3.0 gpa. I haven't taken any AP or honors classes any years. I have never been that motivated to do good in school but towards the end of this year i realized i really need to step it up. I live in NY and have always wanted to live in California and my dream school is UCSB. i am willing to try my hardest junior year to get my grades up to meet their expectations. I am wondering if i took atleast 3 AP/honors classes junior year, atleast 2 extra curricular activities, and over 200 hours of community service, would i have a chance to get into UCSB? please give me full details and tips on ANYTHING else i could do to boost my chances. And also if i got rejected, could i go to community college for 2 years than apply again to have a much better chance? Thanks, any info is much appreciated!</p>
<p>Yikes, you might be a year late for these questions as the UCs look at sophomore and junior grades, along with commitment to extracurriculars. If you all of a sudden shoot up to 3 APS and straight A’s, they may wonder what happened the first two years. (Will you have a good enough reason that you can include in your essays?) Also, if you get a 4.3 GPA next year, it may still not be enough when combined with the 3.0. Being from out of state may also make it even more difficult. Now please understand that I am not trying to bring you down; I am just trying to be honest. Then again, I am no expert. If you really wish to live in Santa Barbara, I would suggest checking out Santa Barbara City College. It’s in a great location in Santa Barbara (UCSB is really in Goleta). After two years there, you can transfer to UCSB! Because the UCs are getting so competitive, that is what a lot of students do. I think students from the SBCC hang out with the UCSB students up in Goleta (many city college students even live in Goleta). So you see, all is not lost. In the meantime, ask yourself why you feel UCSB is your dream school. You might find other colleges in California that are to your liking. Check out Loyola Marymount (in Los Angeles). Although smaller than UCSB, it’s a beautiful campus.</p>
<p>you should take about 3 AP’s your junior year, and try for about 500 hours of service. also you should stive for 3.7+ gpa because even if they let you in, ur gonna be stuck with a lot of out of state tuition, so you should really pull an asain (no offense to asians) and try to kill your last two years. </p>
<p>Here are the kinds of stats you need to get some decent scholarship money:
GPA: W: 3.7+ UW 4.5+
SAT: 2100+
ACT:31+
7 AP’s (trust me its not that hard. Im doing 8.)
1000+ hours of comm. service
LOTS AND LOTS of EC’s. literally anything that can be looked at as a leadership role, you should do it. So Student Council (im in the one at my school), NHS (also in), DECA, and many leadership camps. If you are involved in your church/synagogue/mosque or whatever, try to find a way to become some sort of youth leader. And if you really want to just blow people away, try to start a non-profit business. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>summersunn120</p>
<p>I still have around 3 weeks left of sophmore year, so if i got my sophmore gpa to a 3.3, and than junior year get 4.3 gap, would that be good enough? Also for junior year i am thinking varsity soccer, tennis or lacrosse, and maybe one other sport. Also what kind of clubs would you recommend me doing? lastly about the Santa Barbara City College, would i HAVE to do 2 years? Or is it possible to get it done in just 1 year? Please reply, thank you so much.</p>
<p>I think it would be helpful if you got your GPA up to 3.3 this year. From now on, do the best you can and if it does not work out, at least you will know you tried. Another thing- think of what you’d like to do during the summer break between relaxing/having fun. Volunteering, perhaps? As for sports, participate in an acitivity that you enjoy. If you do not get on a team at school, perhaps there is a rec team in your community that you can join. UCSB is a big soccer school, by the way. Don’t quote me, but I think you need 60 units to transfer to UCSB. In other words, you are not able to transfer as a sophomore. Back to summer, maybe that will be a good time to pick up an SAT Bluebook or an ACT study book. Although there is so much to think about and do, remember to enjoy the high school years as they go by so quickly.</p>