<p>I am currently a junior student in california wanting to go to ucsc. I had a 3.0 gpa last year and this year I have a 3.86. I am playing varsity lacrosse this year, and played junior varsity soccer last year. I have played soccer since I was 7 years old. I have also drawn my entire life and have taken drawing/painting all three years of high school. I am currently taking ap art. I am also taking ap composition this year and getting a b. I took spanish for three years and took two years of integrated science. I took physiology this year and taking physics next year. I got A 1650 on the sat and am retaking it in may. Thanks so much for your help! What should I do to improve?</p>
<p>Hey, I got rejected form UCSC, and put on the waitlist. I got a 1910 on my SAT and had a 3.8 weighted my junior year. I took three AP classes that year. I’m a senior now and and i have a 4.56 and am again taking 3 AP’s. My sophmore year I did terribly with something like a a 2.6 or 2.7 GPA, which is what really hurt me. You’re junior year GPA is good and with a solid 3.0 last year I think you’ll be okay. Take some AP classes next year! You want to let them know you’re still serious. Try to take honors physics if your school has it, but maybe not AP physics because that’s usually calculus based and pretty difficult. Try to get up to somewhere between a 1700 and 1900 because UCSC’s average is around there. Your extracurriculars sound good, so i wouldn’t worry bout those. Just keep your grades up! Also keep in mind it’s sort of arbitrary sometimes. Some of my friends got in with a 3.4 (10th and 11th grade avg) while others were rejected with a 3.6. Write a strong essay, start on it early and have a lot of people review it. Take in all their criticism, but make sure you’re essay is ultimately your own creation. You can tell when something is genuine. Make sure to play up your commitment to your sport/team and stick with it your senior year. And maybe join a club this year, clubs are good, and continue with it your senior year. </p>
<p>And I know this sounds crazy, but try to get close to a 4.0 this year? The UC’s award mad points to kids who improved their GPA a full grade point from their sophmore to their junior year.</p>
<p>UCSC is amazing! I hope you get in!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the advice! And I’m taking 3 aps next year</p>
<p>Hey so I retook my sat and got a 1710 in one sitting. Do they count sats from one time or add up your best scores? And also, can I have a bit more info on the essay, such as what to write and when to start? Thank you!</p>