<p>As you probably already know from your two oldest, The UC's use what is called a comprehensive review. That means they add extra points for things like coming from a poorly achieving school (which your son obviously doesn;t), special talents, overcoming challenges like low income, leadership, etc. So be careful in using anecdotal stories like welshie's because you don't have the full picture about what someone's "friend" had to offer.</p>
<p>For the UC's in particular, it pays to do your research. Does he rank high enough in his class to qualify under Eligibility in the Local Context?
If not, do his combination of UC GPA and test scores (SAT I and SAT II) fulfill the minimum UC requirements for scholarship (these are changing for next year's class by the way, becomming higher, but you can still use the old numbers to check)? Does your son's course work show that he took more than the required number of classes for each a-g requirement. Finally, what do the various UC schools use in their comprehensive review. You can find all of this information at <a href="http://www.ucop.edu/pathways%5B/url%5D">www.ucop.edu/pathways</a>. You can also find out info. there for each school that breaks down your percentage chances based on various test score levels, including UCSB. That said, I think he would still have a decent shot at UCSB if his SAT II test scores (and his writing on the new SAT ) are good. I'd also advise that he apply to UC's like Irvine, Santa Cruz, and Riverside if he likes them because they would be more within range. He might also take a look at some of the better ranked cal states - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (but only if he is not going for engineering), San Diego State, etc. </p>
<p>I am pretty familiar with USD -- It's a great school, but they are, unfortunately, becomming more selective every year. I would say, however, that an 1100 SAT and a great GPA in a challenging curriculum, would probably be a match.</p>
<p>USC seems particularly concerned with SAT scores, Just checked for you and they rank "test scores" as very important. Their average GPA of accepted students last year was 4.0 so your son is on target there. Test score wise however, the middle 25-75% are Verbal 610-700, Math 640-720, Combined 1250-1420. I also like to look at the percentage of accepted students in each score range to clarify just what a student's chances are if they fall outside of the median. Here is the percentage of students accepted in the various ranges at USC:</p>
<p>Percent of first-time, first-year students enrolled in Fall 2003 with scores in each range:
SAT I Verbal SAT I Math
700-800 28.0% 4 2.0%
600-699 53.0% 49.0%
500-599 18.0% 9 .0%
400-499 1.0% 0.0%
300-399 N/A N/A
200-299 N/A N/A </p>
<p>IT's fair to assume that those in the lower categories have something else they're bringing to the table such as legacy status, sports skills, special talent, etc. So, I would say USC is probably going to be a high reach for your son unless he applies early.</p>
<p>One school that I know of in the west that makes SATs optional in the admission process is Lewis & Clark in Portland, ORegon. Instead of submitting SAT scores, they will let you submit samples of school work an dextra recommendations. Great school but on the small side with a quirky student body. You can find other SAT optional schools at <a href="http://www.fairtest.org%5B/url%5D">www.fairtest.org</a></p>
<p>Other private schools in the west that I would recommend as solid back ups for your son in case he doesn't get into his top choices: University of Redlands (Calif), Santa Clara U (Calif), Willamette (Oregon), University of Puget Sound (Washington), Seattle U (Washington).</p>