<p>I had some pretty bad grades in 9th grade (mostly consisting of B's and C's). I was going through a bit of an identity crisis and had a lot of external issues affecting my school life. Long story short; it was a disaster and my GPA was a 2.8. I participated in my schools Model UN but that was about it for me and clubs.</p>
<p>I ended up finding my "inner strength" so to say that same summer, and got encouraged to try and recover what was the horrifying chaos that was 9th grade. I also volunteered in my schools church choir that summer, which really helped me find my faith in Christianity again considering I labelled myself as an atheist in 9th grade.</p>
<p>Eventually, after a lot of hard work and effort, I ended up going from a 2.9 to a 3.3. Not necessarily the biggest step forward, but it was definitely improvement. I not only participated in MUN again, but also got in to the academic decathlon varsity level winning 3 medals (the most out of our group). I even joined the track and field team.</p>
<p>10th grade just finished, however, and I've not only signed up for cross country but am also applying for 2 AP courses (AP language and AP us history). I am most likely going to be volunteering at my nearby local library as well (if they have a space available for an extra volunteer). Oh, and I will most definitely be in MUN this year as well (and hopefully decathlon)..</p>
<p>Now, down to the question; do you think that my possibilities of getting into UCLA are slim or that I have a shot? Some tips of encouragement would also be very helpful right now.</p>
<p>THANK YOUU!!!! :)</p>
<p>What’s your 10th grade-specific GPA?</p>
<p>3.3… Our fourth quarter report cards didn’t come in yet, but that’s what it was last quarter.</p>
<p>It’s a little premature but I would aim for 31+/2100+…</p>
<p>Ahaha yeah, I have to agree with you there… & thank you! I’ll let you know what my 4th quarter GPA ends up being though, because I’m sure it’s higher than a 3.3 at this point to be honest.</p>
<p>I’m going to be rank with you when I say this…</p>
<p>You have no chance at UCLA. Unless you’re a recruited athlete, pass the AMC with flying colors, score a 2400 on the SAT, or cure a disease, you have roughly a 0% chance at UCLA. People say that nothing is impossible, but unless you drug the admissions officer, you are not getting in to (most likely) any UC.</p>
<p>Sorry.</p>
<p>Oh man, way to drop the bomb on me there buddy… Well, all harsh jokes of my “impossibility” aside- I can sum up my counter argument for you in five simple words; you don’t know my life! The struggles that I’ve had to endure during my 9th grade experience would leave you in awe. Don’t you think that maybe (JUST maybe) the fact that I still knew how to get up off of my ass and swipe off the negativity I got from many people like you shows the amount of determination I’m now able to exemplify…?</p>
<p>I would believe you have more than just “no chance” for UCLA. I don’t believe you can just base that off of GPA alone.</p>
<p>Keep the upward trend. Aim for that 4.0 (you know how if you shoot for the moon, you’ll land among the stars?). Raise that GPA as high as you can junior year. If you believe you can motivate yourself and work hard enough, take more AP’s. They’ll help boost your GPA up even more, especially in the case of UC’s. Do stuff outside of just the library or choir. Try to seek out more exclusive opportunities to highlight who you are and what you want to become. Continue with your academic clubs (Academic Decathlon is a very valuable experience if you put time into it). Start a club, even. Maybe begin an FBLA or something alongside your school’s MUN and AcaDeca team if you don’t have one. Look around for competitions, whether on the regional level or the international level, to try to win some awards in things you are passionate about.</p>
<p>The main thing you really want to do is get involved, work hard, achieve your fullest potential, and bring up that GPA. If you do all of this, I believe you will definitely have a shot at UCLA. It all depends on you.</p>
<p>@Elizabeth223 hey, that other guy was rude about it… but he’s kinda right</p>
<p>UC schools actually don’t even count freshman year GPA, so that’s not the issue. I’m sorry you struggled in the past and am glad you have been able to overcome it. But the problem is that your sophomoroe GPA is still FAR too low for UCLA. I know you think it’s a public school and all, but a LOT of students applying there have a 4.something GPA. Maybe if you write one HELL of a personal essay, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much.</p>
<p>But you don’t need to go to UCLA to get a good education! You can still get into plenty of places with your stats and extracurriculars, especially considering you obviously have a good personal story.</p>
<p>Bottom line: work like you can go to UCLA, but don’t get your hopes up because you just might be dissapointed.</p>
<p>@capitalamerica I really appreciate the honesty and am very dedicated to my admission. Your tips are very helpful, and I will surely use them as a step up for my final years in highschool! I’m aiming for that 4.0 more than ever (especially considering the 2 AP courses I am taking this year and the AP literature course I’m taking as a senior).
I was actually thinking of creating an MUN club or some sort of arts and crafts club, and am most probably going to pursue in the idea now that you’ve advised it’d be best to get more involved. Again, thank you so much for your advice & I also really appreciate your faith in me :)</p>
<p>@lanflan yeah, I can definitely see the odds that I’m up against… I mean, to be honest one of the reasons I ever really thought about having a chance there was because all my friends and older USC/UCLA graduate cousins and relatives have all told me that improvement is actually something they love to see.
Ahaha yeah, I am fully aware of the other possible places I could apply to, (and am hoping that it is at least a UC). My second choice would most probably be UC Irvine, but the reason why UCLA has always been number one for me was because of the vibe that it carried along with the campus and students… I first stepped foot on that campus in the middle of 9th grade, and it was incredible. I just had a feeling in my gut that told me that this university was the place for me, and that if I worked hard enough, I could get there. </p>
<p>Of course, without any support from anybody or influence and just plan being in a terrible place in my life, however; I set that dream on hold. That summer was sort of the inspiration and motivation that lead me to do better (slowly, but surely).
In regards to my GPA, just read what I put up there for capital America.^^</p>
<p>To answer your question directly, do you have a chance for UCLA. NO.
Snowballs chance in…</p>
<p>Can you please be more specific as to why not? I gotta pin point the mistakes for the sake of my junior and senior year and not repeating the same mistakes. And no offense or anything, but from what it sounds like; it seems you’re very one track minded lol.</p>
<p>You can’t recover from such a low gpa.</p>
<p>I can see why you might think that but that REALLY isn’t a valid excuse. I have heard of (and personally know) many people who had done much more worse than me in their freshmen or sophomore years, and they excelled to become one of the top students in their class by the time high school was over. (Not to mention getting into UCLA and UC Berkeley.) So, as much as as easy as it could be to believe that I legitimately have a 0% chance of getting in and that I should just give up; the people that have walked into my life are living proof that those chances are otherwise completely false.</p>
<p>all your hard work as soph and you end with 3.3!!! that is not acceptable to UCLA or Berkley.
thinking 4.0 as junior is unrealistic. prove us wrong.
then you would need to get 2100 plus on SAT to balance out low gpa.
You can keep dreaming and keep point to this person or that person. But we are commenting on the norm.</p>
<p>Come back in 2 years and tell us we were wrong.</p>
<p>Okay, what you have to understand is that I wasn’t aiming for a 4.0 as a soph. I didn’t take any AP classes and to be honest I was still recovering from the trauma of 9th grade. I actually felt lucky to get past a 3.2 dude. I was desperate for any type of improvement!
Oh, and I don’t know if you noticed but up there^ under somebody else’s comment, I mentioned how I actually haven’t received my 4rth quarter report card yet, but it is definitely above a 3.3 at this point now that finals are calculated in.
So, all in all, after working my ass off for finals; I’m predicting that I got about a 3.5. So please, don’t be so quick to judge if you clearly don’t know the details!</p>
<p>You are asking for advice.
Part of giving advice is to Judge.
You just can’t accept what you are hearing.</p>
<p>Actually I was simply correcting you, but suit yourself.</p>
<p>I was denied from UCLA with a 4.04 UC GPA and a 2240 SAT. I don’t think you have a chance, especially since UCLA prioritizes GPA over all else.</p>
<p>I’'m sorry, but that’s the truth. You could always attend a CC and transfer to UCLA, I suppose, but as it stands now, I suggest to start looking elsewhere.</p>