I’m from Iowa. I have a 28 on the ACT, 3.9 GPA, ranked 30/580 in class, taken 6AP classes, played sports (not much activities due to sports), and graduated with an honors diploma only 10 people in my graduating class received?
Which colleges? California has 23 Cal States, 9 UC’s and a many many private colleges.
Intended major? What is your college budget/year? Small private vs large state school? Near a large city or suburban/rural ok?
Your stats look okay for the Riverside and Merced UC schools and some CSU’s but the bigger question is your finances.
The best funding for schools comes from the universities themselves.
Can you afford the California public schools?
There are no scholarships nor funding for non-residents.
That means that the UC’s will run $60K per year and the CSU’s will cost $40K per year. Also, priority for admissions goes to residents.
Private universities are in better shape, financially, and could possibly fund you.
Thinking about UC Santa Barbara or UC San Diego for a premed program? Finances are not an issue.
First you need to calculate your UC GPA.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Pre-Med is an intention so what major are you interested in pursuing? Coming to California as Pre-Med is a bad idea. California has more Pre-Med applicants than Medical school spots available. Many Californians end up going out of state. Why pay $240K for undergrad in CA then add Medical school costs on top of that? Are you sure costs are not an issue?
Stay in-state, excel there and then apply to an OOS medical school.
My 2 cents worth.
ACT on the lower side for UCSB and UCSD.
Post UC GPA capped weighted.
Did you already graduate?
@Gumbymom according to the calculator I’m at a 4.0GPA. Never gotten a B in my life. Also I want to major in Bio. Whatever happens I just want to get out of Iowa honestly.
Then your best bet isn’t a UC. There are LOTS of good colleges for your stats outside of Iowa. 
What do you like about California?
If California schools are your goal, spending $240 for years is crazy but you might want to consider some private schools that may give enough financial aid to bring the costs down to a slightly more reasonable level.
Some schools to consider: Occidental, University of Redlands, University of San Diego (USD), Westmont (in Santa Barbara), University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, University of the Pacific, Chapman.
I would run the net price calculators on these schools to see what kind of costs estimates you get. As @MYOS1634, there are many schools outside of Iowa that would be a better fit in affordability and academics.
Agree with the other posters. Coming to California because you want to get out of Iowa is a expensive road trip.
You want California for undergrad at the UCs for $240k.
Then, you want to go to med school for more than $200k?
Studying an impacted major, like Biology, in California, as an OOS, with a 28 ACT, will have you compared to every other STEM kid (with much higher ACT scores) who wants to be a doctor.
Your chances may be iffy.
@cornfed101
If you want sunny weather, look at ASU Barrett, where you’d qualify for merit scholarships and excellent housing/learning conditions through their Honors College.
If you want southern California, what about ULaVerne? USD? Those will likely be cheaper than UCs since you’re likely to get scholarships but do your parents have 40k a year to pay?
If you have s strong desire to attend Med School, then your college search changes focus.
You should be searching for an inexpensive undergrad school where you can have the best shot for Med School acceptance.
This is not my area of expertise, but there are parents on this forum who have lived through getting their kids into Med School.
Start over with a more Med School focused question and you can learn a lot here.
You want to know how your undergrad school will support your application to Med School. What is school’s rate of acceptance? Is that rate based on every student who wanted to go on to Med School, or only the students that the undergrad chose to support in their bid for Med School.
There is lots for you to learn about the big picture of Medical Education. Broaden your mind to allow for multiple options.
And finances really do matter in this Education Marathon. Have a talk with your parents about how they will pay for your education. Do they have money saved up already in a college savings fund? Or will they pay from current income? Do you have other siblings who will need to attend college while you are in Med School?
Just once, I’d like to see a post like this on College Confidential:
^^ Actually, my son is from California and we are taking advantage of only applying to out of state schools. Our reasoning is that if he chooses to live off of campus, that the cost of an apartment is WAY LESS than anything we would get in California ! A lot of people here on CC don’t take the lack of housing in California in consideration when making their decisions on California Colleges. The reality is that apartments here are Uber expensive, depending on where you decide to go to school. If you have questions about certain areas, I can answer them.
I hear you. In-state tuition at UCs is a great value – unfortunately, in-state housing is not.
Nephew in CA was accepted at UCs, but went to Lehigh instead. It costs a lot more to go to a private school, right? Well, sure, the tuition is more expensive – but the off-campus housing in Bethlehem, PA is shockingly inexpensive by CA standards.
Conversely, I suspect that a lot of Californians overlook the potential low-cost housing factor when considering out-of-state schools.
Your GPA is a little light for UCSB - but, it could happen. You should apply.
Id also apply to USD and LMU, so cal privates that are likely to offer some merit aid.
Good luck
Below are links to fall 2017 class schedules at UCSB and UCSD for UG Chem. The first course in the gen chem seq (a premed req) is Chem 1A at UCSB, and Chem 6A at UCSD. Look at the numbers of students enrolled in each of these general chem course sections. Certainly not all students in each section are premed, but many will be. But premed or not, the prof in each section is only going to hand out so many As, let’s say 10-15% of each section. As earning “As” is very important to any premed hopeful, the point is the competition for the few As handed out in each section will be simply crazy. Keep in mind students who started at either of these schools tend to be bright kids. IMO these courses are the epitome of “weed out” courses, and often start many premed hopefuls on their way to their Plan Bs. You may want to reconsider the 60K cost of attending either of these schools for “premed” purposes.
NOTE: you’ll have to click on Chemistry and Biochemistry class search at both websites first
UCSB
https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/Public/curriculum/coursesearch.aspx
UCSD
https://act.ucsd.edu/scheduleOfClasses/scheduleOfClassesStudentResult.htm