I am a white male from Texas.
3.32 UW GPA
3.73 W GPA
35 on ACT
4 AP tests taken
- AP Spanish (5)
- AP English Language (5)
- AP Psychology (4)
- AP Stats (4)
Extra Curricular Activities:
Texas Boys State - Elected Assemblyman
5 Years of Model United Nations - Director General
Head Coach of Mock Trial Team
President of Junior State of America (my school)
I performed very poorly in the 9th grade which had to do with some personal problems I had in my household.
What are my chances at these colleges (I obviously want to leave Texas lol)?
UC Los Angeles
UC Berkley
UC San Diego
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
University of Southern California
Occidental College
Georgetown University (Early Action)
New York University
University of Michigan
Duke
Boston College
Boston University
Ohio State
George Washington University
Hey! I was a delegate from Florida Girls State! I think that you have a good list of extracurriculars. Try and get your GPA up first semester of senior year (I’m in the same position and I’m going to aim for straight As so that my GPA is boosted, and apply to schools with a later deadline). Essays and recommendations are going to make or break you. Your ACT score is nearly perfect, so I wouldn’t worry there. If you have a shitty essay or average recommendations, you most likely won’t be admitted. So get your recommendations from people that you can trust and that you feel know you well. Each school has different requirements as to who is able to write a recommendation letter. NYU, for example, you can have 2 teachers, a guidance counselor, and an external recommendation from a parent, peer, or someone who is unrelated to you and doesn’t teach or work at your school. So that recommendation process gives you a lot of great opportunities to shine through teacher recs. Essays are often overlooked by a lot of students, but for a lot of the school’s you’re applying to, they are possibly the biggest factor in your application. The school wants to get to know you and be confident that you will be an asset to them and thrive at their school. They look for personality and your voice in your essay. Make it the best essay you’ve ever written. I’d even suggest getting your English teacher, or a family member to edit and look it over for you before you submit it.
UC Los Angeles - low reach
UC Berkley- low reach
UC San Diego - match
UC Davis - match
UC Irvine - match
UC Santa Barbara - match
University of Southern California - match
Occidental College - low reach
Georgetown University (Early Action) - high reach
New York University - match/low reach
University of Michigan - reach
Duke - high reach
Boston College - high reach
Boston University - match/low reach
Ohio State - match
George Washington University - low reach
If you’re confident you can get straight A’s or pretty close this semester, apply regular decision to those places
As an OOS resident, your UW GPA is not competitive for the UC’s.
Instate residents have priority.
The UC’s are $55K per year. Can your parents afford that cost for four years?
Oxy is the only private on your list where your low GPA and good but unspectacular ECs don’t make it a reach (you are helped by being male there.) If you aren’t looking for aid GW and BU (which college?) might be high matches. You did well on the APs so you are obviously bright but even with ‘holistic’ admissions GPA matters because there are literally thousands of other kids applying to these schools with higher numbers.
You do have a very low GPA, so that will be a negative factor in college admissions. You also have a very strong ACT score, and your AP scores do show you can handle the material (although they don’t play a role in admissions), so I wonder if your school is particularly difficult in terms of academics.
Strong politically-related ECs that show leadership, so that will help.
In my opinion, here is how your list breaks down:
UCLA- reach
UC Berkeley- reach
UC San Diego- match
UC Davis- match
UC Santa Barbara- match
USC- reach
Occidental- low match/safety
Georgetown- reach
NYU- match
UMich- reach
Duke- high reach
Boston College- match/reach
Boston University- match/reach
Ohio State- safety
GWU- low match/safety
USC/UCLA/UCB: Reach
UCSD: Low Reach
UCI/UCD/UCSB: Low Reach-High Match
Unweighted and Weighted GPA are low for the UC’s which are very GPA focused. Your ACT score is excellent and could help along with your EC’s and essays.
Calculate your UC GPA, since they have their own unique GPA: https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Also check out the Freshman profiles for each campus and see how you compare: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/profiles/
If the UC’s are affordable at $55K+/year with no FA, then we California residents welcome your money.
Good Luck.
Boston University would be a safety if you choose the CGS option.
Thank you all for your advice! And the money for the UC OOS tuition isn’t really an issue for my parents, thankfully I’m well off.