I’m currently a junior in high school. I live in California and would like to stay in California for college. I don’t do that well in school. My gpa is like a 3. So far my SAT score is a 1260 and ACT a 27. I don’t anticipate that the scores will fluctuate too much. My parents want me to go to a UC. But UC’s are not easy to get into and I’m the first in my family to go to college so I don’t know anything about it. I’m not sure what I’m looking for in a career either. My imagination takes me to being an OBGYN to a to a pharmacist to a plastic surgeon to a kpop star to a script writer to a movie director to an actor. I know that I don’t want to go to community college though. What are some of my choices? What are the easier UC’s to get into? And other school choices? Maybe a quick rundown/ summary of schools and suggested majors? I’m just really lost and need direction. Thank you.
I’m from NY, so I have absolutely no first hand info.
But I googled "Easiest UC Colleges to get into. This came up and may help:
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-easiest-csus-to-get-into-432420/2/
Take a look here too, though it’s not limited to UC’s
http://www.collegesimply.com/guides/low-acceptance-rate/california/
Thank you so much! Your help means a lot to me. I don’t feel so alone in this now! Thanks
For the California UC’s, you need a minimum UC GPA of 3.0 to apply as an in-state applicant, however, a 3.0 may not be high enough except for only UC Merced. However, your stats could get into many of the Cal States.
Here is some admit rates based on the UC GPA (capped weighted) to give you an idea of their competitiveness.
Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.00-3.39
UCB/UCLA/UCSD: 1%
UCI/UCSB: 2%
UCD: 4%
UCSC: 18%
UCR: 38%
UCM: 67%
Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79:
UCB: 2%
UCLA: 3%
UCSD: 6%
UCD: 15%
UCSB: 14%
UCI: 13%
UCSC: 59%
UCR: 78%
UCM: 92%
At the end of Junior year, you can calculate your UC/CSU (capped weighted) GPA: https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
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How Cal States admit:
The Cal states admit by major and eligibility index. They really only consider GPA/Test scores/Geographic location and HS course rigor. Other than Cal Poly SLO, your EC’s are not considered.
You need to calculate your CSU/UC GPA using grades from a-g courses taken 10-11th.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Not sure which courses are a-g and will give you extra honors points, then use this link by typing in your HS name?
https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist#/list/search/institution
Cal states and the majority of the UC’s use the capped weighted GPA.
Then calculate your Eligibility index:
If you took the Redesigned SAT:
(CSU capped weighted GPA X 800) + (SAT Evidence Based Reading & Writing (EBRW) + Math Score) = Eligibility Index
Eligibility index for ACT:
(CSU capped weighted GPA X 200) + (ACT Composite x10)= Eligibility Index
**CSULB and SJSU use a modified EI for STEM/Engineering majors:
http://www.sjsu.edu/admissions/impaction/impactionresultsfreshmen/index.html
You will then be ranked based on EI and major and they accept from the top down until all spots are filled.
You will get priority at your local CSU which you can look up on this link. Local applicants usually require a lower EI to get an acceptance unless the program is highly impacted.
http://www.calstate.edu/sas/onestopkiosk/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf
Impacted campuses/majors: https://www.calstate.edu/sas/documents/ImpactedProgramsMatrix.pdf
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Depending upon your Eligibility index, you could have 23 Cal States from which to choose that will all give you an great education.
Best of luck.
I don’t mean to rain on your parent’s parade but, a UC is pretty unlikely with a 3.0 GPA. I encourage you to apply to several UCs but, just understand they are long shots as a freshman. If that’s the route you gotta take, a CC then transfer is your best shot.
as for CSUs - Sac, Sonoma, SF and maybe Chico
Thank you so much. That really helps me understand a lot of what goes into college acceptance. I never knew about a lot of the probability/ calculations. Thanks again!
I understand that it’s nearly impossible to get into a UC my parents want me to and I wish I had the guts to tell them that. They’re hoping something miraculous happens but I’m not even going to dream about it. They really want me to go to one because if I get into a UC my tuition is mostly covered. Thank you for your input!
If you qualify for financial aid at the UC’s, you would also qualify for FA at the Cal States and many private schools. Have your parents run the Net Price calculators on any school of interest to get an estimate of costs. The NPC can be found on each school’s website.
if i were you, i’d go through the exercise of applying to a couple of UCs - UCR and UCM will be your best bet. Also apply to several CSUs that would be happy to have you. my list above is a good place to start. While you wait for their decisions, visit a few CSUs you are confident will admit you - take your parents with you on the organized/schedule tour. I am confident they will be impressed with what they see and hear. Also, visit your local CC - understand their transfer success, ask them about a program called TAG (which is a UC transfer guarantee) talk to students about their experience, class availability, their progress to their transfer target, etc. Then let the chips fall where they may. As you get your accept/reject notices. your best path will become clear. If you don’t get into a UC a CC then transfer is an option. I imagine you (and probably your parents) will find a CSU like Sonoma to be a more attractive option.
I think it’s cause my dad was in the military so something about that and the UCs. I’m not entirely sure what it really even is. I don’t doubt that I can get financial aid from other colleges though. Thanks for all your advice. I really appreciate it. Do you guys have any advice on majors?