I am so confused with my UC results. Before I begin, allow me to share some information about myself with you:
CA resident
White
1350 SAT
4.24 GPA
No APs No SAT subject tests
Top in school (small school with graduating class of 7)
6 college courses (5 As 1 B)
A lot of ECs: robotics tutor job at sylvan, lead guitarist of rock band at school, Jazz, art, programming, 3d printing
150 hrs of volunteer work
Undecided (except UCSB: mechanical engineering)
SO basically here are my results:
UCSD: waitlist
UCLA: waitlist
UCSB: REJECTED.
I cant believe i was rejected by UCSB. Can someone please share their thoughts? Do I have a shot at CAL?
Did you apply to any other UCs? Davis or Irvine or any of the lower tier UCs like Santa Cruz or Riverside? I think Cal will be a reach with your SAT scores.
I’m sorry. UCs have become progressively more competitive over the years so schools that used to be a pretty sure thing (UC Davis and UCSB and even UCSD-at least when I was in school) are no longer sure things. Fingers crossed for you for Cal or that you get off the wait list at UCLA or UCSD.
You basically only have 8 semesters worth of UC Honors courses between your 10th-11th grade. Every other semester of UC honor courses counts as a regular course with no weight. @Emsmom1 has a more comprehensive look at how to find your UC Gpa down below.
UC has a specific way to calculate the grade point average (GPA) it requires for admission.
California applicants must earn at least a 3.0 GPA and nonresidents must earn a minimum 3.4 GPA in all “a-g” or college-preparatory courses to meet this requirement. To see how to calculate your UC GPA, follow our instructions below.
How to calculate your UC GPA
Convert your grades to grade points.
Convert the grades earned in all “a-g” courses completed between summer after 9th grade through summer after 11th grade to grade points: A=4 points, B=3 points, C=2 points, D=1 points. (Pluses and minuses don’t count.)
If you’re a California resident and want to know which of your classes count as “a-g” courses, see your high school’s “a-g” course list. If you’re not a California resident, refer to the A-G course list site (a database of UC-certified course lists in California schools) and the 15 college-preparatory course categories can provide guidance on the types of courses that have been UC-approved.
2. Give yourself an extra point for each semester of a UC honors-level course, with a maximum of 8 points between 10th and 11th grades.
For California residents:
For 10th grade, you cannot use more than 4 honors points.
Grades of D or F in an honors course do not earn an extra point.
Classes taken during the summer after 9th grade count as 10th grade; classes in summer after 10th grade count as 10th grade; classes in summer after 11th grade count as 11th grade.
Honors courses are Advanced Placement courses, International Baccalaureate Higher Level and designated Standard Level courses, UC-transferable college courses and UC-certified honors courses that appear on your school’s course list.
Nonresidents:
Honors courses are calculated differently. UC will grant honors weight for AP or IB courses only, but not for school-designated honors courses. The weight is given to letter grades of A, B, or C.
Add up all the points to find out your total grade points.
Divide your total grade points by the number of grades earned in courses taken between the summer after 9th grade through summer after 11th grade.
This is your UC GPA (for example: 3.57). Do not round up or down.
UC gpa is just 10th and 11th grade with an extra point for AP classes. You also get an extra point for UC approved honors classes. You probably would have been solid for UCSB L&S. But the arms race in AP classes, especially for engineering spots has led to some extreme results.
It seems that the way UC’s are accepting people this year is a bit random. From my experience, there are people with higher GPA’s and test scores that are getting rejected from every UC besides Riverside and Merced. Also, Mechanical Engineering is one of the most impacted majors at UCSB, so this major is getting a lot of attention from applicants, as @ucbalumnus has said. Your GPA and test score are fairly competitive, but 2017 has been the record amount of UC Applicants, and this reflects in UCSB’s decision to reject many students that are qualified to go to that school.
I am sorry to hear that - but, as your results illustrate, there is no ‘For Sure’ when it comes to UC admissions. Accept your slot on those wait lists and look into a plan B. There are a surprising number of colleges that are still accepting applications - ASU, UNR and Boise State to name a few.
we will see what happens.