Hi,
I’m currently a sophomore at a public high school in California, and am interested in the University of Washington. I know it’s too early for me to get a real idea of my chances based off of my freshman GPA, but as an overall general idea, it was a 3.72 UW/W (no honors or AP classes were offered to me). This year I’m taking one AP and three honors courses. My extracurriculars are lacking; I’ve been playing violin for seven years (I’m in the school’s orchestra) and piano for one year. I intend to start volunteering at an animal shelter in the next few weeks. I don’t really have an idea of what my SAT/ACT score will be. What could I actively do to increase my chances of being accepted?
Side note questions:
-Do they take PE into account when calculating GPA?
-I’m in honors geometry right now, but a lot of my peers are a class or two ahead of me in math. Do colleges in general look down on this? Would it be beneficial for me to take a math class over the summer, assuming I can do well in math next year?
-This could change seeing as I’m still a couple years away from actually applying to colleges, but I want to major in psychology. Is this a competitive major for UWashington?/does it help/hurt my chances?
Thank you!!
You should really consider the UC system/CSU first as it will be a more affordable option and you will likely have some intriguing choices. Have you looked at the financial side of things? If you have and just like Seattle better and/or have some other reason then I understand.
I’m interested in the UC system also, but Seattle is appealing to me because of the rain, which is kind of unusual lol. Also because of the pet friendly apartments affilaited with the school. I’m very fortunate that the financial side of things won’t negatively affect me, but I’m definitely looking at some California schools as well
As for the math thing, UW wants you to take math all 4 years. Whether you end up in Math Analysis, Pre-calc, Calc, or something else, it does not matter THAT much. But having calc your senior year would put you ahead of the game.
As for extracurriculars, UW really likes to see leadership and places where you excel or stand out. Maybe consider looking into your school’s leadership program, if they have one. Or something where you can have a leadership role.
I believe psych is a competitive major at UW but I’m not 100%. Just pursue math/science/social sciences throughout your high school career. For example, take classes like AP psych or anything that may help you with that major in college.
Keep on playing violin and volunteering. Community service and extracurriculars are becoming more and more important and grades/scores are becoming less important. You have a good GPA so far but make sure you’re taking rigorous courses while still maintaining above a 3.5 if possible. Hope this helps and I hope it’s not confusing!