Hi there…
I was wondering your opinion of what I should advise my son to do, he is interested to go to UCI but I have recommended that he should also try UCR or other UC schools or CSUs.
Also, would you recommend report SAT and ACT scores?
ACT 31
Took the sat twice
1870 - m- 580 r 680 w 610
1800 - m- 600 r-640 w- 560
UC gpa 3.56
He will also have his Eagle Scout rank by application time
UCI is very GPA focused, so if you look at the acceptance threads for the last few years, you will see that they prefere UC GPA’s at 4.0+ while being more lenient on test scores. A UC GPA of 3.56 is even below average for UCR but I think your son has a good chance at an acceptance there. I would consider adding UCSC as another possible UC to the list. EC’s and essays do factor into the UC admissions and many times these will help boost an application. There is no reason not to apply some of the other UC’s, just make sure he understands they will be reaches unless there is a good explanation for the lower GPA. I would look at some competitive Cal States such as SDSU (younger son currently attends), CSULB, CSUF and Cal Poly Pomona.
UC’s have gotten so competitive that is really sad that a GPA of 3.56 is considered low, but it is what it is. I have 2 sons and my niece that have gone through college admissions in the last 3 years so and I know each successive year it gets more competitive but I will give you their results with CSU/UC’s for comparison.
Older son applied 2 years ago. UC GPA 4.2 ACT 26 Accepted:UCM/UCR/UCSC/UCI/UCD/CPP/CSULB/UOP/SLO
Rejected UCSD/UCSB
Environmental Science Major
Younger son applied 1 year ago. UC GPA 3.73 ACT 31
Accepted: UCR/SDSU/CPP/CSUF/CSULB/SJSU
Rejected: SLO/UCD/UCSB/UCSD
Computer Science Major
Niece applied this past year: UC GPA 3.23 ACT 30
Accepted: SLO/SDSU/CSUF/CSULB
Rejected: CPP/UCD/UCSC/UCSB/UCR
She applied with different majors for each school: SLO: Geology SDSU: Environmental Sci
CSUF: Biochemistry CSULB: Microbiology
Major plays a important part in acceptances.
With below median (for them) GPA and SAT, UCI is pretty unlikely,
UCR and UCM look like a good fit. UCSC could go either way.
Solid list of CSUs above, if you are interested in N Cal, Sonoma, SJSU and Chico are also worth a look.
Is private schools/OOS schools an option? He shouldn’t just constrain himself to one state in the nation, there’s plenty of other universities around the US where he has a decent chance of getting in.
CA is a huge state and home to quite a few outstanding schools. OOS and Pvt are typically expensive - especially vs a CSU. His parents have been subsidizing the CSU and UC system, why not take advantage of it?