<p>You don’t need teacher recs for Cal State and UC. Your GPA and standardized test scores will be far more important for these schools than your ECs, so don’t worry about those. </p>
<p>Baking is a fine EC. The world needs more home-baked cookies! 
It can be more than a hobby, as well. I’ve read about a woman who dropped out of law school to start a baking business after she realized that she was enjoying making muffins for her study groups more than reading case law. </p>
<p>Things you should do now (as in right now, don’t wait on these):</p>
<p>1) Money. Have a talk with your parents about how much they can afford to spend on your college education. Run a FAFSA estimator like [FinAid</a> | Calculators | QuickEFC](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Quick EFC - Finaid) to get an idea of how much colleges will expect your family to contribute per year. Compare this to the cost of going to a UC or a CSU. If the UC or CSU cost will be more than you and your parents can afford to pay, ask for help about what to do on the Financial Aid forum.</p>
<p>2) Testing. Make sure that you have the required standardized testing completed or scheduled, such as SAT Subject tests and the SAT I or ACT.</p>
<p>3) UC a-g requirements. Make sure that these are completed or scheduled for your senior year. </p>
<p>Come back and ask questions if/when you get stuck.</p>