Will I be able to get into UCSB or any of the other same-tier UC's?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Barbara
1

Hi! I’m a junior who really wants to go to USCB (it’s my dream school). I was hoping if I posted my resume I could possibly get some feedback about my chances regarding admission to UCSB? I

GPA:
about 3.7 to 3.87 (mostly A’s, 1-2 B’s)

SAT:
1520 ((taken Junior Year, but I’ve done a retake and will update if it is better)

-member of Young Mentors, an school club that offers free tutoring to under-priviledged kids (been doing since Freshman year)
-officer of Writer’s Block (an on-campus club that offers free help/editing for any English papers such as essays, college apps, and more)
-will be President of Writer’s Block in my senior year
-will have a job from the summer after junior year to the end of senior year as an assistant art teacher
-California resident
-my school is well-known for being extremely competitive and having a stressful environment (one of the top 10 high schools in CA, one of the top 30 STEM schools in the U.S., and one of the top 100 public high schools in the U.S.)
-asian (I’m not sure if it matters?)
-finishing CM Piano Level 10 in senior year
-Stanford Daily (the official Stanford University newspaper) internship in summer before Junior year, published one article regarding the SAT

-strong letter of recommendation from my Junior year English teacher (but I heard UC’s don’t accept them, so I don’t think this affects anything)
-4 weighted classes junior year (APUSH, AP Bio, AP Stats, and English 11 Honors)

I’ve heard the competition to get into UCSB is tough, and I’m really stressed out about my chances. If you can give some feedback, I would be so grateful! Thank you so much if you can.

2

At the end of Junior year, calculate your 3 UC GPA’s which are unweighted, capped weighted and fully weighted. The UC’s consider all the GPA’s in their admission decisions. Your SAT score is very competitive and you have some great EC’s with leadership which will definitely help your chances.

UCB is currently the only UC that will ask for LOR’s from a small percentage of applicants so I would make sure to have 2 ready upon applying.

Based on what you have posted so far, you are well within range for many of the UC’s. UC’s tend to be more GPA focused vs. test focused but your overall all application package will be taken into consideration including Intended major.

Below are some 2018 and 2019 statistical data to help gauge your chances. Make sure you identify at least 2 safety schools (guaranteed acceptance, has your major and is affordable) and build your college list from there.

Keep up the good work.

2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific: (most current data)
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%

2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 4.20 or above capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 37%
UCLA: 41%
UCSD: 70%
UCSB: 80%
UCD: 89%
UCI: 75%
UCSC: 92%
UCR: 96%
UCM: 98%

2019 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range:
UCB: 4.23 (4.15-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.32)
UCSD: 4.16 (4.03-4.28)
UCSB: 4.16 (4.04-4.28)
UCI: 4.13 (4.00-4.25)
UCD: 4.13 (4.00-4.26)
UCSC: 3.96 (3.76-4.16)
UCR: 3.90 (3.69-4.11)
UCM: 3.73 (3.45-4.00)

2019 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:
UCB: 1340-1540

UCLA: 1330-1550
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1280-1520
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1250-1510
UCSC: 1200-1450
UCR: 1130-1400
UCM: 1020-1290

3

Thank you for replying so soon! Because the students in my school are extremely competitive, my resume is average (definitely not impressive in comparison to theirs) so I had no idea where I stood. This was extremely helpful and it took some of the pressure off!

But I think I ought to be a bit more specific regarding my grades because I didn’t realize that UC’s looked at Freshman year grades.
Freshman year was a struggle: I got one B first semester, and two B’s and a C (in double-advanced math which I dropped.)
Sophomore year I got all A’s first semester, and 2 B’s second semester.
This year, I’m struggling a lot but I believe I can get A’s and 2 B’s (for the entire school year).

I took four years of French, and will be doing AB Calculus senior year.
My letters of recommendation will be from my Junior year English and Precalculus teachers (both personalized, and English will be a very good recommendation because I know the teacher outside of class as well for Writer’s Block.)

My school also doesn’t allow AP classes before junior year, so I’m unsure how that will affect my GPA.

Do you happen to know if UC’s look at weighted or unweighted more (I’m applying to the College of Letters and Science only)? (I also won’t be considering UCR, UCM, and probably UCSC for applications.)

Again, any feedback is so incredibly useful. Thank you so much for your time!

4

The UC’s look at Freshman grades only to make sure you have completed any A-G courses with a C or higher. Freshman grades are not included in the UC GPA’s.

The UC’s look at all 3 of the UC GPA’s (10-11th) which includes unweighted, capped weighted (maximum 8 semesters of UC approved Honors/AP/IB or DE courses) and Fully weighted (unlimited Honors points).

You are not a disadvantage if your school does not let you take AP classes till Junior year. Each schools sends a school profile that indicates what and when these courses are offered and this will be taken into consideration during your application review.

I strongly urge you to consider at least UCSC as a possible safety school since the UC’s can be unpredicatable. Like I stated in my original post, please identify at least 2 safety schools when you make your college list.

Below is how each school admits into their University.

UCB:
Note that L&S admits students as undeclared; admission to capped majors (e.g. CS, economics, psychology, ORMS, statistics, art practice, and a few others) is by college GPA in prerequisite courses (and portfolio for art practice) after attending for a few semesters.

UCD:
Admission decisions are made based upon the qualifications of the applicant pool and the number of available spaces within each academic area:
• College of Letters and Science admits by division within the college
• (Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; Mathematics and Physical Sciences; Social Sciences)

UCI:

  • Freshman Selection:
    UCI admits into the University first and then into the major. In the case that UCI is unable to accommodate all qualified applicants in their first-choice major, those students who indicate a valid alternate major may be offered admission in that major or Undeclared.

UCSD:
The campus does not admit students on the basis of academic major or choice of UC San Diego undergraduate college. Alternate majors are considered and capped majors are highly competitive. Also note: Capped majors require additional pre-req courses and specific GPA to be able to qualify if changing majors. Also if applying to a capped major, select an non-capped major as an alternate.

UCSB:
College of Letters and Sciences: Choice of major is not considered in selection to the College of Letters and Science. The exceptions to this rule are dance and music performance majors. Both majors require applicants to complete an audition in late January or early February.

UCLA:
For the College of Letters and Science, the applicant’s major is not considered during the review process.

5

Perhaps its that one across the street from Stanford? :wink:

In any event, the counselors at a top 10 CA high school should be very familiar with UC admissions. You should talk with your counselor to see what they think.