I am applying as a freshman.
Weighted GPA 3.5
SAT 1690/2400 old one
1200/1600 New one
Major CS
Volunteer at a non profit organization
Vice president of a service club
Your GPA of 3.5 is your UC GPA?
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Any CS related EC’s? HS course rigor?
Looking at this year’s batch of CS acceptances, your test scores and GPA are below average. With CS being such a high demand, competitive major for all the UC’s, it will be a tough admit although UCSC admits into the University first and then you declare the CS major.
Declaring the CS Major:
Admission to the computer science majors is selective. Admission to the major is based on the grades received in all foundation courses (see below) attempted at UCSC and will be considered no sooner than the student’s second quarter. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.80 in these courses is required for declaration of computer science majors (Computer Science B.S. and Computer Science B.A.). At most one unsuccessful attempt (grade C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP) for a foundation course is permitted. In addition to this GPA requirement, after the first three quarters, students must have completed all of the foundation courses (listed below) in order to be eligible to declare a computer science major. Denials of admission to the major may be appealed by submitting a letter to the School of Engineering Undergraduate Office, addressed to the Computer Science Undergraduate Director, describing why the prior performance is not an accurate reflection of the student’s potential. Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair within 15 days from the date the notification was mailed. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student, college, and Office of the Registrar of the decision.
Foundation Courses
The foundation courses for all computer science majors are as follows:
CMPS 12A/L (or Computer Engineering 13, or both CMPS 5J and CMPS 11) and 12B/M; Computer Engineering 16; and Mathematics 19A and 19B, or 20A and 20B, or 11A and 11B. CMPS 13H/L may be used instead of both CMPS 12A/L and 12B/M.
UCSC students that have completed three or more quarters at UCSC must complete the foundation courses before they can declare a computer science major.
Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.40-3.79:
UCB: 2%
UCLA: 3%
UCSD: 6%
UCD: 15%
UCSB: 14%
UCI: 13%
UCSC: 59%
UCR: 78%
UCM: 92%
Since CS is ultra competitive for the UC’s, apply widely and include at least 1-2 safety schools on your list.
Good Luck.
I took the course Computer Web Design and Math Computer Programming. @Gumbymom
I also began taking online coding classes.
Is your UC GPA 3.5? How many UC approved Honors/ AP/IB or DE courses taken? Are you in-state?
Here are some CS result decisions from this year to give you an idea:
CS decisions for Class 2020:
Waitlisted CS
UC GPA : 3.59
SAT : 1210/1600
Waitlisted.
3.25 GPA
1110 New SAT
Major: Computer Science
Accepted
SAT: 1520/600 (new)
UC GPA: 3.5
Intended Major: Computer Science
Average number of EC’s
ACCEPTED!
UC GPA: 3.85
SAT: 1440/1600
Major: Computer Science
In-state
admitted to computer science!! GPA: 4.07 SAT: 1310
Son was waitlisted UCSC. Weighted GPA 4.3/SAT 1240. Good essays. Passed AP exams. What the heck? Denied: UCSD. Waiting: UCSB; UCI.
3.5 is my uc gpa
2 honors and 2 Aps
In state
I would say you are borderline with your UC GPA (actually below average overall for the school) at the moment and if possible bump up your SAT score for a better chance. There are no guarantees so it is definitely worth an application but as I stated already, apply to a wide range of schools. Getting into UCSC is only the first step since you have to meet the CS pre-req criteria to declare your major.
Best of luck.
Thanks @Gumbymom
Will I have a chance at Cal Poly pomona
Yes, you have a chance at CPP but CS is impacted so again no guarantees. I suggest you apply to your local CSU where you get priority along with at least one or two non-impacted CSU campuses. Here is a link for the impacted campuses and majors for CSU:
https://www.calstate.edu/sas/documents/impactedprogramsmatrix.pdf
Include UCR along with UCSC for the UC’s and you could always add a Reach UC or two.
If you want to have options, you need to apply to a variety of schools. Have you considered out of state colleges through the WUE program?
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
http://outofstatecollegefairs.org/western-undergraduate-exchange-wue-faqs/
Also try to get a direct admit into CS, since it is very difficult to switch majors later if you are accepted Undeclared.
I am not trying to get a direct admit at cs. @Gumbymom
Why not if you want to major in CS? All CSU’s admit by major, so like I posted above, for many schools you have want to pursue CS then you need to get into the major as a direct admit. Trying to switch majors later can be very problematic.
University of Utah is an awesome option- they have a very good policy to obtain in state tuition after the first year plus do not have impacted programs. Also, the first year out of state is not too expensive. Great campus too.