Would I able to get in to any of these UC's?

I am planning to apply to UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, UCR, and UCI but my GPA is rather low. I am a Senior with a weighted GPA of 3.88 =(. My Junior year was when I started to pick things up, receiving a 4.4 GPA for my first semester and a 4.65 for my second. These are the AP courses that I took so far:
AP United States History
AP Computer Science Principles
AP English Language & Composition
AP Spanish IV
AP World History

I did my independent-studies for AP Calculus AB and managed to pass the exam. However, I am willing to re-take some of these exams because I got a score of a 3. I am willing to get a 5 because I figured that I know I could do better. The only one that I failed was in AP United States History where I got 2, but again, I am re-taking. Should I incorporate this mindset into my UC application?

Also, I have 100 hours of community service throughout my freshman and sophomore year. During those same years I also attended a Youth Group that met every week. I decided to focus more on my GPA in my Junior year, hence the lack of extracurriculars for that year. Currently, as a senior, I am doing cross-country. I also have an art account where I publish my works of art for the world to see, since it is one of my hobbies that has received great praise from others. I was really hoping that I would be able to start an Art Club and or Debate Club during my late Junior year, but because of COVID, I was unable to do so.

I registered to take the SAT on December 5th (my last opportunity, despite the requirement changes due to COVID). I am studying pretty hard to at least obtain a 1420+ so that I can have a pretty decent change of getting in. I believe this is my only chance to prove to colleges that I am worth admitting?

All help would truly be appreciated, thanks in advance! =)

Calculate your GPA for UC frosh admission purposes here: https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/ (use the weighted-capped version to compare with most UC web sites)

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/freshman-admissions-summary can help you with chances (select Freshman Admit Rate and HS GPA). However, expect admission to be more difficult if you want a popular major like computer science or an engineering major.

It sounds like the 3.88W is for all of high school, correct?

Use this calculator to compute your UC GPA. Only count 10th and 11th grade, not 9th.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

UC’s will not be considering standardized tests this year https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/09/08/injunction-bars-u-california-using-sat-or-act-scores-admissions

So an accurate UC GPA will be all the more important for determining where you stand.

Yes the 3.88 is for all of high school.
This is my UC weighted GPA: 4.21
Weighted and Capped: 3.96

Intended major?

No reason to retake AP exams with a 3 score if you get credit from the UC’s.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/ap-exam-credits/

However, campuses or majors may require a 4 or 5 score for subject credit or advanced placement.

Architectural Studies/Architecture, if closed I have Civil Engineering, and Art or Art History.

Two of the exams that I took require a minimum score of 4.

with a sub 4 UCGPA most of the UCs are going to be reaches. You have a decent shot at UCR and UCM but, the rest are pretty unlikely.
Apply really broadly - include all of the UCs that interest you. Also apply to several CSUs, SDSU, CSULB Chico, Fullerton, Northridge and Sac would be good candidates.

Good luck

2019 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 12%
UCLA: 7%
UCSD: 33%
UCSB: 32%
UCD: 47%
UCI: 35%
UCSC: 72%
UCR: 87%
UCM: 96%

**2020 UC capped weighted GPA averages along with 25th-75th percentile range: **
UCB: 4.22 (4.13-4.30)
UCLA: 4.25 (4.18-4.31)
UCSD: 4.18(4.04-4.28)
UCSB: 4.17 (4.03-4.27)
UCI: 4.11 (3.96-4.26)
UCD: 4.11 (3.97-4.25)
UCSC: 3.94 (3.71-4.16)
UCR: 3.88 (3.65-4.11)
UCM: 3.68 (3.40-3.96)

UCB, UCI and UCSC will be test blind this admission cycle regardless of the court injunction ruling.

2020 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT totals:

UCB: 1320-1560
UCLA: 1350-1550
UCSD: 1310-1520
UCSB: 1290-1510
UCD: 1230-1490
UCI: 1280-1510
UCSC: 1170-1440
UCR: 1110-1380
UCM: 980-1260

Target school would be UCR based on GPA. I think you need a solid safety such as Cal Poly Pomona which has a very respected Architecture program. Are you considering Cal Poly SLO for Architecture?

I have not considered Cal Poly, but now that you mentioned it, I might even apply there too.

Besides those test blind UC’s, would I be able to compensate my GPA with an excellent SAT score? My counselor advised me to take it because a score can be considered if submitted. Is that true?

“Scores are not required, but strong scores can help” - getintocollege.com

Test scores above the 50th percentile can enhance your UC application. I also think you need more target schools.

Cal poly SLO uses 9th-11th grades in their GPA unlike the UC’s and the rest of the Cal states.
You can use the Rogerhub calculator and add 9th grades to the calculation to get your SLO GPA capped weighted.

College of Architecture & Environmental Design
GPA admit range middle 50th percentile: 3.86 – 4.25

What’s your budget? Would your family be able to cover the cost of a UC (around 35K/year) or would you be getting need-based aid to lower your net cost?

If your EFC is 35K or greater, you might want to add a few WUE reciprocity schools in nearby states to your list. A few examples:

The College of Architecture & Planning at the U of Utah has undergraduate programs in both Architectural Studies and Multidisciplinary Design. All of your alternate majors are available too (and likely easier to switch than at a UC or CSU.) If you score well on the SAT, you could get merit money and possibly acceptance to the Honors College. CA students can choose to either take the WUE discount, or take the path to residency and qualify for in-state tuition for the last three years.

Portland State would be a safety (and it’s rolling admissions, so you could apply right away and have an acceptance in your pocket while you wait for the CA schools) and has a really nice architecture program that does a lot of public benefit work in the city.

The UNLV School of Architecture offers undergrad programs in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Architecture & Design.

Any of these schools would be cheaper than full-paying for a UC. They all have relatively high acceptance rates, but very high quality programs.

There’s also U of Oregon, which is a popular alternative to the UC system for CA students. (There’s a reason that “UC Eugene” t-shirts exist.) UofO has great architecture program (recognized especially for its sustainability work) and other well-regarded programs like product design and interior architecture. It’s a bit more costly OOS than the WUE schools, but does offer merit scholarships.

If you’re eligible for CalGrant aid and need to stick with the CA publics for affordability, then definitely add in-state safeties. As Gumbymom said, Cal Poly Pomona seems like the best-fit safety for you (Cal Poly SLO should be on your list for sure but is not a safety), with programs in architecture, landscape architecture, art, and art history all housed together in the College of Environmental Design. http://env.cpp.edu/env/undergraduate-degrees The only other CSU with an arch studies major is Fresno State - they just started it this year http://fresnostate.edu/engineering/cm/programs/specialmajor.html

Note that CPSLO and CPP are the two California public universities with NAAB-accredited BArch (5-year) programs.

While your UC capped GPA is on the low end of the mid-range UC’s and out of range for the top 4, 25% of the admits are below that so don’t rule them out if you have some solid EC and essays. Plenty of kids with a 3.9x UC gpa get in each year, chance me threads always seem to think if you aren’t top 25% of the stats you don’t have a chance. Focus on your essays and writing out your volunteer work in the activities section.