Can I still get into a prestigious school with 2 Cs on my transcript??

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Schools I’m Applying To: Cornell ED, Georgetown EA, Boston College EA, Tufts, Dartmouth, UPenn, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCSD, UCSB, UCI, UCR
Intended Major: International Relations or Global Health or Human Bio
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT: 32 (Still waiting for September results)
SAT II: Chemistry: 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75, weighted 4.49
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology (4), Bio (3), Chem (3), European History (4) Taking: Gov, Econ, Lang, and French
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Lang, AP French, Calculus, and Human Biology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
a bunch of MUN awards and honor societies
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity Lacrosse - 9,10,11(Captain)
MUN- 9, 10,11,12 (Secretary of Internal Relations)
Church youth group- 9, 10 (VP), 11 (VP), 12 (President)
Annual school cancer fundraiser committee member- 9, 10,11,12
Principal’s Advisory Council- 10, 11, 12
French National Honor Society- 11, 12 (Secretary)
Yearbook Writer- 10
Student rep for school district lobbying trip to state capital- 11

Job/Work Experience:
STEM education center intern (12)
Political campaign intern (10, 12)

Volunteer/Community service:
Mentor underprivileged youth and help them improve their writing and communication skills- 9, 10, 11, 12
Hospital volunteer- 10, 11, 12
Church volunteering- 9, 10, 11, 12
Honor society service hours- 11, 12

Summer Activities:
Internships and volunteering

Essays: Assuming good
Teacher/Counselor Recommendation: hopefully good

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: super competitive public
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <65k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen American (idk if that counts for anything)

Additional Info:
I had a pretty rough year during sophomore year and ended up getting 2 Cs (yikes) in AP Chem and mostly Bs in most of my classes. My less than stellar academic performance was mainly due to extenuating circumstances and family issues that really took a toll on me. Is there any hope for me to be accepted to prestigious universities?

2

What is your UC GPA capped weighted and fully weighted?

https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

The UC personal insight essays are where you address your family issues.

3

My UC GPA capped weighted is 3.89 and my UC weighted GPA is 4.26 and unweighted is 3.66

4

I will only comment on the UC’s but I think your overall list is very Reach heavy.

Other than the hit your UC GPA took Sophomore year, the rest of your application looks competitive. Depending how you present your family issues, the UCI/UCD/UCSB/UCSD are definitely possible. UCR looks like a solid Match. UCLA/UCB should always be considered Reach schools but you never know unless you apply.

I personally would add 1-2 safety schools although UCR should come close and a few more solid Match schools to your list. UC’s do not consider your Race/Ethnicity but will consider that you come from a competitive HS.

There is nothing wrong with Reaching for the stars, but in the end you want to have some options come Spring.

Some statistical data for UC admits

Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 (capped weighted) and not major specific:

UCB: 12.6%
UCLA: 11.7%
UCSD: 38.7%
UCSB: 53.6%
UCD: 56.5%
UCI: 52.1%
UCSC: 75.7%
UCR: 90.1%
UCM: 96.1%

Best of luck.

5

You might want to ask your guidance counselor to address the fact that you had family and other issues going on sophomore year that negatively impacted your academic performance.

6

Babe I’m applying to two ivies and Barnard with a total of 6 Cs and an F (plus 10 APs, and a W 4.098 & UW 3.765)

Just trust yourself. Explain what you can. I know that my F turned into a really positive thing for me and I also know how it happened, and I’m prepared to explain that. You are a very desirable applicant due to your income bracket and ethnicity. People will make allowances (even though you could survive without them, I promise). Chance me threads are kinda stressful unless you just want a general strangers opinion or validation.

7

As a well rounded African American female candidate with substantial accomplishments in leadership, community service & athletics, you should be a competitive applicant for prestigious colleges & universities. Varsity Lacrosse Captain should help.