Chance Me/ Match Me: incoming freshman in CA applying for International Relations [3.72 UW GPA (3.85/4.15/4.37 for UC), applying test-optional]

Chance Me / Match Me
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I’m a high school senior currently applying for college! I would really appreciate anyone willing to give me chancing or recommend me to certain colleges!

Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
  • State/Location of residency: CA
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): homeschool
  • Other special factors: one sibling going to college same year

Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: looking for 40k max)

Intended Major(s): International Relations, Government, Political Science

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.72 (very noticeable upward trend only bad grades in freshman year)
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.02
    UC UW: 3.89 UC W: 4.46 (capped)
  • College GPA: none
  • Class Rank: no ranking
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1380 SAT (test-optional applicant)

List your HS coursework

2023–2024 Academic Year (9th Grade)

Course Subject Area Honors Grade
Modern World History A – World History/Cultures/Hist. Geography NH Semester 1: C / Semester 2: A
Modern Literature and Composition B – English NH Semester 1: C / Semester 2: A
Algebra 2 Honors C – Algebra II / Trigonometry HL Semester 1: B / Semester 2: A
Chemistry with Lab Honors D – Chemistry HL Semester 1: A / Semester 2: B
Chinese 3 E – LOTE Level 3 NH Semester 1: B / Semester 2: A
Philosophy G – Interdisciplinary NH Semester 1: C / Semester 2: A
Piano Performance CM 9 G – Visual & Performing Arts NH Semester 1: A / Semester 2: A

2024–2025 Academic Year (10th Grade)

Course Subject Area Honors Grade
Ancient World History A – World History/Cultures/Hist. Geography NH A / A
Ancient Literature and Composition B – English NH A / A
AP Chinese E – LOTE Level 4+ AP A / A
Entrepreneurship G – Interdisciplinary NH A / A
Humanities G – Interdisciplinary NH A / A
Piano Performance CM 10 G – Visual & Performing Arts NH A / A
Course Units Grade Subject Area
MAND 3 – Elementary Mandarin (Third Quarter) 5.0 A E – LOTE Level 3
MAND 4 – Intermediate Mandarin (First Quarter) 5.0 A E – LOTE Level 4+

Summer 2025 (Between 10th and 11th Grade)

Course Units Grade Subject Area
PHYS 1 – Introduction to Physics 4.0 A D – Physics

2025–2026 Academic Year (11th Grade)

Fall 2025

Course Honors Grade
AP United States Government and Politics AP A
Advanced Composition HL A
Piano Performance 11 HL A
Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
BIO 010 – Introduction to Biology 3.0 CL A D – Biology/Life Sciences
BIO010L – Introduction to Biology Lab 1.0 NH A D – Biology/Life Sciences
Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
MATH 8A – First Half of Precalculus 4.0 CL C C – Precalculus
Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
HIST 17B – History of the United States from 1800 to 1900 4.0 CL A A – U.S. History

Spring 2026

Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
BUS 021 – Introduction to Business Computing 3.0 CL A G – Mathematics/Computer Science
Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
MATH 8B – Second Half of Precalculus 4.0 CL B C – Precalculus

Summer 2026 (Between 11th and 12th Grade)

Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
ECON 1B – Principles of Microeconomics 5.0 CL B G – History/Social Science

2026–2027 Academic Year (12th Grade)

Fall 2026

Course Honors Grade
AP Comparative Government AP IP
AP World History AP IP
AP English Language and Composition AP IP
Piano Improvisation HL IP
Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
STAT C1000 – Introduction to Statistics 4.0 CL IP C – Statistics
ECON C2002 – Principles of Macroeconomics 3.0 CL IP G – History/Social Science

Spring 2027

Course Units Honors Grade Subject Area
POLS 4 – Introduction to International Relations 3.0 CL IP G – History/Social Science

Extra Curriculars

EDUCATION

Homeschool Program

2023 – Present | Expected Graduation: May 2027

Academic Interests: International Relations, Government, Diplomacy, Public Policy

Advanced Coursework: AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Comparative Government, AP English

Literature, Introduction to International Relations (Gavilan College), Statistics, Economics

• Completed college-level International Relations coursework examining diplomacy, international

institutions, conflict, and U.S. foreign policy; authored a research paper analyzing international

responses to contemporary crises.

AWARDS & HONORS

National Merit Scholarship Program — Commended Student | 2026

• Earned national recognition through PSAT/NMSQT performance, placing among approximately

34,000 Commended Students nationwide.

National Invitational Tournament of Champions — 19th Place (106 Teams) | 2026

• Qualified for one of the nation’s premier policy debate championships through extensive research,

evidence analysis, and competitive argument development.

• Analyzed complex policy issues, developed affirmative and negative positions, and competed

among nationally qualified teams.

Debate Tournament — Team Champion | 2025

• Developed evidence-based policy arguments, researched competing perspectives, and advanced

through elimination rounds to win championship recognition.

Debate Tournament — 1st Speaker Award | 2026

• Received top individual speaker recognition for argumentation, organization, cross-examination,

and persuasive delivery.

Music Talent Competition — 2nd Place & Carnegie Hall Performance | 2025

• Earned international recognition through classical piano performance and performed at Carnegie

Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.

International Piano Competition Honors | 2024, 2026

• Received first-place/prize awards at U.S. Young Pianists Competition

Competition, and NY Classical Debut Awards.

LEADERSHIP & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Competitive Team Policy Debate | 2019 – Present

• Conducted extensive research on healthcare, agriculture, and foreign policy issues to construct

evidence-based affirmative and negative cases.

• Dedicated approximately three hours daily during major tournament preparation periods analyzing

sources, anticipating opposing arguments, and refining strategies.

• Collaborated with teammates to develop arguments, deliver rebuttals, and defend positions under

competitive pressure.

Boy Scouts of America — Senior Patrol Leader | 2019 – Present

• Lead a troop of approximately 20 Scouts by organizing meetings, coordinating activities,

mentoring younger members, and managing troop operations.

• Develop leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills while fostering a stronger troop

culture.

Eagle Scout Service Project — Debate Education Initiative Lead Instructor | 2026

• Designed and led a debate education workshop through Library’s Teens Teach

program.

• Managed a team responsible for curriculum development, instruction, and educational resources.

• Introduced 25 students to policy research, argument development, and competitive debate

strategies.

• Created curriculum materials published online by the library for future student and educator use.

Youth Action Council — Member | 2026 – Present

• Selected through an interview process to represent youth perspectives in discussions with local

government.

• Collaborate on civic engagement initiatives addressing community needs and youth involvement.

• Participate in discussions with local officials and collaborate on youth-focused civic engagement initiatives.

WORK & POLICY EXPERIENCE

Publishing — Policy Brief Writer | May 2024 – Present

• Research domestic and international policy issues using academic and governmental sources.

• Write affirmative and negative policy briefs used by competitive Team Policy Debate students

nationwide.

• Translate complex policy research into accessible arguments and evidence-based analysis.

Volunteer Tutor & Food Pantry Volunteer | 2019 – Present

• Tutor students from underserved communities and develop educational materials supporting

academic growth.

• Assist food pantry operations serving local families through resource organization and distribution.

Kentucky Fried Chicken — Front of House Team Member | Aug. 2025 – June 2026

• Worked approximately 20 hours/week while balancing advanced coursework and leadership commitments.

• Served customers, processed orders, handled payments, and collaborated with coworkers in a fast-paced environment.

• Developed communication, teamwork, and customer-service skills while balancing employment with rigorous coursework and extracurricular commitments.

Camp — Assistant Leader | 2024 – 2025

• Supported camp programming focused on character development, teamwork, and personal growth for younger students.

• Led activities, supervised participants, and encouraged positive collaboration among campers.

• Mentored younger students by modeling responsibility, communication, and leadership skills.

ADDITIONAL

Languages: English, Mandarin Chinese (fluent, reading and writing)

Interests: International Affairs, Diplomacy, Public Policy, Debate, Classical Music, Civic Leadership

Current College List:
CMC (thinking of ED)

Georgetown
USC
SCU
UMichigan
U Notre Dame
UCs (Berkeley, LA, SD, Irvine)
Tufts
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Have you run the NPCs on all these schools to see if they meet your budget?

You need some targets and safeties - most of those are pretty reachy schools to some extent even with your solid profile. What are you looking for in a college so that we can perhaps make suggestions? There are some quite different ones on your list. I can see the attraction of Georgetown and Tufts for an IR student, but why Notre Dame?

Also, Georgetown is not test-optional.

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Hi!

I’ve ran the NPC for CMC and it fits within my family’s budget. Thanks for pointing out that Georgetown is not test-optional. I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to apply to Georgetown because of that reason and my SAT score (1380) is far below the threshold to be competitive there. My list is mostly no safeties because if I don’t get into these schools I would prefer to go to a community college first and transfer.

I am looking for a college with a strong reputation in International Relations, Government, and public policy where I can study global issues through a combination of academic theory and practical experience. I am especially interested in schools with opportunities for research, internships, and engagement with government or international organizations. I am also looking for a college with a strong academic reputation, especially in International Relations, Government, and public policy. I hope to attend an institution where I can learn alongside highly motivated peers, work with accomplished faculty, and benefit from a community with strong connections to government, international organizations, and public service.

Thanks for your response!

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This is kind of boilerplate and many colleges will fit this. What are you looking for in terms of the actual college itself - urban, suburban, college town, big, small, sports/greek life etc? The colleges you’ve listed run across these. What particularly appeals to you about CMC that you are thinking of ED there?

What about the other colleges on your list? UMich may not be affordable out of state. Tufts is not afaik particularly generous with aid usually.

You don’t really have any targets other than SCU either (I assume this is Santa Clara?). possibly Irvine, I am not sure about that one. I would encourage you to add more target/likely options - in a year’s time you may not still feel that you are happy with CC as potentially your only other option.

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So your budget is $40K?

There are a ton of schools with strength in IR and public policy. Schools you wouldn’t think of - if you watched the Trump trials a few years back, the big witnesses went to Christopher Newport (a regional school in VA) and Kent State. My daughter went to College of Charleston - interned for our state and did the DC semester and interned at a prominent think tank. And she started a club to help the local Afghan resettlement agency.

So you can stay in state - participate in the UC-DC program. And you’d be fine. Riverside/Merced - solid schools. Riverside has IR. UCM runs it through poli sci. You might get into other UCs but if you don’t these are still great schools.

So I wouldn’t worry about the school per se.

When you say things like this - “I hope to attend an institution where I can learn alongside highly motivated peers, work with accomplished faculty, and benefit from a community with strong connections to government, international organizations, and public service.” - that’s most every college.

So because you have a $40K budget, you need to run NPCs.

It’s hard for me to understand your transcript but I do think home schoolers may not get the same cred at regular schoolers. It’s just a feeling. I may be wrong. And if you’re in pre-calc now, which is fine, but the rigor isn’t there.

So outside of a UC, where can you go? You’d seem like you’d like smaller schools - but most are going to be more than $40K.

So run the NPCs as it sounds like you have for CMC. SCU is not safe for admission and dependent upon the NPC, it may not be for $40K.

I don’t see U Mich getting to $40K. It’s more than double that and they don’t meet need for out of state. UVA and UNC are the two schools that assure to meet need. W&M and Wisconsin offer the possibility. So run the NPCs. I don’t see you getting into any of these - by the way.

U Denver has good merit and is well known for IR. Whether or not it gets to $40K, I can’t say. But it’s a solid likely.

You might check the NPCs of meet needs schools that are 2nd level - like Dickinson, Macalester, Occidental. There’s many other LACs.

There are few colleges like you desire that can get to $40K, without need. There would be WUE schools (schools like NAU, Reno, Wyoming), some Southern and Midwestern publics (like U Kansas), and some regional LACs like Allegheny, Rhodes, Kalamazoo and more. They may but not necessarily.

When you have a budget, you need to pick schools for the budget moreso than anything else. So run the NPCs on your list.

When I see your list, if I had to bet and I can’t tell you about the UCs, but I think you will be shut out - given your GPA, test optional status (which likely hurts) or test scores, and math rigor.

Expand your UC list, add CSUs and while I don’t know your goals, given your major, you can be successful from many schools. And while you can try for those on your list, you need others that you will get into. I’m just not seeing it.

I do see your community college note - but let me ask you this - what is the goal? I think you’d be surprised at what you can accomplish from many places, hence I listed many real world experiences above. You can’t afford the school but as an example - at my daughter’s school - they had the Mroz Institute, brought up many ambassadors, had an incredible professor who has worked in multiple administrations. It’s a regional public.

Here’s a partial bio - He was appointed by President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Black Sea regional policy, and regional nonproliferation issues. He also served as Director for Europe and Eurasia and as Director for South and Central Asian Affairs on the National Security Council in the White House.

So trust me when I tell you - you don’t need to be at a heavy hitter. US News or whatever source you used is not the arbiter of gaining success.

Nothing wrong with community college but if you want an under $40K school, they are out there and you’re not necessarily disadvantaged vs. the schools on your current list.

Good luck.

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The Princeton Review (print edition) includes a sampling, “Great Schools for International Relations and Affairs Majors,” which may help you generate a few ideas for colleges to research further. Below you can see all the schools that appear, which you can then screen based on your criteria:

Claremont McKenna
Hamilton
Middlebury
Occidental
Connecticut College
Lewis & Clark
Bucknell
Lafayette
Gettysburg

UChicago
Georgetown
Tufts
George Washington
American
Clark
Harvard
Yale

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Based on your description I might suggest you check out Gettysburg College in particular. It is pretty close to DC–as you might know if you are familiar with Civil War history–and leverages that in some cool ways. And one of the coolest is it hosts the Eisenhower Institute:

You can poke around but high level it provides a lot of opportunities for the sorts of engagement and experiences you were describing.

If that sounds interesting, definitely check the NPC before getting too far.

Another cool option could be Macalester. Macalester has a great location in the heart of the Twin Cities, where are very diverse and globally-connected. And Macalester hosts the Kofi Annan Institute:

Again you can poke around, but it might be a good fit for what you described. Same caveat about the NPC.

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If you must apply to this list of reach schools, I would suggest adding Calc and a lab science course in second semester.

If you really would be satisfied with going to CC in Fall 2027, then your list is fine. But, I challenge you to reconsider that, and take time to reflect on how you would feel in April next year if CC is your only option.

I agree with other posters that you could have other options that would give you a four year residential experience, but you have to identify those schools now so that you get apps in by the schools’ deadlines. You can not count on schools having openings with financial aid in spring next year, besides Merced and maybe some CSUs.

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Since you are already completing the UC application, I would send it to other UCs - Davis, Riverside, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara

Maybe I missed it. Have you visited any of the campuses on your list? What appeals to you about the different colleges? CMC is quite different from most of the colleges on your list, especially USC, and Berkeley.

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Q: What type of college does your sibling currently attend? (In-state CC, public university, or private university in-state or OOS). You don’t need to disclose the name of the school if you don’t want to.

9th grade: Modern World History, Modern Literature and Composition, & Philosophy. You were assigned "C"s during the 1st semester & "A"s during the 2nd - are all of these grades visible on the official transcript or just one final EOY grade per class?

MATH 8A & MATH 8B: For First Half of Precalculus, you received a “C”. Under your own definition, this is also a ‘bad’ grade during 11th grade. You were assigned a " B" for Second Half of Precalculus. This could matter for a really competitive school like Claremont McKenna during an initial screening. I assume that the class is regular or honors level & not comparable to AP.

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I encourage you to interrogate this seriously before embarking on a pretty risky application plan. Your list is almost all reaches, and some of them are unlikely to meet budget, leaving you at high risk for zero or maybe one acceptance (which may or may not be affordable). Really try to think through how it will feel in May if you have no options but community college.

I think sometimes students surface level think they’ll be fine going to a safety (or a community college) if their reaches don’t pan out, but that often reflects some magical thinking along the lines of “surely I won’t really be shut out of all of my reaches.” Unfortunately this can and does happen, often. It doesn’t cost you much to add in a few targets (or safeties) right now to give yourself more options next spring. Maybe you’re 100% right about yourself, and you’d still choose the “go to community college and transfer” option should your reaches not pan out, in which case you’ll have wasted some time on those additional apps. But, you might be really glad later that you have more choices, so it would be a small price to pay now (time) to give yourself that choice next year.

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The UC’s especially UCLA and Berkeley will consider your Unweighted and Weighted Uncapped GPA’s in their admission decisions so can you post the Weighted Uncapped GPA also?

Confused on how you listed your Junior year classes and grades since some classes only show 1 grade vs 2 grades for the classes in Sophomore year. I know that the DE classes are 1 semester but Advanced Comp is a year class or only a semester? The UC GPA calculations look off especially with having 2 B’s and a C grade. Just trying to make sense of your academic record.

I agree with @lkg4answers that you should add a few more UC’s to the list since you do have budget constraints.

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Additionally, the music school is top-notch, and relatively accessible to non-majors; there’s an audition-based music minor that might be a great fit.

Plus, given the leadership emphasis plus strong academic record, you’d be a great candidate for one of their leadership cohort programs - either the coed Pioneer Leadership Program or the single-gender CWC Leadership Scholars program if you’re female. Both are selective and have their own housing.

Plus, the travel would be easy; the campus is a straight shot from the airport on public transit, and there are tons of direct flights from anywhere in CA.

Could be worth applying to see how much merit $ they’d toss your way!

CMC does give a pretty big ED “bump,” so that’s a good ED choice if it’s your true first choice, given that the NPC looks favorable. (Again in the “if you’re female” category, running the NPC for Scripps could also be a good idea, as you could access most of the same classes and opportunities as a Scripps student; the campuses are immediately adjacent and most aspects of campus and academic life are very much blended.)

I don’t see how UMich would get to your budget. They give some need-based aid to OOS students but typically only for truly low-income families. Have you looked into the projected cost there?

Good luck!

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I’m wondering what you think will make any of the schools a better fit for you yuan any other schools? I’m wondering what you think you’ll actually be doing differently in one school vs another in class on a day-to-day basis? Why did you choose this list and reject others?

As others have said they are all reaches except for Santa Clara - as they are for just about everyone who applies.. They are swamped with so many applicants that they only have room for a small fraction of them. But there are colleges where students have amazing experiences because the approaches to teaching and learning vary from one school to another. You have had a non-traditional experience during your high school years. Are you looking for more of the same or something different?

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Some less selective colleges may have distinguishing features that would make them better choices for the study of IR than some of the colleges on your current list. Lewis & Clark, for example, runs its own term-length program in Washington, D.C.

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Based on 29 semesters of A grades, 2 semesters of B grades, and 1 semester of C grade in 10th-11th grade, with 14 semesters of those in AP or college courses, your GPAs for UC would be 3.85 (unweighted), 4.15 (weighted capped), and 4.37 (fully weighted).

Freshman admission by discipline | University of California can help you compare the 4.15 weighted capped GPA to social sciences admit and enroll GPA ranges and admit rates for various UC campuses.

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Absolutely. Union College (NY) also runs its own Term in Washington, led by its own faculty. If you look, you’ll find others as well. College of Wooster plays heavy emphasis on faculty mentored independent study & research. Hobart is now transitioning to the same approach, also for all students. Conn College and Grinnell are two examples of colleges which invest a lot into helping students develop their own individualized paths.

As you said, @merc81, there are many, many interesting and varied approaches to teaching and learning, which are really what makes the difference - not good, better, and best.

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Excellent post, and I would add I think part of the magical thinking is the idea time in CC will radically improve their chances of getting into Reaches.

There are certainly kids who NEED time in CC to establish a better academic record, but that is more usually for getting into selective four-year colleges at all, not Reaches.

But if you are already capable of getting into very selective colleges, just not the reachiest colleges, it is unlikely CC will do anything to meaningfully enhance your competitiveness.

That said, if there is a specific, formalized pipeline between certain CCs and certain in-state publics, and you don’t immediately get admitted to those publics, but that is what you really want–maybe.

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I would also argue that in some cases, CC can actually be frustrating to these students. (Not always of course, it seems one issue would be running out of math which doesn’t look to be an issue here.) Some California CCs are more “feeder” CCs than others and /or have different student body focuses, so if OP does go this route they may want to look quite carefully into which ones might give them more of an environment which might suit them better as well as give them a better chance of a transfer into their preferred UCs.

CC as a fallback was my student’s ultimate safety too when they started the application process, but by the time they had a number of admits in hand (they didn’t have a reachy list like OP’s) they were much happier to have a number of 4-year options to choose from. To my mind, optionality is always important. I would strongly urge OP to add at least 2-3 affordable target/likely colleges to their list for this reason. If they still decide they’d rather do CC by the end of the process that’s fine, but it will be a choice rather than the only option.

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This does always strike me as an obviously sensible goal. And as you point out, just a small number of carefully chosen applications will very likely make sure it is satisfied.

So it seems like pretty cheap “insurance”.

I will additionally note that in my experience, a decent fraction of kids end up “surprising themselves” by choosing a Likely or Target even after getting some Reach offers as well. Just months earlier they might have found that inconceivable, but this can be a very dynamic time in terms of reflecting about what really matters to you. So, sometimes there are merit or honors offers involved, sometimes particularly interesting academic programs, or something else that this college offers that isn’t capture in generic rankings, acceptance rates, or so on.

Or not, and you choose a Reach. But again, for such a low cost, why not give yourself this sort of happy chance to be surprised as well?

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