Hello, I know that is a pretty dumb question but do the UC’s (University of California) compare you to people in your high school who are on the same math track or do they just randomly compare?
This question is important as I didn’t take high school level math in middle school and because of this I am missing out on two UC honors points. Basically if I am compared to people on the same math track it would be fair as we started high school with the same math classes, however if I am not, I am going to be at a disadvantage as they would have the upper hand in terms of extra honors points in the UC GPA.
I know I might be referred to someone who asks dumb questions, but I am actually concerned about this?
Also, I will not skip math classes, I understand that it is very important to get a proper understanding of math concepts before moving on to the next level.
You are overthinking this. And there is nothing you can do about it anyway. Take the hardest classes you can handle and get the best grades you can. Find ECs you care about. Work hard on your PIQs. Stop worrying about things you can’t change and understand that this is only ONE factor out of MANY factors weighed in holistic admissions. Your math class is not what will make or break your application.
Yes, I am also currently taking two dual enrollment classes right now.
I am worried because, of the fact that I will lose the two uc honors points, and when compared to people at my school who have the two uc honors points, I will be at a disadvantage.
And also didn’t you tell me that UC only compares you to your math cohort MYO?
So what? They do not practice rack and stack admissions. They practice holistic admissions. It does not matter if you miss these two honors points. This will not be the deciding factor in your application. It just won’t. They look at your WHOLE application, not just who got the most honor points. That’s not how UC admissions works.
You need to stop worrying. You need to control what you can control - and that’s getting good grades - but in math, more importantly learning the material.
My god, you’re in 9th grade or 10th grade? If you worry this much now…
Most in society don’t have Calc BC.
Calc AB gets you into every college in the country just about.
You are continuing to push this unnecessary fear - and frankly if you step up in math above where you should be, what if you implode in that class?
Calc AB or BC will not be why you are not accepted to a college.
Spend time building a solid overall background - and less time panicking.
And guess what - no one knows where they’re going - and if you want to go to college, you’ll be going somewhere - that wants you, etc.
But you have to stop coming back to this same point 1000 times on different threads because you are going to put such unecessary stress and pressure on yourself - all because of something you cannot control!!!
Which 2 Honors points will you lose if you Reach AP Calculus AB? The UC’s require 3 years of Math through Algebra 2 and recommend 4 so up to Pre-calculus.
They are going to look at your application in the context of your HS and are not going to go in specific detail for each subject area regarding the # of Honors points. AP Calculus AB is +1 Math course ahead of a normal Math progression and they are going to review your application to see if you challenged yourself. It is not about whom has the most Honors points wins but that you show you can get good grades in rigorous courses.
At this point it is what it is. Taking DE courses if UC transferable will add additional rigor to your transcript.
OK now. You are just starting high school. Your focus should be on doing your best in high school, not on “what should I do to maximize my chances to be accepted to the UC of my choice in another four years?? OMG, will that quiz affect my chances?! I’m only the president of three clubs, and there is somebody who is the president of four, how will that affect my chances??!!”
You have no idea what you’ll want to do in another year, much less in another three. The point of college is not “I need to be accepted to a Good College, otherwise My Life Is Over”. The point of high school is definitely not college.
Make a list of what you want to achieve from high school. That’s the list you should focus on, not a list items that you, or we, or your parents, or your GCs think are “what colleges want”. The list should NOT include “be accepted to a UC”. The list should be independent of college admissions outcomes.
In short - forget about colleges for now, and focus on high school.
Remember:
Focus on doing YOUR personal best. It’s not a competition with your classmates.
It’s YOUR life. Don’t compare yourself to your classmates.
You can only do your best, and your best changes. Sometimes your best is an A+, other times it’s a B-. If you’ve done your best, be proud of the result. If you haven’t, that means that will do better next time.
You are at high school to get an education. That should be your goal.
Your extracurricular activities are for you. Do what interests you, or explore new things. While hopping between too many things will not allow you to fully engage, don’t let inertia determine your activities. Don’t let “this is what I think colleges like” determine your ECs either
College is not a goal or a target. It is the next step after high school for some students.
There are literally hundreds of excellent colleges in the USA, and 82 four year non-profit colleges in California alone - 33 public and 49 private. You will find the right college for YOU based on your interests, focus or foci, and what you have done in high school.
Maybe this will help you - last year my kid was accepted at UC Berkeley. She had some B’s on her high school transcript. She did not take the highest level of math (Pre-Calc senior year). Her reported AP exam scores were 3’s and 4’s, no 5’s. She’s a STEM major. She also got into UCD, UCSD and UCSB’s CCS program. Can you believe it?
Based on your imagined criteria she would never have made it.
As many have shared, UC admissions are holistic. Stop fixating on points, they don’t matter. Just be yourself, not who you think you need to be - do what makes you happy and work hard.
P.S. My kid did not accept an offer at any UC, and is having the most awesome college experience imaginable. It will all work out.
okay thanks, I heard that if I start high school in IM1 I will be compared to people who started with IM1 so that means I need to take IM2 Honors and keep getting A’s.
You will never know why or why not you get into any given college.
Forget about what other people are saying.
There is no secret sauce except for this…BE YOURSELF. That’s what any college wants to see.
Find a cool hobby you like, work at an interesting job that makes you feel good, and do your best in school. Make great friends, laugh a ton and cry a little and honestly it will all be ok.
Application readers do not have time for all this. They will look at your application and they will look at your school profile which will tell them what classes are offered at your school (so that they can get a sense of your relative rigor and how you took advantage of available resources) and the average GPA at your school (so that they get a sense of how you stack up). They will also look at whether you are top 9% ELC/statewide to give them a sense of where you stand relative to other applicants. They will look at all three of your UC GPAs to get a sense of how you compare to others in the applicant pool. They will then keep rigor and GPA in mind but view them in the context of the rest of your application, including ECs and PIQs.
What readers are not doing is comparing every class taken by every applicant to every other applicant. That would take way more time than they have. They review your application in like 5 minutes. That’s it. They will look at your highest level of math, but they are not comparing every single class you took to every single class your classmates took. They don’t have the time for that and it wouldn’t really give them much useful information because that is just not how their decisions are made. They will look at rigor and if you challenged yourself. But you can demonstrate that with your highest level of math or through challenging courses in other areas or taking advantage of AP classes or dual enrollment classes. They are many ways to do that.
Again, you must think in terms of holistic admissions. Sometimes - in fact OFTEN - students with lower GPAs but clear passion and accomplishment in their ECs will get admitted over students with higher GPAs. Ideally, you want both of these things. But in holistic admissions, it isn’t who has the highest GPA. It’s the full package. So please don’t worry about something that you can’t change and instead focus on what you can - the whole rest of your application.
Yes, I am focusing on everything not just academics, I am a club president, I volunteer, and have a part time job, I also have a successful blog with over 40k views so far.
I forgot to mention in my original post but yes, I know the 13 criteria in the holistic admissions, and that some factors are more “important” to UC’s than others.
This is a direct quote from UC Berkeley’s selection process:
“Holistic review” refers to the process of evaluating first-year applications where no one piece of information is weighted more heavily over another.
However, the UC counselor information does state that each UC campus will use the 13 areas of criteria as a guideline.
All campuses place the highest importance on academic achievement in evaluating applications. However, the evaluation process and specific weight (if any) given to each factor can differ from campus to campus and year to year.
So there is no definitive consensus even from year to year on how applicants are evaluated.
You will not lose 2pts if you have 8 honors/AP classes. The classes can be any subject and it’s best if they cover a variety of core subjects.
Yes indeed you won’t be penalized for following the math track you’re on, especially since you end with AP Calc.
Starting in IM1 you would need to take IM2H, then IM3H and finally AP Calc AB, and get an A in all.
