Match Me: Science-loving HS Senior from Los Angeles [CA resident, 4.0 GPA, 1440 SAT, <$30k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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I am a Los Angeles-based high school senior seeking a medium-sized college offering robust programs and research opportunities in any or all of the following fields: astronomy, environmental science, ecology, and wildlife biology. I value a vibrant campus culture characterized by strong school spirit, traditional athletics, and a sense of community. My ideal location provides proximity to nature and water, alongside access to diverse cuisines; while I prefer warmer climates, I am open to all regions. I love UCLA but due to the competitive nature and financial constraints of large public universities, I am exploring smaller liberal arts colleges that are committed to meeting full financial need while providing the research access essential to my academic goals. I’m also wondering if there are other bigger schools, outside of the UCs, that might offer me merit aid as an out-of-state student.

Demographics

  • US domestic

  • Los Angeles, California

  • Title 1 highly-ranked public magnet HS (ranked as one of “America’s most challenging high schools” by US News & World Reports). I’m only mentioning because it seems like colleges “like” my school.

Cost Constraints / Budget
under $30k/year

Intended Major(s)

Undecided, but interested in astronomy, earth science, environmental science, wildlife biology

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0

  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.8

  • Class Rank: School doesn’t officially rank but I’ve been told I’m in the top 5-7%

  • ACT/SAT Scores: SAT 1440 (750 R&W, 690 Math). I’m taking it again Oct. 3rd.

HS coursework

  • English: Honors English, AP English Language and Composition (5), currently taking AP English Lit.

  • Math: Honors Algebra, Honors Geometry, AP Precalculus (5), currently taking AP Calc AB

  • Science: AP Bio (4), Chemistry, AP Computer Science Principles (4); currently taking AP Physics and AP Environmental Science

  • History and social studies: AP World History (5), AP United States History (5), currently taking AP Government.

  • Language other than English: French 1, 2, and 3. My school doesn’t offer AP French but I will be taking the AP French test in the spring.

  • Visual or performing arts: currently enrolled in Art Appreciation through a community college.

  • Other academic courses: 3 years of Journalism. I’m the Editor-in-Chief of Online Content and Copy Editor.

College Coursework

  • Meteorology- A

  • Astronomy- A

  • Oceanography - A

  • Psychology- A

Awards

AP Scholar with Distinction

Extracurriculars

  • Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP)- virtual summer outreach program hosted by the Stanford Physics Department and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, designed to get high-school girls excited about physics (application and LOR required).

  • UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy Live’s Summer Observing Workshop- 9 week summer program, operated and extracted data from the Nickel Telescope (application and LOR required).

  • California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) - Cluster 2: Ecosystem Responses to Climate from Plants to Planet- 4 week UCLA summer program. Conducted scientific research and remote sensing to analyze environmental changes relative to climate change. My personal project was published on the NASA JPL website (highly competitive application and LOR required).

  • Varsity soccer 4 years (Captain) ; Club soccer until 10th grade

  • Varsity track 4 years (Captain)

  • National Honor Society

  • President and founder of a youth soccer mentoring program at my school

  • Volunteer weekly at a local hospital for 3+ years

  • Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy volunteer

  • Volunteer for Pasadena Humane Society

  • Friends of the LA River volunteer

  • Babysitting for 4+ years

  • Pop-up bakery entrepreneur

Essays/LORs/Other

*Working on essays now with a tutor. I think they’ll be strong.

I’ll have strong LORs from my Physics and Journalism teachers. My professor from the UCLA summer program I attended also offered to write me a LOR. Considering a supplemental essay from my soccer coach/history teacher.

Cost Constraints / Budget

Budget is an issue. My family is trying to keep costs below $30k/year. I will be applying to UCs but my family isn’t eligible for financial aid from UCs, so tuition would be around $40k+/yr and I would need to take out loans. I want to apply to other schools that might be more affordable. My parents make approx. 150k a year working for non-profits. I have one older sibling (attending Brown and received a lot of financial aid) and a younger sibling who is currently a Junior in HS. We have home equity that my parents don’t want to touch because it’s basically their retirement plan.

Schools: (I don’t plan on applying ED to any schools)

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability): ?

  • Extremely Likely: Cal Poly SLO (not quite meeting the affordability threshold and I don’t love the school)

  • Likely: UC Davis

  • Toss-up: Carleton, Wesleyan, UCSB

  • Lower Probability:

  • Low Probability: UCLA, Stanford, Brown, Pomona, UC Berkeley, Dartmouth, Duke, Tufts

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Are there UCs and CSUs in convenient commute range? Living at home and commuting does cost money, but not as much as living on campus. However, living costs may be similar to costs now as a high school student, although commuting is commonly more expensive due to colleges being more distant than high schools for most.

If you do attend a mostly residential college, it can be desirable to live on campus first year if you can afford it.

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Since sharing accounts violated term of service, I am closing this thread. Feel free to make your own account to post.