I’m currently a junior in high school in NJ- I go to a very competitive high school. I will end this year with most likely a 3.5 GPA, as well as a 1510 SAT. I am in all honors classes but no AP’s (as the oldest child I had no clue AP courses were important). I went to a much harder high school freshman year and had a 2.9 GPA, but since transferring back to my public school (still a very hard school) I have done much better (so good upward trend). Next year I’m taking 3 AP’s. My mom is a college application essay tutor, so I’ll have a killer essay plus I’ll have good recommendations. What are my chances of getting into one of my top 3- USC (southern cali), UNC or UCLA? Or my next 2- UMiami or Tulane?
Is your GPA weighted or unweighted? How many AP classes does your school offer? If a typical Junior in your school takes 3 and you took none, I think all your schools are going to be high reaches. If your school, only offers APs to Seniors, then not taking any won’t affect you but your GPA still seems a little low for these schools. Please try to find some safety schools. Good Luck! .
Can you be full pay at UNC or UCLA?
Have you talked with your parents about what they can afford out if pocket, strictly from income and savings, and wether they expect you to earn scholarships?
USC would be a reach and UMiami and Tulane high matches.
You need to start your list with two safeties you like and can afford, so first have a frank talk with your parents regarding the price range they’re comfortable with, then find the two safeties you like within that range.
What majors are you interested in?
Thankfully, I am in a good enough position to be full pay at those schools. I have a fuller list with safeties but really want to get in to one of my top three. I am very much interested in communications/journalism or film studies.
Extra information:
GPA- Weighted only. I have no clue what it would be unweighted but not much different, our school has a light weighting system.
My school offers around 12 AP classes, but they are all really hard to get into and only available for juniors and seniors (you have to write an essay, get a teacher recommendation, be in an honors course the year before, and take a test to get in). Most juniors take 2 junior year.
I know my GPA is low which is why I’m hoping my SAT score (which was my first time taking it) and essay lift me up.
I also forgot to share my EC’s:
-Tennis team (JV sophomore year, Varsity junior and senior year, most likely captain next year).
-Record games for my town’s junior football association
-Spartan race club
-DECA club
-Ski club
-Babysit for 5 families (all would write glowing reviews)
-Internship at a financial company in San Francisco over the summer
-W!SE scholars centurion award for financial literacy
-Write articles for a basketball website
-Student of the month
-Volunteer at town farmer’s market
-Successful sneaker reselling business
GPA- Weighted only. I have no clue what it would be unweighted but not much different, our school has a light weighting system.
My school offers around 12 AP classes, but they are all really hard to get into and only available for juniors and seniors (you have to write an essay, get a teacher recommendation, be in an honors course the year before, and take a test to get in). Most juniors take 2 junior year.
I know my GPA is low which is why I’m hoping my SAT score (which was my first time taking it) and essay lift me up.
I also forgot to share my EC’s:
-Tennis team (JV sophomore year, Varsity junior and senior year, most likely captain next year).
-Record games for my town’s junior football association
-Spartan race club
-DECA club
-Ski club
-Babysit for 5 families (all would write glowing reviews)
-Internship at a financial company in San Francisco over the summer
-W!SE scholars centurion award for financial literacy
-Write articles for a basketball website
-Student of the month
-Volunteer at town farmer’s market
-Successful sneaker reselling business
UCs aren’t a good system for you since test scores are downplayed and grades in specific classes count most (calculate your UC capped and uncapped GPA to see if you even have a shot). If your UC GPA is below 4.0 you have no shot at UCLA. Also, check that you have the a-g requirements. Many OOS students are tripped by the art requirement for instance.
You should still apply to these “reach” schools. You have some interesting ec’s that might grab the attention of the admissions teams. But know, a lot of the students have taken tons of AP courses and fought hard for 4 (or more) years to attend their dream schools. As a result, students can be competitive and professors are assigning work to students that are used to taking AP courses. I know 1 student (3.3 gpa, no AP courses) that was accepted to UCLA, but the coursework has been much more rigorous than she expected.
That being said, I wouldn’t focus so much on the name or the prestige of a university, but really investigate which schools have the best programs within your major. What do those classes look like? How are internships and networking opportunities? Where is the work after graduation? Go to the schools’ websites and look up the majors that interest you. You can then see what courses are required. Different schools have different approaches that lead to the same degree.
Don’t rule out Art colleges and really try to go visit the schools you are wanting to apply to. Take a tour when classes are still in session. You’ll get a better feel of the campus and can soak up the atmosphere. Look at what the students are doing. Do they look relaxed or stressed? Are they interacting? What surrounds the campus? Would you live in the area after graduation? Lots to consider besides just the name of a school.
This is an exciting time. Enjoy your search!
UC’s do not weight OOS Honors courses so only AP/IB or DE courses would get the UC weighting. As stated above if your UC GPA is below a 4.0, UCLA will be a tough admit. UC’s also consider HS Course rigor so taking no AP courses when available will hurt you.
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
UNC-Chapel Hill is probably the most difficult of the colleges on your list. OOS is insanely competitive (only 2.3% of OOS Early Action were accepted this year, 14% overall). I’ve seen kids with perfect GPAs and 34-35 ACTs get denied, so I felt lucky to even be deferred (4.0 UW, 34 ACT). If you have an incredible list of extracurriculars (i.e. building houses in Nigeria, individual state champion violinist, etc.) or if you are a URM, you might still have a shot, but otherwise your chances are pretty slim. However, I would never tell you not to apply to a school you’d really like to attend, because then your chances of being accepted are literally nothing. Good luck to you!
I know a lot of people say it depends on how many your school offers, this is not always the case. While that can play a role, I have many friends at my school who got in to some good state schools with <2 APs and some with all regular courses. I believe our school offers around 30 APs. However, taking challenging classes can compensate for a lower gpa and show colleges you’re ready for their coursework so I strongly recommend taking at least some upper level classes.
When you compose your apps, think about how you present your ECs, write your essays and put together your “story”. List your ECs with the important ones (things you spent the most time on, things that are interesting, things you’re an expert in and passionate about) FIRST. There appear to be some interesting things on your list, but they’re listed below and between things that colleges aren’t going to care about - like ski club (unless there’s a whole lot more than you just attending and skiing) and babysitting, for example. ECs that aren’t important, that don’t add to the app, that don’t show an important part of your story - don’t bother to list those on the app; the clutter detracts from the pertinent details.