Succes stories of getting into UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara with a low (3.6-3.7ish) gpa?Answered
I would love to know your stories! UC Santa Barbara is my dream school, but I have a low GPA (3.63) and don't want to be too hopeful.
3 answers
colleges care primarily about unweighted GPA and schedule rigor, and weighted GPA doesn't actually matter all that much (mainly because different schools weight GPA differently). a 3.63 unweighted and 3.88 UC GPA should give you a fine shot to get into UCSB. your essays are going to matter a lot, since they personal insight questions are a big deal for the UCs, but as long as your test scores are fine your academics should be more than enough to get you to the door.
oh then you're more than fine! UCSB's 75th percentile for the SAT is a 1460, so you're well above that. so yeah—your academics are more than good enough
What are you talking about? UCs care more about weighted gpa which is the rigor of classes. That’s why they have their own system of the UC gpa which is weighted and they only accept a max of 8 AP classes to make it more fair since some schools offer more AP classes than others so they use their system to make admissions more fair.
Is that your unweighted GPA? My close friend who is headed to UCSD this fall had a similar UW GPA to you but had 4.1 W GPA. They got Cs in AP Chemistry, Bs in AP Calc AB, Honors Chem, Honors Math, PLTW class, etc. Their ACT was 30. He got into every UC except for Berkeley and LA as well as Cal Poly SLO. Major: Biochemistry
Work hard on your essays, make yourself shine, and something could happen!
- Best of luck to you!
Thank you! My weighted GPA is really low. My school doesn't calculate weighted GPA, but I calculated my UC GPA anyway, which is a 3.88. At my school, we can usually only take weighted/AP classes in junior and senior year. But UC GPA only factors sophomore and junior year, so only weighted classes from junior year counted. But on top of that, this semester became pass/fail for me so only last semester in total counted for my UC GPA. Unfortunately, it was the semester I did the worst in.
It depends on minority background, essay, good ECs, test scores, intended major and also optional pieces such as rec letters, writing supplements/personal statements. Also if you have a relationship with the school such as parents are alumni, instate demonstrated interest. Also your average gpa is .3 below so not outside the realm of possibility.
Good luck!
Thanks! But for UC's, rec lettters cannot be sent, and having parents as alumni doesn't hold much weight. I am South Asian, so not a true minority.
Minority background doesn't matter for UC system... in 90s CA got rid of affirmative action by proposition... that's why UC Irvine, for example, is 77% Asian.
yeah, the UCs don't do affirmative action. background doesn't matter.
I certainly hope so, thank you! My SAT is a 1520, and I have yet to take my 3 AP exams in May.