What colleges I want to get in to, and my GPA and SAT 9(so far)?

Question

Well....I have a weighted 4.00 GPA, and my grades will improve this semester, hoping to get them up to at least a 4.29 :)

I have taken Practice SAT's, and am going to take much more before the real ones, with about a score of 1800.....

Are these good for going into college(I'm a sophomore....)?

Also, next year I will be in all weighted classes except 2 or max 3....so I could have around a 4.57 or better :) (they're pretty easy classes....I'm sure I'll get almost all A's if not all, but let's pretend I do....)

Also, how much volunteer work do you thin I should do? I've done 3 events so far....is that good?

Please help me!

Thanks

(p.s.-The schools I'm really interested in are Berkeley, UCLA, and Cal Poly....for the 2009 beginning year.....)

Also, I forgot to mention that I want to be a math major

Also, (again), I am in an advanced band in my school, is that good? next year should I try out for the "County Honor Band"?

Answer 1

To prepare for Berkeley, UCLA and other UC schools, you should complete the a-g requirements (ask your counselor for the approved courses at your high school or check online at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/ ), study and do well in your high school courses and standard tests (SAT and/or ACT, and SAT II), take as many honors and/or AP courses as you can handle, and commit to one or two extracurricular activities in which you develop leadership skills (more is not better, quality is better than quantity).

You should consider taking the ACT because many students perform much better on the ACT than they do on the SAT. You should also commit to 2 to 3 extracurricular activities before the end of your sophomore year; UCs view long term commitments to extracurriculars more favorably. And be sure to commit to something you are passionate about, don't volunteer at hospitals because everyone else is ... doing something you're passionate about will yield better results (you'll be more motivated and achieve more).

UCs (including Berkeley and UCLA) will weigh the following components of your application (in the order of importance): 1) your essay (Berkeley publishes a guideline on how to write your personal statement at: http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Personal_State_07.pdf ) about your academic achievement, talent or extracurricular activities that highlight your motivation, dedication, and/or initiative to achieve, your potential to contribute to the university, and any special circumstances like hardship; 2) your grades and any grade trends (improvements are better than just maintaining a high GPA); 3) your test scores, including SAT and/or ACT, SAT II; and 4) number of AP courses completed compared to the number of AP courses offered at your high school. Other factors are taken into consideration, but to a lesser extent.

Generally if you are prepared for the UCs you should automatically be prepared for the Cal Polys, but you should double check the requirements for any discrepancies. The admission requirements for Cal States can be found here: http://www.csumentor.edu/planning/high_school/

Good luck!

Answer 2

If you are a California resident, you're on the right track, but you'll need to do more for UCLA or UC Berkeley.

Both UCs expect their students to be top academic achievers and to be averaging at least 600 on each SAT, including the 2 SAT II exams. They also want strong leadership, hundreds of hours of meaningful volunteer work, partime employment and powerful essays. And keep in mind that while you need plenty of honors and AP courses, you only get to add a maximum of 8 extra points to weight your gpa. They only use grades from sophomore and junior years, and only on college prep courses, so that A you got in PE won't ever show up on that application.

CalPoly will look at your college prep gpa, from grades 10 & 11 only as well. They'll use your SAT Math and Reading, but prefer an ACT. They will ask questions about leadership experience, and experience with classes or employment related to your major. There is no essay.
CalPoly will require you to declare a major, and if it's highly impacted (many more applicants than space) the competition gets even harder.

If you're not a California resident, keep in mind that you will be admitted at an even higher standard than California residents. All three of your college choices are state funded schools, and the mandate from the state is to serve California residents first.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Good GPA
Make sure you get AT LEAST 1200 on your SAT...higher the better
when you do volunteer work, make should you stick with it for a long time. Don't switch around the the clubs or activities.

Good luck

Answer 4

here's a tip. colleges don't want a bunch of souless brains on thier campus. take some fun extracirriculars like music, drama, or autos, whatever sparks you interest. This will also give you a way to keep from burning out when you get to college.