Live Tennis Scores
is there even a possibility of me getting into UCLA or any UC school?
i’m an upcoming senior, and i dont have the best grades, a B average, and i live out of state. i’ve wanted to go to UCLA my whole life. i’m getting my SAT scores in a week, and i’ll be taking the ACT over again because they sucked the first time because i didnt really concentrate. i’m going to be a first generation college student, if that helps, and i’m ranked 80 out of 300+. i’m volunteering and i was on the varsity tennis team. is there any hope for me now? is there anything i can do? ANYTHING?
You can apply, but the average GPA for acceptance in 4.14. However, the first generation college student this works in your favor. Remember to write a FABULOUS essay about the reasons why your parents did not go to college and how you mobilized socially to that level.
At worst case, there’s tons of other schools in LA and in Southern California in general.
The most important thing is to find what you want to major in. Find your passion and find a place that will allow you to pursue it. Your education is only what you put into it, so whether you go to UCLA or CSULA or whatever, you will prosper if that’s what you set your heart to.
Here are some application and college tips:
GREET.
*G*rades- get good grades and take honors and AP classes, if you can handle them.
*R*ecommendations- ask teachers that like you to give you letters for your applications. Give them as much information as possible about you that makes you stand out from a crowd. If they have any anecdotes about your good qualities ask them to include them.
*E*xtra-Curricular Activities- If you play sports, do volunteer work, participate in any organizations or clubs, let them know. Defintiely get involved. Be consistent and stick with a small number (1-10) of activities. Choose your favorite couple and take leadership positions. Be the secretary of a club, join the band at church, keep track of your volunteer hours, etc.
*E*ssay- Write a kick-*** essay for your application. Really work on it. This is your opportunity to let admissions officers know who you are, what makes you different, and how you did or did not benefit from your life experiences. This is where you explain a semester that you got bad grades or why you chose to quit a sport after your sophomore year. This is where you tell them how you stick out in their applicant pool. The topics are usually general, so if you write 2-3 essays the summer before your senior year (find the prompts online), all you’ll really have to do when application time rolls around is tailor each essay a little bit. This is super important.
*T*est Scores- study well for SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, AP, IB, whatever exams. Get a good night sleep beforehand, bring extra pencils, a jacket, fuzzy socks, whatever. Do what you need to do to perform well on standardized tests.
Grades and Test Scores are the main criteria for most colleges. This is usually how they’ll decide to admit you or not. Everything else is a “tipping factor”. If the admissions officer is trying to decide whether to admit you or somebody else with the same GPA and Test Scores, that’s where your essay, extra-curriculars, and recommendations really come into play.
Find a major that you you want to pursue, find colleges that offer that major that fit your criteria (location, size, student body characteristics, etc.) and apply to these schools. Categorize them as follows.
“Really Sure” = “I can get into this school no problem”.
“Range” = “My info matches the average statistics at this school, so I should get in”
“Reach” = “I’m on the low end of this school’s statistics, but I think that I might be able to get in if I work really hard on my essay”
Remember… college is about education! Don’t be heartbroken! Don’t give up! Good luck!
