How can International Students get into UCLA?
Hi! I really would like to get into UCLA but I'm an international student from Canada. I know that UCLA along with other UC's give preference to California residents and then to the rest of US. I am currently on the volleyball, tennis and golf team. I have a 3.5 gpa in grade 10. I will work harder in grade 11 to get a 4 point gpa for sure. 1) Right now, my high school does not offer AP classes until the grade 12 level. Does UCLA generally look at grade 10 and 11? If I took all my AP classes in grade 12, would UCLA be aware of this and will the score be included in my gpa? 2) Since I'm an international student, how high would my gpa have to be to get in? 3) Does UCLA look only at core courses like Science, Socials, Math and English? 4) When calculating the gpa, does UCLA calculate it with only the core courses or all courses put together? 5) What are many things I could do such as extracurricular activities to look better in comparison to others for admission
Is it too late to join tennis team during Junior Year?
I'm in high school and currently a sophomore and today was my first day of playing tennis. Although I'm not exactly the best player, I feel like I have a lot of potential and I love the sport. I'm planning to train once or twice a week. Next tryouts for the team is next year and I don't know if it's looking to be a little too late since I'm going to be a junior. what do you think ?
I took 6 APs junior year, but I am planning on only taking 3 my senior year. Will this look bad on college apps?
A2A. Will being captain of your tennis qualify you for a sports scholarship? If so, then that is what you should be focus on in senior year. If you not a highly pursued tennis player, you need to rethink you senior year. Being president of your clubs and captain of your tennis team demonstrates leadership that will help with your application essays.When you asked about how many AP classes you should take, you need to be specific about what AP classes you have taken — you failed to state your AP exams scores — and what other AP classes are available to get specific advice. You also need to state what universities and major you intend to apply.I totally disagree with any advice given to you without this information. For example, Stanford that has an acceptance rate less than 5% and Cal (UC Berkeley) that has a 13%. Both universities have different criteria in their admitted student. Your background would be similar to Stanford’s selection criteria as oppose to Cal’s that look for social concerns.What I look for in college applications is improvement. It is really unclear if three AP classes would show improvement after a junior 6 AP class. For example, if you took the calculus and physics AP exams as a junior and the two of three AP courses are the next class in calculus and physics that combination shows improvement. Usually a second course in an AP sequence shows improvement.Bottom line: It is not clear if you course load will look bad or good on your college applications. You need to provide more detains in the comments if you want credible advice.
Should I take 4 AP classes in my senior year even if I play sports all year round? Do you think colleges would see me negatively if I had only taken one AP class in my junior year (this year)? Should I take a PA college course?
A2A.In everything, the most important factor is to ace your classes! A shame, really, that the admission system rewards you for being conservative. So:How many AP classes in senior yearPlaying sports year round is demanding, and will make it harder for you to ensure great grades. One of my sons took 4 AP classes in his senior year, while playing two sports all year round, and he had a hard time keeping his grades to be all As. He did , but just barely.So my suggestion to you is to only take as many AP classes as you can take while maintaining As across all classes—-it is hard to gauge how many to take. Of course, some AP classes are easier than others.One AP class only in Junior yearIt depends upon your school. In many schools, it is not possible to take more than one or two AP classes in Junior year, in which case it is perfectly OK. You get judged, in general, in comparison to what your high school offers. If, on the other hand, many students in your school take several AP classes in Junior year, then you won’t be considered as highly if you take one. Regardless, if you feel that you are not likely to ace more than one AP class in junior year, that’s what you should do.PA college courseDo you mean a class from Pennsylvania College? It is definitely a plus to have college classes. But it will be difficult for you to follow one at the same time as everything else going in in Senior year. If at all possible, I would recommend you take it in Junior year, or over summer. Again, only take a college class if and when you can be reasonably sure that (a) you have a good chance to ace it and (b) it won’t cause you grief in other classes.Good luck!
How to balance a sport and honors/AP classes?
For my sophmore year next year i will be taking honors english, world history, algebra, chemistry, and ap biology. i've always taken honors classes which have been very stressful, but i have survived with straight A's and A+'s. i tried out for the tennis team and ended up making it (which i didn't expect since i've never really played before, do you think i should take tennis classes outside of school now?) i also want to stay involved in the school plays which are time consuming but tons of fun. i could do them in the off season. i'm also taking a zero period but i'm not sure how late practices and games run. i also volunteer once a week at the library for a couple hours and take a one hour dance class once a week. has anyone done anything like this or more? and how did you survive? Thanks
I’m taking 1 AP and 1 Honors class junior year but 3 AP classes senior year. Will I still be able to get into elite universities?
I understand your concerns. I myself went through them a couple of months ago while applying to colleges. Nowadays, colleges don't only look at your transcript; they take into consideration your letters of recommendation, personal essay, exam scores, and extracurricular activities. My school did not offer AP courses, so I took a couple of college ones at a local university. As a matter of fact, my school was not the best at challenging me academically. While I enjoyed my time there, students were not held up to high standards. Despite the lack of encouragement, I did well in all the classes I took. Personally, I was accepted to all colleges I applied to (except Northeastern University and Columbia University) including Cornell University, Trinity College, and SUNY Stony Brook's Honor's College based on the strength of these factors combined. I guess what I'm saying is don't worry too much about perceived "rigor" of a class but more on doing well in them and building your academic resume. The key is to present yourself as a well rounded student! That will take you far!
4 ap classes junior year?
Don't stress yourself out too much. I'm a junior and I'm already stressing myself out with three APs and one Honors class: 1st: AP Calculus BC 2nd: Honors English 5/6 (my school doesn't have AP English) 3rd: AP US History 4th: Leadership (Junior Class Vice President) 5th: Spanish 3/4 6th: Jazz Band 7th: AP Physics AP Euro is a bunch of reading. Granted, I crammed a lot, but I got a 4 on the exam. It's a really hard class. APUSH is similar to AP Euro, but easier since it's a shorter time frame. AP Chem is arguably the hardest AP class. Yipes. Honors Pre-Calc isn't too hard. I had a really good teacher, so that made it easy for me. AP Lang is similar to my Honors English class. It's not too hard if you could write an above average essay and if you could read (hopefully, you could read). AP Physics is a pretty balanced class for me; it goes both hard and easy, but a lot of Calculus work. Honors Physics should be a lot easier. In my view, I think you'll have at least two B's. Unless you're completely devoted to studying and decide not to spend too much time with your friends, I don't think you'll maintain a 4.00 unweighted GPA.
Should I take AP biology as a freshman?
AP classes are difficult matters. First, I would think about balance. How many activities are you in? How many other advanced classes do you take? If you have a full load of activities and classes, I would consider taking the non-AP route. AP usually involves reading homework every night and will cover large amounts of material at a time. If you have time and are not prone to procrastination, then AP is the correct route. There's no shame in choosing the easier class, in fact, people in AP may start to envy you. Be prepared for a challenge. Your first AP class is the hardest, and it's not the same as a normal advanced class.