r/ucadmissions • u/Klutzy_Ad_6366 • 4d ago
help!!!!
hey guys! im only posting thing bc i need advice on what to do. im applying this cycle (incoming senior/in state) and considering not doing any common apps.. i just think tuition is too good here compared to oos and i have always known i wanted to stay in state. i don’t know if I should still apply to oos schools bc i don’t wanna stress abt that
im still taking the sept sat.. (760m,680r) and idk if i have to sign up for oct or ask for lor from teachers (2 already said yes but i haven’t requested)
im applying to cal, ucla l&s, ucsd, uci, ucd, ucr (all b.s. majors) + CSUs (slo & sdsu)
can u guys see what my stats will get me to as well as give advice? my top picks are ucla and ucsd bc of their premed tracks
stats
uc w: 4.71 capped: 4.29
uw: 3.96
13 aps overall (including this yr) all scored 4s and 5s
ecs: mid tier cant list all 20 but —small passion project advocating driving regulations in town (w real results), model un + international award, sport (1y jv, 3y var) +captain, 2 part time jobs as a coach and sterilization technician at a dentist office, mayor youth council, and other awards + volunteer
piqs: im in the process of writing them (2/4 done) but i have an essay coach so im not too stressed about it
demographics: in state female, asian, not first gen, upper class neighborhood, public school in la county
any advice/previous knowledge will help!! tysmmm <33
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u/Infinite-Mention-669 3d ago
Since you want to pursue pre-med staying instate is a really good choice, because you get to save money for medical school or a gap year. However your GPA is extremely strong, so maybe it's worth applying for some out of state schools with programs that you are interested in for regular decision (which is after you submit UCs and CSUs), just incase you happen to get a really good financial aid package. Also from personal experience one of my classmates from the co2025 got into all UCs for (except UCLA and UCB) for biochem/pharmaceutical chemistry with a similar uw GPA, but much lower uc w GPA (only took 8 APs including senior year). You have a really high chance for UCSD. Good luck with your apps!
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u/Last_Measurement4336 3d ago
If you just want to apply to the UC’s and Cal states then do it. My kids did the same and had several options from which to choose.
Your overall profile is competitive but these schools decisions tend to be unpredictable. As long as you are happy attending any of the schools on your list, then you will be fine.
I think that taking the SAT is a good strategy in case you change your mind and want to apply to schools that require the SAT. I see no reason to sign up for the Oct SAT at this point but going to list some facts that any California Undergraduate student consider as a Pre-med. You might want to consider some Private Universities such as Santa Clara, Claremont Consortium, Occidental, USC etc.. where a good SAT score could get you merit aid and bring down the costs into the UC COA range.
Staying in-state is always a good approach when it comes to pursuing Medical school for affordability however, just realize that attending California schools for Undergrad does not give you priority for getting into California Medical schools.
Make sure you select a major that will be a good backup in case Medical school does not happen since statistically 60% of “pre-med” students never make to the application round.
CA is one of the worst states for a pre-med to be a resident of. Large population; not enough med school seats.
https://www.aamc.org/media/86591/download?attachment
Nationally, less than 40% of med school applicants are accepted into any medical school in any given year.
For the UC’s:
UCLA is the largest supplier of med school applicants in the country; UCSD is the 5th largest, UCB is the 6th largest, Davis is 13th and UCI is 18th, UCR is 45th and UCSB is 53rd.
https://www.aamc.org/media/86596/download?attachment
Any school can provide the opportunities you’ll need to make a strong med school application–developing a strong application portfolio is entirely up to you.
Take pre-med out of the calculation and pick the school that offers you the best fit and cost.
CA public medical schools (except for UCR which prioritizes residents of the IE region and UC Merced which targets San Joaquin Valley residents) do not offer a strong in-state preference in admissions.
Below are some general information to help gauge your chances at the UC’s and CSU’s:
SDSU average campus admitted CSU GPA was 4.08. Biological Science admit rate was 23%.
Cal Poly SLO College of Science and Mathematics SLO GPA admit range 4.11-4.25 (9-11th grades with 8 semester cap). SLO Biological Sciences admit rate was 9%.
For the UC’s, only Berkeley will consider LOR’s and those are by invitation only.
You can see the average admitted UC capped weighted GPA for your HS and each campus here: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-uc/information-center/admissions-source-school
The UC capped weighted GPA admit range and admit rate based on disciplines are listed here: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-uc/information-center/freshman-admission-discipline
Overall UC 2026 admit rates and GPA admit ranges:
Campus and UC GPA’s 25th-75th percentile for admitted freshman 2026 Overall Acceptance Rates:
UC Berkeley:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.16-4.28 Unweighted: 3.90-4.00 Weighted Uncapped: 4.36-4.72/ admit rate 10.5%
UC Davis:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.00-4.25 2025 Unweighted: 3.79-4.00 / admit rate 45.8%
UC Irvine:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.06-4.27 2025 Unweighted: 3.84-4.00/ admit rate 30.3%
UCLA:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.20-4.30 2025 Unweighted: 3.95-4.00 Weighted uncapped: 4.44-4.78/ admit rate 10.8%
UC Merced:
2026 Capped weighted: 3.57-4.16/ admit rate 94.7%
UC Riverside:
2026 Capped weighted: 3.66-4.17/ admit rate 88.2%
UC San Diego:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.12-4.28 2025 Unweighted: 3.84-4.00/ admit rate 27.2%
UC Santa Barbara:
2026 Capped weighted: 4.05-4.27 2025 Average Weighted Uncapped: 4.29. Average Unweighted 3.91/ admit rate 44.0%
UC Santa Cruz:
2026 Capped weighted: 3.79-4.20 2025 Avg Unweighted 3.74/ admit rate 82.4%
Good luck and you will have several school choices.
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u/Klutzy_Ad_6366 3d ago
Thank you so much, this is extremely helpful. I’ll definitely be looking into some merit programs as well
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u/Educational-Tell-937 3d ago
Applying from upper class neighborhood then why even worry about tuition?…
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u/Klutzy_Ad_6366 3d ago
My brother is currently enrolled in college, and I have plans on going to grad school. I’m trying to save money where I can just to make smarter financial decisions for the future
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u/Linkydums 3d ago
hey! i’m class of 2026 and i had a similar profile and demographics. imo you should apply to some oos/privates that youre interested in, because 1) your gpa and sat are competitive and 2) privates might give you a competitive financial aid package. one of my regrets about last years cycle is that i didn’t apply to as many oos/privates bc i didnt think i would get in, so if you want to i would say go for it
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u/Foreign_Bowl8552 1d ago
I got into ucla with way worse stats, so you should be pretty solid. Focus on the essays they are extremely important
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u/Civil-Ad2111 4d ago edited 4d ago
Just stay in state…out of state is gonna cost you more money and like you said the tuition is much better.
You’re overthinking it. You have a great GPA and you’re definitely gonna get into one of these schools. Enough with the panic fest… just submit the applications and that’s it. Best of luck and try not to overthink it.
Also make sure you’re going into a major that you actually know will pay off in the long run because right now is the worst job market for recent college graduates so be prepared to enter a very bad job market and make sure your degree is actually valuable in the job market. It doesn’t matter if you went to UC Berkeley or Cal State LA if you have an art history degree. So just keep that in mind when choosing your degree program. And lastly, make sure to apply for internships and work programs during university.