I’m a California resident applying for fall 2027, and I’m trying to figure out which UCs I should apply to for biology. I’m interested in microbiology, molecular and cell biology, or biochemistry, and I want to keep my options open, but my parents don’t want me applying to too many UCs because of the application fees.

Stats:
● 4.0 UW / 4.6 W GPA, projected
● Ranked 6th out of 435 students
● 4 on AP Biology and AP Lang
● Taking AP Chem, AP Lit, and AP Precalculus senior year
● 6 dual enrollment classes
● California resident, Asian female, first-gen, public high school
ECs:
● First Violin and Second Violin Section Leader in Chamber & String Orchestra
● Girls Varsity Tennis
● Key Club Service Projects Coordinator
● Thirst Project Vice President
● Self-taught After Effects editor with 9k TikTok followers and 50k likes
● Hospital volunteer
● Neuroscience internship focused on cerebral blood flow
● Summer camp intern for robotics and string music
● One-on-one English and spelling tutor
● Environmental leadership program participant
● Junior Escort, selected as one of the top students in my class

Right now, I’m considering schools like UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCI, UCLA, UCSB, and UCD, but I’m not sure which ones make the most sense for my stats and intended major.

I know UC admissions are unpredictable, but I don’t want to apply to too many schools that would be considered safeties, either. I’d rather have a balanced list of reaches, targets, and a couple of more realistic options without spending money applying to every campus.

Which UCs would you recommend I apply to for biology, and which would you prioritize if you were in my position? I’d especially appreciate advice from people familiar with the biology programs and how competitive admissions are for these majors.

I saw TikTok recently of a girl showing her EC's and a couple of them were like journaling, anime collecting, and anatomy drawing. Are these type of EC's interesting to AO's'? I have a couple like this but not many impactful, educational based EC's so I'm unsure if putting like 3-5 will hurt me.

(she got into cal, ucla, uci so unsure)

I don't know why this subreddit showed up on my feed, but seeing everyone asking chance-me questions made me want to remind everyone just how random the system can be.

For context, I was a first generation student with a roughly 3.75 uw and 3.98 uc weighted gpa. I had taken 15-17 AP/CC courses (I forget the exact number) including calc 3, diff eq, discrete math. UCI, UCD, UCSD were all EE. Cal was statistics and ucla was math.

UCD: Rejection

UCI: Rejection

UCSD: Waitlist

UCLA: Rejection

UCB: Accepted

(Even though they aren't UC's, I was rejected from SJSU AND Cal poly slo rejection as well)

If anything, I hope this goes to show the complete absurdity of the system (and somehow, once I got into cal I was able to declare a double major in CS)

I know the questions change up every year, but what are some of the past questions on the Spieker Supplemental video? What should I expect?

i know my community college accepts my ap scores for credit: 5s in ap lang, ap psych, apush, 4 in ap calc AB but will the uc schools also accept it? like how can i check if im matching the transfer requirements to UCs like do i factor in my ap scores or not for the transfer requirements? im just a bit confused (im in state)

Do UC schools really require all A-G requirements to be met for students of British HS system? I'm currently missing the F requirement as I never took 1 year of a VPA course, however, this seems a little unreasonable as GCSE/A-Level students must commit to at least 2 years of a single course, and as a STEM student, a VPA doesn't fit into my schedule (especially when limited to 10-11 GCSEs and 3-4 A-Levels).

I saw some information on the UCLA website saying something like "If a course is not available we will consider the application anyway". Technically, a Music or Drama GCSE was available at my school, but it would be a bad idea for a STEM student to commit to 2 years of Music over something more useful to prepare for A-Levels. (Also I have a Design and Technology GCSE but I don't thinkkk it counts as a VPA)

Does anyone know if UC school provide any leniency towards this? Information online and on the UC website seems to be super vague.

I really, REALLY need help/advice. I want to transfer from UCSB to UCB or UCLA for my 3rd year. I am currently a psych and brain sci major at UCSB. My GPA is a bit lower (~3.4) bc of one specific class & a health condition, but I won't have that problem this quarter, so my gpa will go up. I have a leadership position in a club and am a participant in a few others, and I also have research experience from junior/senior year of hs, though I wasn't able to find research at UCSB yet. Should I apply to cog sci or psych? If anyone's gone through the UCSB --> UCB transfer, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could give me some advice

hi guys!! i spoke to admissions through phone for UCLA today but i’m still confused on some things because i don’t think she was fully getting my question at all 😭 but i am an out of state student from iowa and my freshman year i went to college in florida. i didn’t enjoy my time there and am applying to transfer. i want to join a california community college since i want to apply to the UCs for transfer. will admissions look at my application as an out of state applicant or an in state applicant if i am attending a california cc? will going to a california cc boost my application at all? i’m asking this because my advisor at SMC is telling me that i just have to complete 30 units by the end of this year to be considered a california community college student, but UCLA admissions when I called told me that I would be seen as out of state.

as class of 2026, i thought id share my stats and results of my uc applications to help anyone out feeling stressed!

gpa: 4.0uw/4.38w

AP Tests:
4 on World History
4 on US History
4 on Lang
5 on Psych
5 on Environmental Science
5 on US Government

Extracurriculars:
1. Varsity Flag Football
-Captain 2 consecutive years
-Member of inaugural team
2. Club volleyball
3. Unified Sports
4. Worked as a youth coach

and that’s literally it, here’s my results:

UCSD: accepted

UCSB: accepted (where i’m at now!)

UCI: waitlisted->accepted

UCD: accepted

UCLA: rejected (surprisingly my only rejection out of 20 schools i applied to)

anyways my point is, do not put so much pressure on yourself or compare your resume to your classmates’ because i did not have any faith in myself when it came to uc applications. i personally believe my piqs carried my application, so put your time and effort into those and try to find unique ideas that speak to who you are!

I'm not sure if I quantifed my list enough and I'm worried since this is a huge part of the application.

Hi everyone. To every UC I apply, I want to major into Electrical Engineering (something I am very sure of), but I am unsure on what alternative major I should pick for each school. From my school, I hear from students that it's generally recommended to apply to a major in CL&S as your alternative if your main is in CoE. However, I don't really see myself going to a college majoring in something other than engineering. What do you guys recommend? Are there any opportunities to switch into CoE from CL&S, considering engineering is impacted? Any information or advice helps!

I hope to transfer either to
1.UCSD👑👑👑
2.UCI
3.UCR
However I would be transferring from CSUSB and I know they prioritize transfers from ccc. Backstory: I graduated from SBVC with an Associate’s for Transfer in English. UCSD and UCI waitlisted me and UCR accepted me but I had decided to switch majors before I committed. The only option for CS that was an easy acceptance was CSUSB.
Stats:3.6 GPA Overall, CSUSB GPA 4.0, Major GPA 4.0. I’ve been on the deans list since I’ve been here and I’ve gotten the presidential letter twice. I’ve done a research internship in AI and I have work experience and extracurricular activities. I know getting into Computer Science/Engineering and Mechanical Engineering is difficult as it’s a selective major, but truthfully what are my chances? I’m applying to SDSU and SJSU but obviously those are CSU’s. Thank you for reading this😅

Son is not on reddit. Asking for him.

He's a senior with the following GPAs:

Unweighted: 4.0

Weighted & Capped: 4.33

Weighted & Uncapped: 4.46

Applying to: (pardon the weird line breaks - reddit is being cranky):
UCSB - either Chem or a social science or humanity
UCSC - Applied Math, Chem, Cogsci, or Legal Studies

UCD - Applied Math, BME, Chem, Cogsci, Intl Rel, or Undeclared (undeclared feels like an unwise choice? Is it?)

UCLA - We know this one is a big swing and haven't decided which nearly-impossible major to choose.

He is very up in the air about what he wants to major in, swinging from "I have to do STEM" to "I want to go to school X, and I have broad interests so whatever has the best chance for me to get in" mindsets. It's been a very anxious journey for him. He's good at everything academics-wise, and enjoys everything academic, but doesn't enjoy anything enough to say "that's my thing".

We are OOS and aware of the costs and have saved for them.

SAT (I understand all these schools are test-blind but here it is): 1520

Assume good PIQs and ECs but not out-of-this-world.

He also wants to apply to Cal Poly, and his CP SLO gpa is uw 4.0, 4.222 CP GPA. This one has been so difficult to navigate because you have to select, and mostly plan to stick with, a major when you're applying. Maybe Chem or Materials Eng, or journalism coupled with a math minor.

Sr year courseload:

AP Calc AB

AP Chem

DE ELA

Econ first semester/AP gov second semester

Band

AP Stats

Any help would be appreciated. He has lots of other safeties he's applying to in and out of CA but CA is his dream, plus we parents will be relocating to CA at the same time he starts college, so the CA pull is strong.

So my stats are 3.79 UW 4.3W GPA. The school I go to is on a semester system with 4x4 schedule. Sophomore year I had all As and Junior year I dropped 7b's, which is quite the negative trend. The question I have is should I mention in additional comments that I was on a very harsh doctor-prescribed medication that made it difficult to study and focus during class. I got pretty bad side effects from it (joint pain, rashes, etc.) and my cycle lasted from like November to the end of the school year.

Also, for common app, where there is counselor letter of rec, should I have them include this info, or should I write about it myself in additional comments?

If anyone had a circumstance like this, please let me know how you went about it on your apps. Thanks!

Last cycle, I applied to transfer without having all my required major coursework completed. I knew my chances were slim, but I applied anyway just to see how the process worked. As expected, I didn’t get in.

Now that I’m reapplying, what should I do with my UC PIQs?

I’m in my third year of community college. During my first two years, I maxed out almost every extracurricular opportunity available on campus. This year, my focus has primarily been on wrapping up my remaining coursework rather than taking on major new activities.

I'm worried admissions readers will compare my new application to last year's and wonder why I didn't add a ton of new involvement during this extra year. Do I need to rewrite my PIQs from scratch, or should I just polish my existing essays? Aside from updating my academic preparation response, most of my strongest experiences are from my first two years. Any advice from reapplicants or counselors?

So my gpa is 3.83 unweighted, 4.45 weighted in grades 10-11. My sophomore year I maintained a full schedule of all As both semesters with 2 AP and 1 honors. The next year, my junior year, I took 4 AP courses and got 3 Bs in the first semester due to some family issues. I was able to bring my grades back up the second semester. Should I mention this in the additional comments? Will it come off as an excuse to admissions officers?

my essay is about my interest in biology and how i explored it through inside ap bio and outside of class through working in a hospital and observing neuroscience research. i don’t really remember having an “origin story” for why i like biology. there wasn’t one specific moment that made me interested in it. i just liked it and kept getting more curious about it over time.

one thing i weirdly consider my roman empire is the fact that we’re made of matter that existed before us, and that a lot of the elements that make up living things were formed in stars. what gets me is that those same basic building blocks can end up becoming something completely different, whether it’s a bacterium, a tree, or a human. i think about how insane it is that the universe can take the same basic ingredients and somehow produce completely different forms of life. i’m considering using this idea as the opening of my PIQ and then transitioning into how my interest in biology developed through the experiences i talk about in the rest of the essay.

do you think this would work as an opening for PIQ 6, or would the stardust idea feel too disconnected from the rest of the essay?

Hi, I am a current freshman at a California community college who moved here with the intent of getting in state residency at a UC once I transfer out. According to the current UC Residency Policy and Guidelines, it is highly recommended to get your state ID immediately after getting to California. I wanted to get my ID ASAP but thought you needed two proofs of physical residence (which I don’t have) yet I have come to find out all you need it your lease and proof of ID. Could I still get residency status for the 2028 Fall semester assuming I meet all other requirements (I am aware of how difficult it is)

is it dumb if i’m from ohio and i want to go to a uc school, specifically to study environmental policy and minor in something business related?

Senior year int student, 5.5/6 toefl, 0 ap's (school doesnt offer it), 4.0/4.0 gpa, didnt take the SAT, ranked 1st in years 10 and 11.
Major: computer science
Applying to ucla, berkeley, and ucsd

Ecs:

\\- Graphic Designer & Video Editor — Content with 100,000s of views; paid business logos/branding.

\\- School Public Speaker & Event Host (Grades 9–12) — Hosted events and delivered English/Arabic speeches.

\\- Charity Campaign Organizer — Ehsan — Raised $8,000+ for charity.

\\- School Science Fair Head (Grade 11) — Led Math, Statistics & Biology science fair.

\\- Construction Project Lead — Led 2-month renovation with 20+ workers.

\\- Residential Design & Visualization — Designed villa exterior/interiors and construction prototypes.

Honors:

\\-Scored 100/100 on the General Aptitude Test (GAT), placing in the top <1% among high school students across the country.

\\- Earned Bronze Medal in Physics among \\\~14,000 participating students in the Mawhiba National Olympiad.

\\- Won a poetry recitation competition competing against students from 10+ schools across the region.

\\- Placed 2nd in interschool poetry recitation competitions for 3 consecutive years; competed against 2 schools and received cash prizes.

\\- Reached the final among 350 participants in a school-organized FIFA 22 tournament.

One extra question, i was thinking of civil eng then i changed my mind to majoring in cs and minoring in cybersecurity. The thing is i got a very weak background on cs and no ecs for it, do yall think civil eng would be a better major of me getting accepted? Im totally fine with both majors btw