chance me UCLA / Berkeley bio, 4.2 capped UC GPA, no test (they're test blind anyway)
Basically every pre-med in California is applying to the same 3 UCs so I want to know where I actually stand.
**Demographics:** Female, Vietnamese American, SoCal, public school, parents are small business owners, not first gen
**Major:** Molecular/cell bio, pre-med
**GPA:** 4.0 UW, 4.2 UC capped weighted, 4.45 fully weighted
**Courses:** AP Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Lang, APUSH done; senior year AP Physics, Calc BC, Stats, Lit, Gov
**ECs:**
1. Hospital volunteer, 150 hrs (front desk + discharge)
2. Science Olympiad, 3 years, events captain
3. Tutoring (paid), ~5 hrs/week, mostly chem
4. Research class at my school, we did a mini project on soil bacteria
5. Vietnamese language school, I help teach the younger kids on weekends
6. Key Club
**Awards:** Science Olympiad regional medals, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, honor roll
**Applying:** UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD, UCI, UCD, UCSB, UCR. Plus maybe USC and a couple of privates (thinking Emory, Tufts, Case Western), but my parents would really prefer I stay in state for cost.
**Summer:** Worked at my parents' new shop full time last summer, plus a 2 week pre-med program at a local university (paid, not selective).
**Why bio:** Honestly my grandma's diabetes and helping her with her meds is what got me into it, but I don't know if that's too cliche to write about.
**PIQs:** Draft topics are hospital volunteering, teaching at language school, Science Olympiad, and a challenge one about my parents' restaurant closing during COVID.
My counselor thinks I'm fine for everything except UCLA and Berkeley which are "lottery". Is that accurate or am I in trouble at UCSD too?
- ?
Your counselor is mostly right. A 4.2 capped is solidly in range everywhere on the list, and UC's test-blind policy means your PIQs and the context of your school carry more weight than they would elsewhere.
Rough picture:
- **UCLA and Berkeley:** reaches for nearly everyone, including applicants with your numbers. "Lottery" is overstated, but outcomes are hard to predict.
- **UCSD:** a reach to target for biology. It is very popular and admits by major with capacity limits for some programs, so do not treat it as a sure thing.
- **UCI, UCD, UCSB:** reasonable targets.
- **UCR:** likely.Ways to strengthen it:
1. **The PIQs:** your language school teaching and tutoring are more distinctive than the hospital hours, which nearly every pre-med lists. Consider building one PIQ around teaching.
2. **Major choice:** some campuses let you list an alternate major. Use it thoughtfully and check each campus's rules for your intended major.
3. **Add a sure admit outside the UCs** or a Cal State with a strong biology program, especially if cost matters. Pre-med is not a major, so you have flexibility. Many medical school applicants major in something other than biology.