UC Application Workshop

1. UC Application Workshop Eligibility, Tips, Common Mistakes, then free time on computers.

2. First look only at 10th & 11th grade • Palomar Courses: A semester grade in an A-G approved weighted college course should be counted as 2 weighted grades. (refer to UC doorways website: https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/) • Put a line through all non-college prep classes(Team Sports, TA, Woodshop) • Repeated courses must be exact same level and title Minimum 3.0 GPA needed to apply to UC’s Calculating your UC/CSU GPA

3. Berkeley 4.18 • Davis 4.07 • Irvine 4.05 • Los Angeles 4.17 • Merced 3.61 • Riverside 3.77 • San Diego 4.13 • Santa Barbara 4.03 • Santa Cruz 3.82 Compare your GPA

4. Keep your username and password written down somewhere. • Create a professional email address that you will check! This is how the UC’s will communicate with you. Check spam filter!!!! • Save your work! If you take a break from your application, sign out or click “Next” on any page to make sure your work is saved. • Use High School transcript in order to enter in class information • You will find your SSID on top of your SMHS transcript • You will complete one application and decide which UC’s it is sent to • You will have to choose majors and alternate (2nd choice) majors. Undecided is ok! • For UCSD you will also have to pick campuses/colleges • For each UC select your interests from the list provided and you will be considered for scholarships based on your selections. • No letters of recommendation are accepted for the UC’s. Tips

5. Be sure to enter in all high schools that you have attended and Palomar (Under the “Colleges attended in H.S”) if you took a class there. • You are attending San Marcos High School in San Marcos, Ca NOT Santa Barbara or Texas. • When entering in test information be sure to include scores. • If you are taking a test in the future (in Oct or Nov) put that date on your application and leave your score blank • When taking SAT, SAT Subject, and ACT w/writing send to at least one UC and the scores will be sent to all campuses to which you apply. • Campuses e-mail applicants to request or clarify information. This is the primary method of communication. Provide an e-mail address that you’ll check regularly. Check spam filter!!!!! • Do not send transcripts unless requested to do so by a specific campus (7th semester grades). • At the end of the school year, you must arrange to send your final, official transcript from SMHS, as well as any other educational institution you have attended (Palomar). • All transcript requests go through the Registrar in the counseling office (Ms. Brahy).

6. For activities and awards be sure to include EVERYTHING • Clubs (list leadership positions) • Sports • Church activities • Community service • Awards and honors (from coaches or if a team makes CIF) • Use words like: mentor, taught, led, organized, responsible for, etc. • You want to represent LEADERSHIP, IMPROVEMENT, DEDICATION within the activities section and your essay. • Work: list responsibilities for your job and what you do with your earnings • Ed. Prep Programs: summer programs like Upward Bound, COSMOS, and other ones like AVID. • Respond to both personal statement prompts (see handout) Activities, Awards, Extracurricular

7. Personal Statement

8. There are questions about what you took in 7th and 8th grade purely to fulfill the a-g requirements; they do not ask for grades. • Courses are already listed, just click on the class you took for that grade level. • Choose the grade for each semester (if you repeated a D or F YOU MUST REPORT BOTH TIMES YOU TOOK THE COURSE)- this is different from CSU • Summer school courses students completed prior to ninth or 10th grade are self-reported on the UC application with the student’s “a-g” courses corresponding to the grade level the student is entering after summer school. • Summer school courses students completed prior to 11th or 12th grade are self-reported on the UC application with the student’s “a-g” courses corresponding to the grade level the student completed before the start of summer school. • List additional non a-g courses such as: Leadership (ASB), Yearbook, Drafting, Woodshop, etc. under activities and awards. • When completing the information on the Fee Waiver page IT MUST BE ACCURATE. It can only be submitted once. • Fee Waiver = 4 campus applications for free • Can pay by credit card, check or money order ($70.00) Adding courses

9. Educational Opportunity Program -Check if you want to apply for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). If you apply to EOP, you will need to report your parents’ level of education, family size and income later in the application. -Dream Act Students can now apply for EOP. -Discuss your reasons for applying to EOP. EOP: How to “Apply”

10. Senior Schedule: Enter in 1st semester courses as “IP (in progress)”, 2nd semester as “ PL (planned)” • If you listed a course on your application and then drop it, or earn a D or F in a class, you MUST notify the admissions office at each university to which you applied. • All acceptances are conditional; MUST earn C or better Senior Year Courses

11. Eligibility in the Local Context • Top 9% at SMHS based on GPA. • Guaranteed admission to UC Merced • 92% of ELC students were admitted to a UC campus to which they applied. • Calculated based on “academic history” section of application. • After submitting application, log back in to “application status” page to determine ELC status. ELC

12. CSU/UC Applications due Nov.30th NO APP, NO TURKEY!!

13. Course names