Primer on UC admissions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if my kid is in an independent school where all classes are honors, but not "AP", his 3.85 is pretty much cooked? (Kids with this GPA from his school regularly get into other t20s)

I’ve heard people say it is a disadvantage.

[Anonymous]

Be prepared for your student to have to work their way in off a wait list which requires another essay/updated activities and good senior year grades. This means their school application process spans the entirety of senior year which is exhausting, but worth it if your child really wants a top UC.

And consider no AP credit can be a disadvantage when starting a UC. Their fellow first years from public often have sophomore standing already which I believe can affect their priority for signing up for classes after the first quarter. So your student should take at least some AP tests at the end of senior year to get credits (AP Engl lang, AP calculus AB or BC and AP world language don't require tons of extra study if you took those at a private). If your school doesn't offer AP tests, you can take them at another school (contact your zoned public and go from there).