Expert: Sue Kayton - 6/24/2008

Question
I have just finished my sophomore year of high school. I came out with 5 A's and 1 B AND a GPA of 3.83.I took all college prep class this year but next year I will be taking AP for English science and history.I don't do any extracurricular activates but i am going to try next year. My math grades are not bad i got B's this year in a college prep class but him worried it will hurt me B/ac it is not an honors class and math is a need skill in engineering which is what i want to major in. I really want to attend UCLA for college and major in bioengineering (that my choice for now). I need tips on how to increase my chances in getting into UCLA and paying for the education there.( Is this a good school to go to for bioengineering? If not what school is better that is also located on the west coast?) I want to attend this school B/ac of the weather and the campus is amazing. If i don't get accepted into UCLA i don't have another plans to fall back on. I live in Ohio will this hurt or help my chances for acceptances.

Answer
UCLA is the most difficult university in California to get admitted to.  But there are plenty of other campuses of the University of California.  UC San Diego is much better at the biosciences and it is easier to get admitted to.  UC Davis is even easier to get into, and is also better at bioscience than UCLA, but not quite as good as UCLA.

If cost is an issue, consider going to community college for two years, then transferring to a UC or Cal State campus.  You'll save a LOT of money that way.

If you apply from Ohio, it won't make it harder to get in to a UC campus, but you will have to pay higher tuition.  

In addition to the UC system, California has a California State College system, which is easier to get into than the UC's.  They cost a bit less, too.  

If you are getting B's in math, then engineering might not be the right career for you.  There are many other bio-related fields that require a lot less math than engineering.