Will be a junior in high school this coming year...am I on the right track?

Question

I will be a junior this coming year in high school, and so far I have

managed to hold a gpa of 3.7100. My goal is to be accepted into a

U.C. campus (preferebly U.C. Irvine, Merced, or Davis), and I really

want to know what it is that I must do in order to achieve that goal.

You see I am a first generation college student (in the U.S. that is!

My parents both finished college in Asia), and both my parents and I

are at a loss as to how to go about the college proccess. Unfortunatly

I have no relatives that could really provide any assistance and am

really in need of advise. So first off, do I currently hold a good gpa (I'm

sure I could raise my gpa even higher within the next two years of my

high school career as well)? Second, I have advanced math and

foriegn language courses, and have been reccommended to higher

AP english and science courses, but I fear that with the advanced

math and foriegn langauge already time consuming and stressfull

enough I might not have the time or effort to carry out even more AP

courses on my shoulders......so am I doing the right thing in refusing

even more AP classes in fear of recieving bad grades due to my two

other classes? Also, with talk of students having to start their college

searching earlier than ever, I'm afraid I am behind for I havn't even

begun my college statement letter...let alone apply to colleges!!! I

would also like to have a well thought out guide list for me as a junior,

of which must be followed over the course of the coming junior year. A

guide list that tells when to start applying for scholerships, at what

month to start registering to take the SAT's and so forth. Which

brings me to the topic of SAT's and ACT's of which I know very little

about. For instance, must one pay to take the SAT'S and if so, when

is the dead line to pay ? Among other things, please don't hesitate to

give any advise you might find important during this stage of high

school. As you can see, I am not quite ready for junior year and am in

desperate need of advise and aid.

As always,

I give my wholehearted thanks to all those who answer. Your answer

is greatly appreciated/respected.

Thank You All

Answer 1

Do you currently live in California?  Entrance to UC schools are much easier for students who are permanent residents of CA compared to students out-of-state.  

In any case, you are well on track to attending the UC schools you mentioned.  Although Davis, Irvine, and Merced offer a wonderful education in a great environment, none of those schools' admissions rates are horribly competitive, especially for students living in California.

Maintain a strong academic record, as the UCs put heavy emphasis on objective qualities in an applicant such as GPA and standardized test scores.  In fact, much of their admissions process is done by computer, which gives every applicant an initial score based on his or her GPA and test scores.  

For standardized tests, the UCs offer either the SAT or ACT, and two SAT subject tests.  I suggest taking the SAT as it is the most popular (by popular I mean the test that more students take, not like) test for students in California, and will give admissions officers a better idea of your standing compared to other students.  For more information on the SAT, go to collegeboard.com, and login as a student.  Taking the SAT does cost money - about $41 per test - and you do need to sign up for a test date about a month in advance.  The SAT tests general skills such as critical reading, math, and writing.  The SAT Subject Tests tests material in a certain subject such as Math (Level 1 and 2), Literature, US History, Spanish, Korean, etc.  For more information on the SAT, please refer to collegeboard.com

Also, consider joining extracurricular activities such as various clubs in your school.  If possible, seek appointed/elected leadership positions to portray yourself as a balanced student to the admissions council.  

Good luck!  Please let me know if you need any more help.

Answer 2

In one sentence, "Choo chug-a-choo, you are on the right track".