What do Colleges look for?
Universities look for well rounded students. View this graphic for a visual and see below for the explanation.
Universities follow the holistic approach. They will look at everything you did over your high school years.
- Grade Point Average: A 3.0 GPA is required for most universities. The higher your GPA, the better! They will see your weighted and unweighted GPA. If you are applying to CSU/UC, they will only count your 10th/11th grade GPA but will expect 9th grade and 12th grade to be free of D's and F's.
- SAT and/or ACT score: The higher your score, the better. Make sure to study. Refer to Khan Academy and SAT/ACT Apps. If you are majoring in STEM majors, it is recommended to take the SAT Subject exam for math and science. This is not a requirement but will certainly be a cherry on top.
- Awards and Recognition: Make sure that you save your awards. If you feel you may lose them, take pictures of them. Awards should only include those you received in high school. They can be school awards or out of school awards (religious, orgs, league sports, etc).
- Community Service: Make sure that you are serving your community. If you need assistance with finding locations, please see your counselor. Please make sure to log in your hours. (See community service section for sample doc).
- Challenging classes: AP, Honors and if possible, community college classes (see college page).
- Taking the correct classes: A-G Requirements, refer to the A-G requirements page for more information. Make sure that you are taking the recommended extra year of Spanish, Science and/or Math. You do not need to do all three required courses but it is highly recommended.
- Extra-curriculars: Clubs, sports, work (not required), programs, internships, religious activities, etc
