SFChronicle debuts exclusive college guide tailored for Californians | Education

This guide isn't just a compendium of reports articles. It’s a singular, data-driven useful resource constructed to assist folks navigate their technique to the UC, Cal State or group college that’s finest for them.

One of essentially the most worthwhile sections of the guide is our exclusive evaluation breaking down the newest out there information on UC and Cal State admissions for each private and non-private California highschool. This software exhibits the typical GPA of scholars who utilized, have been admitted and enrolled for each college campus from each highschool. College counselors say this may be crucial as a result of faculties evaluate candidates to others from their highschool, each from the present cycle and years previous.

So how arduous is it to get into essentially the most aggressive faculties? It can very a lot rely on every particular person’s scenario, and the place they're coming from. 

Let’s check out the information on UCLA, now one of the crucial aggressive faculties throughout the nation. 

I appeared up the San Francisco highschool that I graduated from many moons in the past. Our information exhibits for the 2023 fall semester, 97 of the 132 seniors at my alma mater utilized to UCLA, 11 have been admitted, and people admitted had a mean GPA of 4.30 — greater than the 4.24 common throughout all in-state candidates. 

Compare that to Mission High School, which has among the many highest acceptance charges to UCLA (go right here to examine why): 77 of the college’s 277 seniors utilized, 12 (16%) of them have been admitted – that’s practically double the in-state common price – and people admitted had a mean GPA of 4.16. 

We hope all this information may give candidates a clearer image of the place they stand on the high faculties – and encourage them to discover the various different choices in our glorious public methods. Yes, it could give people an edge at that UCLA golden ticket, however we’d additionally counsel looking at, for occasion, San Jose State and UC Merced, which ranked very excessive on WSJ’s new Best Colleges list. Our guide additionally covers the most effective switch pathways from group faculties to the highest faculties, as extra college students search to make the most of that chance.

Beyond the admissions information, our guide additionally supplies info on which faculties have the most effective worth and an in depth part on apply to UC and Cal State, together with information on the SAT, a timeline of necessary dates and deadlines, suggestions for California candidates from college counselors, and way more.

If you realize somebody who's going by means of this course of, we hope you’ll share this with them. Chronicle subscribers have full entry to this yr’s guide, and we’re wanting for suggestions on make it even higher within the years to return.

And do you've got concepts for one other kind of Definitive Guide you’d prefer to see? (Our Definitive Guide to dwelling insurance coverage? Solar vitality in your house? California taxes?) Email me at jess.shaw@sfchronicle.com