<p>I have a few questions for those of you who are students at UC Berkeley. I am currently in Chico, but I will be transferring to DVC this fall. I have a 3.76 GPA, and to be honest I don't have many extracurricular activities. I am a single mom, and I do not have family where I live, and it has been difficult doing any volunteer work on the side. When I move to the bay in August I will finally be able to volunteer and participate in extracurricular activities. Next summer I will also be volunteering in Ghana, Africa for a month. Anyway I am curious if I have a chance of being accepted with little volunteer work. Once I apply in October (of this year) I will only have 2 months of volunteer work on my application, and I am aware that is not enough. </p>
<p>I never thought I would attend college, and to be honest I was an awful student in high school! Once I had my daughter I decided to give school another shot, and I am doing pretty well! I would really love your advice on how to get accepted. Should I wait another year before I apply and do a lot of volunteer work? Should I apply this october and give it a shot?! I am all ears :)</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve got most of it figured out.</p>
<p>Applying in October: You’ll need to have 60 planned/completed (semester) credits on your application, since I believe Berkeley only accepts Junior transfers. So, if you’ve finished one year with 15+ credits/semester, you’re on the right track. Assuming you’ll meet that, there’s no reason not to apply, I’d say you’ve got a pretty good chance.</p>
<p>Also, you should take a look at assist.org, if you haven’t already, to see what you’re expected to have completed for your major. Some majors have a lot of pre-reqs, and it’s important that you complete as many of them as you can.</p>
<p>ECs/Volunteer stuff: I didn’t have much volunteering on my application… I had some engineering/math competitions, a bit of club stuff, and some pet projects. There’s no magic combination of activities that’ll get you in, so if you don’t have a ton of volunteer work it’s not going to kill your application. Of course, it’s still a nice thing to do and it’ll look good, but even if you don’t do a ton of volunteering I think you’ll be okay.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you so much!!! I have defiantly been on Assist.org, and it has helped a lot. I plan on majoring in Sociology which is nice because there are only 4 pre-reqs. As long as I keep my grades up throughout next semester I am hoping I have a chance. I do have one more question for you. What kind of admissions essay stands out? I have thought about writing about my hardships of my childhood, High school, being a single parent, and then writing about how far I have come in life. At the same time I feel that isn’t very corny and not creative, and I don’t want to sound like I am having a pitty party. What would you suggest essay wise? Thank you again.</p>
<p>Poor grammar on my behalf… in a rush!! Sorry!</p>
<p>Regarding the essay…
I’d really try to focus the essay on a single, powerful event or hardship. What happened, how you overcame it, what you learned…etc. I wouldn’t want the essay to have too many components in it, otherwise it might sound like you don’t really know what point you’re trying to make.
Other than that, don’t worry about sounding a certain way, just make it sound like you. After all, that’s all they really want to see in that essay-- it’s you! :)</p>
<p>Thank you so much 
I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Hi Christina - </p>
<p>You are welcome to check out my blog/guide on composing personal statements for the college application. I wrote it with traditional high school students in mind, but I’m sure you can benefit from the tips as well - </p>
<p>[The</a> App Style - A College Application Guide](<a href=“http://www.theappstyle.com%5DThe”>http://www.theappstyle.com)</p>
<p>By the way, your profile is quite competitive. You stand a good chance of getting in if your GPA holds up. And you can make a compelling case in your personal statement by taking about this turn-around that happened after your daughter was born. </p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about adding bulk to your volunteer activities. Colleges like to see consistency, commitment, and results over quantity and ‘exoticness’ of your outreach opportunities. That said, enjoy your trip to Ghana and hope everything goes well there.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your reply! I am going to take a look at your blog right now. I am glad to hear I do have a decent chance, and I will definitely be keeping my grades up!</p>