<p>I am an upcoming senior in high school in Arkansas. Currently, I am thinking about pursuing a major in molecular bio to either go to med school or graduate school. I am have an uw 4.0. I'm 5/250. I have a 33 ACT. I have numerous leadership positions: head of mens singles for varsity tennis, All State Choir, President of National Honors Society, and Captain of the quiz bowl team. I am really attracted to Berkeley. I guess the notion of the stellar academics and beautiful setting really appeal to me. Am I wasting my time with Berkeley? Is the grade deflation so rampant that I would lose any hope of attaining a decent gpa for graduate school? I will not have had AP Chem or AP Physics, and that worries me. lol Also, I am getting some conflicting opinions on the OOS tuition for Berkeley. Are they raising it due to the economic crisis? Could anybody give me some clarifications on the OOS tuition?</p>
<p>I think you definitely have a shot of getting in! The grade distribution is pretty tough, but you adjust to it after your first couple midterms. If you work really hard, it is definitely possible to get a very high gpa.</p>
<p>Why would you be crazy to want to apply to Berkeley? I think you’re perfectly sane; Berkeley’s a great school! I am also OOS, as well as paying the insane OOS tuition. </p>
<p>I am from Texas, and I had almost similar ECs to yours. What other APs have you had or will have? Berkeley will not focus solely on your APs, but more so on your grades and personal statement. </p>
<p>I feel like my tuition is rising, according to my parents. :P</p>
<ul>
<li>Berkeley will show you no love with fin aid. Tuition will rise, probably by a little relatively, but it will be a pain. However, I think it was the alumni scholarship—on my facebook friends list at least more out-of-state students got them vs. in-state.</li>
<li>Anyway, my OOS friends are taking lots of loans but they say it’s worth it.</li>
<li>As long as your course load is challenging and your test scores/ECs/essays prove you know your business, it doesn’t matter that you haven’t taken two AP courses.</li>
<li>Berkeley will be hard, but take a look at the Career Center website for your major. If you work hard I don’t see why you can’t get a good GPA and go to great grad schools like the people that have.</li>
</ul>
<p>Good luck with apps!</p>
<p>(I will also butt in and give you admissions advice because this particular thing really hits me. I applied to Stanford and Amherst “just to see, because what’s the worse that can happen?” and they were a complete waste of my time. Both apps had lots of essays and the time I spent on them could have been devoted on apps to schools I wanted to go to (Tufts — I was waitlisted). I reread my essays for Tufts after and they were not as amazing as I thought they were. So yeah, don’t apply to schools you don’t imagine yourself at. Not worth your time. I was lucky to get into Berkeley though. I wrote my essay in junior year (teacher made us all do it) and had it revised and revised over the course of like 6 months.)</p>
<p>Butting out now.</p>
<p>As long as you remain consistent in your academics and ECs (senioritis is evil), write a bomb personal statement (hehe), and keep a good head on your shoulders, there’s no need to think you’re crazy.</p>
<p>Berkeley is not all about the best of the best in terms of acceptance. Your record may be a salient factor, but what really does the trick is if they see your raw potential. </p>
<p>Like I said, write a bomb personal statement. :] Be yourself, and prove to them that you have what it takes. Dream BIG & DELIVER.</p>
<p>Good Luck d(^^,)d</p>
<p>Go for it!</p>
<p>Berkeley is the best.</p>
<p>sushifiend</p>
<p>Solano county in the house! Holla!</p>
<p>Haha, nice. What city?</p>
<p>Well I’m a parent, and I don’t like to say. Kind of small. Too easy to figure stuff out.</p>
<p>Attention parents: please don’t use the word “holla.” You’re scaring the children.</p>
<p>R u srs???</p>
<p>Haha yeah, don’t say “Holla”. We don’t even use that, well, with the exception of it’s role in jest. xD</p>