Another Chances thread.. I know.. Sorry!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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<p>I've been lurking around this forum and found some uplifting stuff about people similar to me getting in.. Thought I'd throw in another Chances thread.. sorry!</p>

<p>Some facts:
-Parents are divorced (live with mother)
-Am a first generation college student
-Live in California
-Qualified for Eligibility in the Statewide Context (I'm really not sure what this means, I just know that it's not as good as qualifying for ELC.. but it's gotta be worth something right?)</p>

<p>GPA = 3.857 UW // 4.357 W</p>

<p>6 honors Courses, 8 APs</p>

<p>World History (3), US History (3), Environmental Science (5)</p>

<p>This year, am taking Calc AP-AB, Physics AP, English Lit AP, Gov AP, Microecon AP</p>

<p>-Took a Fundamentals of Drawing AB class at a local community college over last summer.</p>

<p>SAT I: 1750 (550 CR/610 M/590 W)
SAT II: 600 Literature / 600 Math IIC / 530 US History
(I've signed up to re-take the SAT I's in Oct. and Nov. My goal is to increase by 150-200 points each time)</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars: Vice President of Film Club, CSF (California Scholarship Federation), FBLA, Key Club, Chess Club. Have been playing the guitar for 7 years.</p>

<p>One thing about myself which helps explain my lack of strong extra curriculars.. Throughout most of my high school career (9-11), I have been active in the local music scene. I did what I needed to do to stay on top of things academically, but after school was over I devoted almost all of my extra time into my bands (I've been in two). So that left me with no time to play sports or participate in a number of other school-related activities.</p>

<p>Back then, I never really thought about how it would hurt me later when I started applying to colleges.. Since it's not like it's on paper or anything.. However, my essay is basically about the key role music has played in my life. And in particular, my most serious band, and my decision to leave so that I could focus full time on my junior year.</p>

<p>*Side note: I am interested in Haas and their Business program.. Wondering if that hurts my chances at all since Business schools are typically much more competitive in the standardized tests/GPA/extra curriculars department. I know that at NYU (my other interest), the admissions rate to the Stern School of Business if substantially lower than any of the other schools (besides Tisch I believe). Any thoughts on if this is the case at Cal?</p>

<p>Thank you all for taking the time to read this (if you did.. I'm sorry, I know that it is long). I truly, truly appreciate it.</p>

<p>Best wishes to those coming up on applications like me..</p>

<p>-Andrew</p>

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<p>If you raise your SAT scores, I would say you have a good chance of getting in.</p>

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<p>Well, you already know SAT and SAT II's are low... 150-200 point increase is a lot to expect, so don't be dissapointed.
Make sure your intended 2nd semester is just as rigorous as 1st semester.
Your EC's are not alot but 2 bands is impressive and makes up for sports. Other EC's are average, not necessarily low.
Really do a kick a*s job on your personal statement, it may make or break it for you. I know a lot of people on this forum downplay the personal statement but I have had 2 Admissions people at CAL tell me it is very important. Read these, they were given to me by the Admissions Director last year, I found them very helpful and I am here now!</p>

<p><a href="http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Freshman_07.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Freshman_07.pdf&lt;/a> and</p>

<p><a href="http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/fallapp.asp?id=56&navid=N%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/fallapp.asp?id=56&navid=N&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good luck, I think you have a good chance if you can bring up your test scores 1/2 of what you want.</p>

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<p>Well, you already know SAT and SAT II's are low... 150-200 point increase is a lot to expect, so don't be dissapointed.
Make sure your intended 2nd semester is just as rigorous as 1st semester.
Your EC's are not alot but 2 bands is impressive and makes up for sports. Other EC's are average, not necessarily low.
Really do a kick a*s job on your personal statement, it may make or break it for you. I know a lot of people on this forum downplay the personal statement but I have had 2 Admissions people at CAL tell me it is very important. Read these, they were given to me by the Admissions Director last year, I found them very helpful and I am here now!</p>

<p><a href="http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Freshman_07.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Freshman_07.pdf&lt;/a> and</p>

<p><a href="http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/fallapp.asp?id=56&navid=N%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/fallapp.asp?id=56&navid=N&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good luck, I think you have a good chance if you can bring up your test scores 1/2 of what you want.</p>

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<p>putting haas on ur application makes absolutely no difference vs. undeclared</p>

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<p>BlueElmo:
Yeah, I definitely need to push up my SAT scores.. I actually won't be taking the SAT IIs again though (I know that my scores are subpar, but I'm applying to a few privates that don't weigh the IIs very heavily, so I figured I would benefit most by scoring higher on the SAT Is).</p>

<p>CA2006:
THANKS! That's some cool information, I haven't had the time to read it all but what I saw looked very valuable. I appreciate the links.. </p>

<p>You said that "2 bands is impressive and makes up for sports." See, I've always felt sketchy about that because sports are on paper.. Like awards you win, positions you earn, and it plus shows up on your transcript. However, bands aren't and I'm not sure how I can justify why I'm lacking EC's (except through the essay). Is there any other way?</p>

<p>wels0n:
That's good to know. Thanks for the response.</p>

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<p>About Haas, you must apply to Haas after you have completed the preqs for it. You may only apply once. Typically, you apply sophmore year since Haas is a 2 year program. About 50% of applicants theat apply are accepted. </p>

<p>MANY people DO NOT bother applying because they know they will be rejected.</p>

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<p>Writing about music works if your essay is good. Wrote one of mine on my experience with music (played sax and bassoon in hs).</p>

<p>I got in after choosing to pursue music instead of sports, but county and state awards are significant in helping the admissions officers figure out how good you are. Without those as benchmarks, a lot is going to rely on how well your essay conveys your passion for guitar/music.</p>

<p>As for chances, I couldn't really say. I'm pretty sure the music factor helped me get in though, since every other applicant gets good grades, has high test scores, and is in key club and csf. The key is to find something (or things) that set yourself apart from other applicants and exploit them with well-written essays.</p>

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<p>Sorry to say this but your SAT scores look too low, and while your GPA is solid I don't think it will really compensate. If you raise those scores and write some good essays you have a chance. Judging based on your stats now I am going to say...10%. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Increasing your SAT by 300? That's a tall order.</p>

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<p>woolybugger51:
Thanks for the advice, I really do need to work on my essay..</p>

<p>vicissitudes:
Appreciate the feedback. 10% isn't much, but it certainly means it could happen.</p>

<p>Smallz3141:
Yeah, I wouldn't count on it happening. But that's not going to stop me from trying :P</p>

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<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>

<p>In November I increased my SAT I's to 1950 (660CR, 660M, 630W).</p>

<p>Also, I sent in my application as L&S undecided (not Pre-Business) like I had originally intended.</p>