Appeals Question

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Applied to EECS and got rejected. Here are my stats:

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SAT I: 2320 - 800 writing, 800 math, 720 critical reading
SAT II: Math-790, Physics-760
GPA: 3.89UW, 4.23W, 3.93 Cal Grant (if that means anything)
Rank: top 10%
AP: Calculus AB (5), Calculus BC (5), Chemistry (5), Computer Science A (5), Physics B (5), Physics C E&M (5), Physics C Mechanics (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Government, Multivariable Calculus, World Literature
Major Awards: captain of 2nd place team in a national highschool cybersecurity competition
Extracurriculars:: Cybersecurity president, teasurer/secretary of some random clubs (book club, etc)
Job/Work Experience: Interned (unpaid/volunteer) at the San Diego Supercomputer Center last summer. Programmed a web app that helps sleep apnea patients.
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club and Leo Club.

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<p>I'm guessing my major weakness was my personal statements not being personal enough. I would like to try to convey some of my personality in my appeals letter. </p>

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<p>I have an online portfolio showcasing software I've created (made before I applied) that may be able to show Berkeley that I am passionate about what I want to pursue academically. If I were to print this portfolio and include it in the envelope, would it be considered as "significant new information"?</p>

2

<p>Significant new information is more like…some grades that weren’t correct or some extracurriculars you didn’t put in or a hardship you went through that you didn’t put.</p>

<p>I guess your case fits. You’ve got nothing to lose by appealing. Why not? Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Just do it - kids from my school did it just for the heck of it since kids from previous years got in like that.</p>

4

<p>When you appeal, do you need a new letter of recommendation? And do you need a transcript?
And also, would talking about being a first generation college student, having low income and a medical condition that made me unable to take sports be legitimate reasons?</p>

5

<p>I don’t think “low income” or “first-gen college student” qualifies as “new information.” There are a lot of families affected by low income. </p>

<p>As far as your medical condition, I think that could be borderline but you really have nothing to lose at this point. Just make sure it relates back to when you didn’t perform as well as you could have and how the medical condition might have caused it.</p>