Berkeley Requirements????

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

<p>I don't really know the requirements for UC Berkeley, but I really want to get accepted here. </p>

<p>What are the scores that they look for on your SAT I and SAT II. </p>

<p>Is it better if you are president of clubs and stuff? </p>

<p>Do they like it better if you do a lot community service?</p>

<p>Do they care if you did sports in high school or not?</p>

<p>Does the college apllication essay count a LOT?</p>

<p>Thanks.
mina</p>

2

<p>1) Scores. The average for Berkeley was 1370 out of 1600 (on the old one) for SAT I. For SAT II, around late 600s, early 700s for each section, I think. (Except for the languages--the average is 800.)</p>

<p>2) Yes, it is.</p>

<p>3) Yes, community service is good.</p>

<p>4) Sports don't really matter if your ECs are balanced.</p>

<p>5) Essay do not count a lot. GPA counts the most, then SATs and ECs, rank in class, etc.</p>

3

<p>i've listened to a presentation from the person who is in charge of the application process...in fact, he gave us actual applications which were under review and walked us how they read them. this is what he said.</p>

<p>back in the day, the application process for uc berkeley used a system called "quantitative review." this meant that depending on your gpa, you were given a certain amount of points. then your SAT score gave you another amount of points. then points for ap's, extracurriculars, and community service. then they said that all people who got a certain number of total points got in. it used to be a very formulaic process...so you could give your application to a college counselor and they would literally be able to calculate your score and tell you if you would be accepted or not.</p>

<p>however, they've changed this process since then. it actually follows the model of many private schools called "comprehensive review." they look at your application as a whole, including your essay, and give your application an overall score based on you as an entire person, not just your scores and numbers. the only thing different from private school admissions is that they do not do interviews.</p>

<p>what does this mean? it means that there is no "target" SAT score or gpa. sure, you can look at the average...but people with significantly lower scores are accepted all the time and people with high scores are rejected as well. they're not there looking at your SAT scores and deciding whether or not you'll get in.</p>

<p>again, you don't get points just for being the president of whatever club. a common myth is that it looks good if you're the president of as many clubs as possible...that is not true. the truth is that they're looking for people who show a genuine interest in some sort of field or area. they look for people who have participated in some sort of activity each year of high school and have eventually become leaders in those activities. they can tell if you joined a lot of clubs just to beef up your list of extracurriculars.</p>

<p>yes, community service is a good thing. one thing that cal prides itself in is that it has an active social conscience...unlike some other private schools. they want students who show that they care about their environment and the people around them, not just focused on themselves.</p>

<p>sports isn't a big thing. it's just another extracurricular...however, if you did a sport all four years and became a team captain, then that's a different story. like i said, they want people who are leaders and can make some sort of difference.</p>

<p>contrary to the previous post, THE ESSAY DOES COUNT A LOT! it's one of the most important things. everything up until then is just numbers and statistics. they really read the essay closely because it is what reveals your personality...it's the only part of the application where you can shine. do you have a story about overcoming some sort of oppression or special circumstance? they love hearing about that stuff. if your grades are lower at a certain point because of some sort of crisis, the essay is where you can talk about that.</p>

<p>the essay is so important that they have two people read it, and they each independently assign it a certain score. if the scores aren't close, then they have two other people read it until there is an agreement.</p>

<p>so when you write your essay, you have to make sure that it is really a PERSONAL statement. the readers know what they're doing, and they've seen all the essay templates that people have followed. you can have other people read it and edit it...you probably should do that. but what you shouldn't do is let people revise your essay to the point where it's not yours anymore. so be careful if you have your parents or a college counselor read your essay that they don't water it down, or make it sound like a robot wrote it. that happens quite a lot.</p>

<p>now that i've answered your questions, i'll talk a little in general about the application process. like i said, the read your application as a whole...so your strengths in one area can make up for weaknesses in other areas.</p>

<p>another thing that they look at is your high school. did your high school send a lot of students to berkeley last year? if so, then you have a better chance.</p>

<p>what was your school's API (academic performance index)? if you did well in a school where most students do not do well, then that looks really good.</p>

<p>did you take advantage of what your school had to offer? a student who takes three out of three ap classes looks way better than a student who took three out of fifteen ap classes.</p>

<p>did your parents or anyone else in your family go to college? if you're a first-generation college student, that helps you out a lot.</p>

<p>also, race is not taken into account. your application is given a number, and your name is never shown to the readers...so the question asking about your race is there for statistical purposes and is not used when being evaluated.</p>

4

<p>Three...no matter what the admissions person says to sound more thorough, scores and GPA still matter the most. They admit a certain number of people based on scores alone, then they do a comprehensive review afterwardsSo if you have the scores and GPA you are more than likely guaranteed admissions with a decent EC, but not outstanding. Without scores and GPA, you are not getting in unless you are URM or an athlete.</p>

<p>Also, even though race does not count supposedly by law, many URM include it in their essays, so the readers know they are URM and are more lenient.</p>

5

<p>About the ECs...number AND depth are good. Despite what people say, most admits have impressive quantities and QUALITY of extracurriculars.</p>

6

<p>the college admissions is not a simple, cut-and-dry process...there's no set formula. yes, they do look at gpa and scores first, and they are still very very important...but the personal statement is right up there with them. students with good numbers can get a lower application score because of their essay...and students with lower numbers can raise their score because of their essay. the readers are paid to read applications, not crunch numbers. a reader will not be more lenient just because a student mentions that he's a minority on his essay...he would have to explain why that is significant. they look at individual circumstances that come as a result of being a minority, not racial identity alone. as for extracurriculars, having 2, 3, or 4 activities with continued participation and leadership looks better than jumping into 7 totally unrelated clubs. when it comes to explaining admissions, it's difficult to say something definitively one way or another. this is so you can just get an idea of what the readers are looking for.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for your help NeedAdvice and ThreeTaGetReady, it really helps me! I'll keep what you guys said in mind. If I do get accepted to Berkeley I will worship you guys and do a rain dance. Haha only kidding, just trying to express my thanks.</p>

<p>Oh by the way ThreeTaGetReady, thanks for the detailed info. Your a life saver.</p>

8

<p>Besides that do you guys mind telling me about anything you did in high school that made you stick out from the other students and that allowed you to be accepted into Berkeley?
Thanks :)</p>

9

<br>


<br>

<p>I disagree with that entirely. Your essays are HUGE when applying to berkeley, because everyone who applies basically all have the same, HIGH, gpa's. They read the essays in order to find someone unique, not just academically talented, and who shows that they belong at Cal. </p>

<p>I would say i probably got admitted to Berkeley because of my essay way more than anything else. This is the only chance to be personal, express yourself, and have the reviewer look away from pure numbers for a change. </p>

<p>See, this is how you get into Berkeley: by being different. If you have a personaly story or experience, what that very few (or no one) has had before, load it into your essay and you score some major points.</p>

10

<p>Essays are HUGE? I bet you had the scores,grades and ECs to get into Berkeley in the first place, right? I mean c'mon, would a person who scored 1200 out of 1600 on the SAT get into Berkeley? Probably not.</p>

<p>Fine fine, let me rephrase. Essays are important, but only because you can emphasize your "unique" ECs...</p>

<p>Regarding the ECs question, here's a list of what I did in high school. Yeah I basically laundry listed and focused on a few important ones in there through competitions and officer positions.</p>

<p>Piano, got some awards, 10/11 years total, finished at 10 out of 11 levels possible
Vocal perf. , won state, placed alternate at regionals, 2/3 years
Commmunity service club--officer position, 3 years
FBLA-- officer position; went to nationals after winning state, 2 years
Mock Trial--attorney/witness--state award for team
Academic Olympics participant--our team won regionals
Dance, 2 years
Honor Society member, 2 years
Volunteered at a clinic for 3 years
Judicial Bd.= a part of student government, 2 years
Honors Choir
Volunteered at a government office for 3 years</p>

<p>Ok, so main ECs were artsy fartsy: hence music. I started music long before high school though, so it was just something I kept going. Competing helped. Then the next ECs were community service related: hence the clubs, the volunteer work, and basically the clubs I had officer positions in and competed for. Then the clubs without competitions are next. So I guess my ECs were artsy fartsy, community service-related, and nerdy. I had no sports whatsoever.</p>

11

<p>Wow NeedAdvice... those are pretty crazy ECs.
Would sports be good too if you did all 4 years, like 1yr JV and the rest Varsity? And was team captain.</p>

<p>But if you don't mind telling, what was your GPA in High school, and your SAT I and SAT II and AP scores?</p>

<p>You too Smallz3141, mind telling? </p>

<p>Just wondering, you guys don't have to say.
MP</p>

12

<p>There have been many posts on here about what accepted students have scored on the SAT I and SAT IIs, so you might want to search those out.</p>

<ul>
<li>What are the scores that they look for on your SAT I and SAT II.</li>
</ul>

<p>High. Higher the better, of course. You'll want a 1400+. I had a 1520 on the I, and 780, 790, 800 on the IIs.</p>

<ul>
<li>Is it better if you are president of clubs and stuff?</li>
</ul>

<p>I wasn't, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt. I would say, make sure you are doing something in high school outside of class that you genuinely enjoy. If that happens to be presiding over a club, then fine. But being on a sports team or part of a music group is good just as well. Personally, I did the typical honors groups (CSF, NHS), but I really enjoyed music (2nd chair violinist) and tennis (varsity 3 years--though our team sucked).</p>

<ul>
<li>Do they like it better if you do a lot community service?</li>
</ul>

<p>Probably. I didn't have a lot personally.</p>

<ul>
<li>Do they care if you did sports in high school or not?</li>
</ul>

<p>Everything helps. Show diversity, interest, ambition--those come out not only in classes, but in sports, clubs, and other activities as well.</p>

<ul>
<li>Does the college apllication essay count a LOT?</li>
</ul>

<p>Depends on how good your stats are. If you're a top student with great SAT scores, it probably isn't as important. If you're borderline, you can use the essays to give the admissions people a reason why you should be picked over the other borderline people.</p>

13

<p>wow eudean! your SAT I SAT II scores are really high. What SAT II subjects did you take?</p>

<p>and thanks for the help!</p>

14

<p>Aigoo..of course doing sports is good. It's just I'm unathletic, so I never did sports. But yes, being team captain is impressive...any form of leadership is good. </p>

<p>I took 10 AP classes. I got mainly 4's on them, a couple 5's, a couple 3's.</p>

<p>My SAT scores aren't as impressive as eudean's, but here they are: I got 1410 out of 1600 on SAT I, 800 on SAT II writing, 740? on SAT Math, and early 700s on biology for SAT II. It was 3 years ago, so I don't exactly remember, but yeah, that's just the jist.</p>

<p>I had a 4.0 GPA, and was ranked 3rd out of 400. However, keep in mind, I applied from out-of-state.</p>

15

<p>Aigoo...Stick with sports. It's quite impressive if you're team captain, and do some community service work. I think Berkeley's admissions is really big on helping society out, so work in a soup kitchen or something over the long run. </p>

<p>And yes, like eudean said, 1400+ on SATs. (I'm surprised I got into Cal out-of-state with my scores tbh.) And aim for 700+s on SAT II. Also a 4.0 unweighted is good, or 3.9. </p>

<p>I'm not really sure if AP scores factor that much into the admissions process considering they do not see your senior year scores when they make the decision, but make sure to pass all of them at least.</p>

<p>So yes, a couple leadership positions, in sports, maybe in community service. Do some long-term community service work, and do the honor society clubs, etc. and you should be fine. Maybe you could start a fundraiser for something and then write about that in your personal statement! And since you're really into athletics--which I doubt much of Berkeley is, considering we're all weak nerds--you should write about athletics and how it develops you as a person, etc. in your personal statement. I think the sports will help you stand out as an applicant. (To get an impression of how unathletic we are, I doubt 90% of Berkeley students could lift a pack of pencils.</p>

16

<p>HAHAHAHA NeedAdvice your last sentence just cracks me up, you make it sound like all Berkeley students are unhealthy scrawny nerds who have no muscle. LIARRRRRRR, can't be that bad. </p>

<p>Anyway, your AP and SAT I and SAT II scores are impressive to me! I guess some people are born smart; trust me I'm not one of them, I have to work so hard in order to get the grades that I get. VERY HARD.</p>

<p>I was president of CSF, and got recognized for community service by receiving an award along with this Gold Puzzle piece(it's rather small).
I do sports all throughout the school year, I'm mainly involved in volleyball which I begin in the beginning of the school year and then do v-ball club afterward.
I'm class rank #1 of 400 students.</p>

<p>But tell me NeedAdvice, our school is brand NEW, it just opened two years ago (and our cafeteria isn't even finished yet!). Would Berkeley not be interested for student applications coming from a NEW school, just because it has no history? </p>

<p>Also, is it bad because I'm wont be taking Chemistry during my upcoming school year, but will be over the summer so that I can do AP Chem in Senior year. Would Berkeley not like that? Would they look down upon that?</p>

<p>By the way if you didn't know, I'm a "TO BE" junior this coming fall.
Heres my Junior year schedule:</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>To tell you the truth, I'm pretty scared because I see only the top students with the high SAT and AP scores going to Berkeley and the other good colleges, and I'm not really sure where I stand right now.</p>

<p>Its okay if you can't answer all the questions that I just asked, I just like to ask lots of questions.
Thanks for all your help.</p>

17

<p>"Would Berkeley not be interested for student applications coming from a NEW school, just because it has no history? "</p>

<p>Do you honestly think that?</p>

18

<p>Aigoo...the majority of people are born with generally the same intellect, but hard work defines the result. </p>

<p>Your rank is obviously very good. In all honesty, after looking at the number of AP classes you are going to take, and the fact that you underestimate your abilities, I think you have a very good chance of getting in.</p>

<p>Firstly, the new school business is of no issue. Berkeley likes to admit a certain number of kids from each geography. Hence, the new school might actually help you out considering there may not be a lot of people from your school/area going to Berkeley. I doubt it's going to be a hinderance. If they want geographical coverage, the new school business might help you.</p>

<p>Secondly, how many APs are you planning to take senior year? I seriously doubt that the lack of AP Chemistry will make Berkeley reject you. You are taking a good number, and if you take at least 4 Senior year, I think you will be fine. Just take another AP science then, say biology or physics. (I'm guessing you will be taking AP Physics senior year?)</p>

<p>Your SAT scores are more important than your AP scores, although your AP scores are still important. </p>

<p>I don't want to make you over-confident and thus make you try less, but I think you're definitely on the path to acceptance. Just keep this up, score at least around 1400 on the SAT (or the equivalent on the new one) and you are in better shape than a lot of admits at Berkeley.</p>

<p>Is CSF the community service foundation? haha okay, club...But yeah, I recommend you do one more thing extracurricular-wise, whether it be organizing a fundraiser--which you can then write about on your application--or joining the Honor Society or something like that. I think you are in good shape though. </p>

<p>And nahhhh,, not all Berkeley students are unhealthy scrawny nerds with no muscle..just the majority. ;) This is what makes you stand out though..you can actually run a foot.</p>

19

<p>ya it's good that you were the president of CSF. one thing though, unless an award is something that is recognized nationally or statewide, it won't matter as much as you might hope it would. so they don't really look at awards given within a school...the awards that they really look at are the ones that contain the words "national" or "state." so ya, the California Scholarship Federation is something that they look for.</p>

<p>that fact that your school is new does not hurt you. it's just that studets from schools that usually send a lot of students to cal have it a little bit easier.</p>

<p>berkeley doesn't really care how you get your classes done...they just check to see that you did take those courses at all. so taking chem over the summer to take chem ap will be to your advantage.</p>

<p>according to what you've written, you don't have much to be afraid about. i mean, yes, your junior year is important (some people believe it's more important than other people.), but i would suggest just worrying about your current classes and your extracurriculars. worry about college next year when you're applying. yes, like needadvice says, don't get too overconfident...but you seem like one of those students for whom things will fall into place if you keep it up.</p>

<p>as for my scores, i wasn't the best of the best...however i did go to a highly competitive private school. and it was one of those schools that sends like 30 people to berkeley every year.</p>

<p>i took all my SAT's once without studying...so these scores probly should be higher. i got:</p>

<p>1360 on SAT I
630 on SAT II writing
700 on SAT II physics
800 on SAT II math (the second one)</p>

<p>as for AP's, i took five tests and got three 3's, one 4, and one 5.</p>

<p>my gpa was 3.85 unweighted and about 4.1 weighted.</p>

<p>i was involved with a cultural group all four years and became president. i was part of a community service group all four years and became vice-president. i volunteered regularly as a tutor for underprivilged kids. i was involved with music at my school all four years, and was part of every musical ensemble possible. as a latin student, i was automatically part of a couple latin clubs all four years (although i did absolutely nothing for them). i did track for a semester and yearbook for a semester...whatever, haha. and i was a freshmen retreat leader junior and senior year.</p>

<p>i also worked at Score! Educational Centers during my junior and senior year. and i worked at NASA as a research assistant in a lab there.</p>

<p>so if you really look at it, my SAT and AP scores aren't superior and my gpa was about average (for Cal admissions). i took 2 AP's my junior year and 3 AP's my senior year. my school did not rank us, so i didn't know where i stood. i really didn't do a TON of extracurriculars...i just did the few things i wanted to do. i don't remember my personal statement that well, but i know that it didn't suck.</p>

<p>so some students get accepted for having one aspect of their app stand out. but i would say that most students get accepted because there is a good balance in the different parts of the application.</p>

<p>so don't feel that you won't get in just because you have a low SAT or gpa or whatever. you have many opportunities to shine!</p>

20

<p>Thanks NeedAdvice and ThreeTaGetReady, your words give confidence to me. But the
reason that I am so concerned is because I took 2 AP classes my Sophomore year (AP World and AP bio) and I got 3’s on both of them. After seeing what other people got I’m really embarassed to even mention my scores. </p>

<p>Also my SAT II scores so far weren’t very good. For Biology I wasn’t sure whether to take Ecology or Molecular on the day of the test; I’d begun to take Ecology but changed my mind last minute, and in result I was unable to complete 10 questions, and got a 670. I plan on retaking because I’m sure that I will be able to get over 700, hopefully. I wont even say what I got for World History (yuck).</p>

<p>Here are my Senior classes:</p>

<br>


<br>

<p>Wow, 5 AP classes in one year. Even looking at it gives me the <em>CHILLS.</em> I don’t know how people do it, those GENUISES. :)</p>

<p>For NeedAdvice’s info CSF is the California Scholarship Federation, we do a lot of Community Service and we also make lots of new friends by joining the club. I have a arch rival who is just waiting for the chance to snatch the CSF President title from me. He’s really mean too, and highly competitive: once I got a bad score on one of my tests for history class and he just laughed in my face. Who cares, kharma will get to him. >.<</p>

<p>Anyway organizing a fundraiser sounds like fun, but a lot of work too. Do you guys suppose that going to writing competitions count? Every year in May the Korean Association has writing competitions for all Koreans in California. I have been going ever since I was in middle school, and have always won an award. Last year I got Silver, and got a round trip ticket to Korea with the other student competition winners, it was very fun. I'm planning to attend in the coming 2 years. Would this count as an achievement that Berkeley will recognize?</p>

<p>Also I was wondering NeedAdvice what’s the Honor Society? I never heard of it before, mind explaining? </p>

<p>Wow ThreeTaGetReady your extracurriculars are impressive and you say you didn’t do a TON of ECs! Looks like to me that you did; I mean President of cultural group, vice president of community service group, tutoring underprivileged children, music for 4 years, working at Educational Centers and NASA! How in the world did you do it? Pshhhh, I see why Berkeley accepted you! You and NeedAdvice are two incredible people with lots of achievements. ^^ </p>

<p>So, NeedAdvice, are you telling me that being a BUFF and MUSCULAR woman will help me stand out for Berkeley? Wow, that's so strange. Ke ke. I’m not that muscular, just lean and sporty. :)
NeedAdvice thanks for your last sentence made me feel unique and different:
"This is what makes you stand out though..you can actually run a foot."</p>

<p>Thanks you guys, you have no idea how much your suggestions and words of encouragement mean to me!</p>