Background:
Asian Male (sigh)
Middle Class Family (<100k)
From Oregon
Intended Major-Biochemistry or Chemical Engineering
Stats:
4.00 UW GPA
My school doesn’t use weighted GPA
4.55 UC GPA Weighted
Tied for #1 class rank out of ~375
1580 SAT First Try(800 Math, 780 Reading+Writing, 22/24 Essay)
800 SAT Subject-Math 2
800 SAT Subject-Chemistry
780 SAT Subject-Physics
Advanced Courses:
10th Grade:
AP Calculus BC-4
AP US History-5
11th Grade:
AP Spanish Language
AP English Language
AP Chemistry
AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles
AP World History
IB Physics 1
Linear Algebra (University of Oregon)
12th grade (expected):
AP US Government
AP English Literature
AP Biology
IB Physics 2
Spanish (University of Oregon)
Abstract Algebra (University of Oregon)
Numerical Analysis (University of Oregon)
Extracurriculars:
2 years Science Bowl (Captain)
2 years Science Olympiad (Captain)
4 years School’s Advanced Orchestra (7 years violin)
2 years Basketball
2 years Robotics (team made it to nationals both years)
9 years Piano
3 years Student Government (president senior year)
Tutoring
Other:
National AP Scholar
National Merit Scholar
NHS Member
AMC 12 top 5%
Summer Internship for a professor at the University of Oregon
Proficient in Java
200+ Hours of Volunteering at Hospital
2 week long Mission Trips to Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic to help kids in poverty
Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Feel free to tell me what I need to do better!
I think your stats are very impressive! Keep up the good work and studies in your advanced classes, especially as you begin to wear out throughout your last year of high school.
You should start working on your essays early. I find it really helps to write your first/second draft of your essay very early, then leave it alone for couple months, then do another draft. That gap in time helps you freshen up your mind and make you look at your work a bit more objectively.
Other than that I see no reason why you shouldn’t get accepted (apart from just bad luck).
Good luck!
Your stats are great, but Cal is the kind of school that is not a given for even great candidates. As @SpicyRamen says, work on your essays. Your stats are probably very similar to a lot of other top students, so try to show them something different in your essays.
Your stats are incredible. So I guess all that’s left now is the actual application and the essay. Your essay and recommendation letters will make or break your chances. Also, biochemistry and chemE are probably two of the most competitive majors at UCB, but it’s also ranked #1 and #2, respectively. Good luck!
Are you in Beaverton, LO, or Salem school district? This will affect how AOs perceive your strength of schedule.
Everyone I know with those stats got into Berkeley. None of the information you’ve given indicates that Berkeley wouldn’t take you.
You are a competitive applicant and the best of luck. What is your capped weighted UC GPA?
Can your parents afford to pay full fees at $60K/year although you may have a good chance at a Regents scholarship ($2500K/year) but a drop in the bucket compared to actual costs?
Focus on your essays. Be interesting.