Hey @AspiringSenior!
I am an international applicant from Brazil, and I also received a similar email regarding InitialView but from Carnegie Mellon University. I am also applying to UC Berkeley, but they didn’t send me anything like that up to date. And, by the way, my SAT and TOEFL scores are very similar to yours.
I’ve still not taken the interview, mainly due to its reasonably high cost (around 50% of the average monthly income of a Brazilian worker for something that I don’t consider necessary) and terrible schedules (taking an interview at 3 am, seriously???). So, just like you, I am having a hard time figuring out if its really worth it, and although I’ve emailed CMU explaining my considerations and doubts, they haven’t replied me yet.
May I ask you where are you from? I’ve heard that due to recent controversies regarding TOELF and SAT in China (https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/19/chinese-students-hungry-attend-universities-caught-fraudulent-application-process/gpRB06mqBVAsxZ6eAbFKCJ/story.html), many asian applicants are now encouraged to “prove” their English communication skills through other means besides standardized testing.
Anyway, I will wait for an answer from CMU. Why don’t you too email Berkeley expressing your points? Please let me know if you have any new information!