<p>cuz it seems like the GPA is the only thing that matters </p>
<p>some people who only took 1-2 AP and got 4.0 got in while others who took 7 APs and 3.9 did not. </p>
<p>also, some people got in with 1500s on their SAT while ppl with 2300+ were rejected. </p>
<p>any thoughts?</p>
<p>I don't know. I got a 1830 SAT and 4.3 GPA... I took one honors class freshmen year, one during sophmore year, three junior year, and three senior year... I've only had two B's overall...</p>
<p>I guess they like to see AP/Honors classes but they like to see mostly A's in those classes.</p>
<p>I think Berkeley cares more about GPA than the SAT. If I remember right, wasn't it a few years back that the president of UC wanted to get rid of the SAT?</p>
<p>I had a 3.67 UW UC GPA (Edit: plus a 2160 SAT) and got in. Granted, my parents separated in junior year, but my strong point was ECs by far. My getting in definitely went against the stereotype of Cal's obsession over numbers.</p>
<p>wow you got in OOS with a 3.67? Not to be demeaning or anything, but my friend got rejected with higher sats but a 3.6 uw gpa...He's still in shock..</p>
<p>I guess that's the lesson of college admissions. Work your hardest and don't make excuses. I think we only hear of the very few cases like (a 1500 SAT-person was accepted while a 2300 wasn't), so if you really want to get in to whatever school, try to be strong in every area you can.</p>
<p>Yeah, a 3.67, and I was OOS. I do have to say my ECs and courseload were good, though. My bad grades were isolated, and everything else was an A.</p>
<p>uh yeah i wish i knew this earlier
cuz then i wouldnt have bothered taking aps and stuff
but yeah thx for input i guess</p>
<p>Yeah, they definitely care. Of course, they want to see SUCCESS in your challenging workload as well. ; ) If you take 7 AP classes and get B's in all of them... Probably not going to be helping you TOO much.
And please remember that just from seeing someone's stats, you're not seeing their entire application, like their essays, etc.
Also, sometimes admissions are plain RANDOM. I know some really strong applicants who got rejected and a few people everyone was shocked to see accepted.</p>
<p>I got in with a 3.25 weighted GPA with moderate course loads. 2 AP classes soph year, 4 AP in junior, 5 senior year. Got a 2310 on the sat (800 on crit and math) - the things that probably got me in were my essays and ECs (lots of piano and int'l and nat'l competitions). Not many students are going to get in with a 3.25, but obviously it's not the ONLY thing berkeley looks at.</p>
<p>gpa's important.</p>
<p>my friends had higher SAT scores than i did, but they got either rejected or admitted for the spring semester (i had higher gpa than they did)</p>
<p>Well if they didn't care at all then there's no way I could have gotten in. My standardized tests were excellent (800W 790M 720CR 800Physics 800MathIIc 800Chem), I did tons of APs (Physics C:E&M, Physics C:Mech, Calc BC, Chem, English Lang, US History, Comp. Sci AB), with 5s in all except a 4 in English Lang by the end of Junior year. However, my UW GPA was terrible - 3.25 my Junior year (though it was 4.0 sophomore year). The aggregate was around 3.6 (10-11), but consider the trend. My extracurriculars were very mediocre (hardly any volunteering, leadership). Nevertheless, I got in. You decide - why would they admit me if they just looked at my GPA?</p>
<p>i just hate how everything is so subjective. they put way too much weight on "extenuating factors".
worst of all, they do not know that there is a flip side to everything. they must realize that for every "hardship"(real or imaginary) applicant they admit, there is another equally, if not more qualified, stellar student they are taking a spot from.</p>
<p>
[quote]
i just hate how everything is so subjective. they put way too much weight on "extenuating factors".
worst of all, they do not know that there is a flip side to everything. they must realize that for every "hardship"(real or imaginary) applicant they admit, there is another equally, if not more qualified, stellar student they are taking a spot from.
[/quote]
I probably got in to cal at least in part because of past medical issues - my application was flagged by the DSP almost immediately after I submitted it, and I had to do a fairly substantial supplemental.</p>
<p>I have 2100 SATs and a 4.1 wgpa, which wouldn't be out of range for a normal applicant to get in anyway, so it certainly wasn't the only reason I got in...</p>
<p>... but I can tell you that in the last four years, to earn that 4.1, I worked as hard or harder than, by far, most people here.</p>
<p>They do not let in people simply because they have a hard life. They let in people who have a demonstrated potential for success. That can be from holding a 4.5 GPA and having a 2400 SAT, holding a 3.0 GPA while writing forty eight novels and building a nuclear reactor, or holding a 3.7 while undergoing some major life trauma.</p>
<p>You have * no idea * how hard someone with any particular extenuating circumstance had to work to get where they got. The adcoms may not know entirely either - but I guarantee they have a better idea than you do, and moreover, you can bet your ass they track students admitted under extreme extenuating circumstances to see how well they do.</p>
<p>^Nicely put.</p>
<p>I got in w/ a 3.8 UC GPA and few extenuating circumstances, but a 2310 SAT and great essay, ECs, et cetera. Honestly, I don't think you can quantify "what things Cal really cares about." They consider everything that goes down on your UC app. Some people with good stats will be denied, some who seem weaker will be accepted, but in general, the more things you have that are strong, the better a chance you'll have of getting in.</p>
<p>Dude, just appeal for crying out loud. With your scores you probably got into quite a few other excellent places as well. Just stop - and sorry to be blunt - whining, please.</p>
<p>GPA? SATs?
DO NOT FORGET THEY LOOK AT YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT AS WELL.</p>
<p>people with 1500 SATs probably have good personal statements; they may have overcome some challenges and have some personal achievements. who knows?</p>