<p><a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/who/[/url]”>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/who/</a></p>
<p>i think #3 would've been good for eecs, and shouldve been admitted</p>
<p>obviously the other applicants arent marked down for exceptional work in math/science</p>
<p>Number 3 was not admitted because they knew that number 3 was using Berkeley as a safety lol. Tufts Syndrome anyone?</p>
<p>Rejecting 1550s and accepting 880s mean you suck as a school. Only 880s would attend a school like Berkeley, while the 1550s attend schools like HYPS. Therefore, Berkeley is basically protecting its yield. They should just admit that!</p>
<p>yall silly ppl, number 3 got admitted ! </p>
<p>in the popup window, read the first line. (or for that matter the title of the popup page)</p>
<p>jeez, that stuff scared me for a sec.</p>
<p>oops :)
the reader had something against him though</p>
<p>Just like in football, strength of schedules matters much, particularly at the highly selective schools. Take a look-see at Soph schedule -- only four solids, and only one 'A'. Lowell HS is one of the top schools in the state, with numerous APs, of which this kid took 1 (Chem) + 1/2 (Psych) + 1/2 (Govt). </p>
<p>Unfortunately, this kid reads light schedule, but great test scores. Thus, the conclusion is that the kid could've challenged himself/herself, but chose not to. Moreover, someone who is struggling in math, will almost certainly not be competitive in Berkekely'e EECS program, one of the hardest majors on campus, if not the hardest.</p>
<p>Uber: this candidate would've been an auto reject at the HYPS, as well.</p>
<p>well, Im from Lowell too :), and I had almost identical schedules... it's practically impossible to take more than 1 AP soph year. 7 classes is a max, and recently they don't even allow that for aps/honors... keep in mind requirements for PE (10th grade), Health ed (a semester), college and career (1/2 semester), drivers ed (1/2 semester)...
also, with 4 aps/honors it's pretty challenging schedule for lowellites.
(of course not for ccers, but yall guyz are beasts)</p>
<p>see,I have pretty much same grades, a bit higher test scores, a bit better ecs, and a bit better essay....</p>
<p>so I was a bit uncomfortable hearing the person didn't get in. but he/she did, so yay ! :)
one stubborn reader who isn't even adcom doesnt matter :)</p>
<p>Not to mention his lack-luster ECs. A paralegal intern? Big whoop, there is no description of how he got the job or what he actually did. National Merit Semi-Finalist? All you need are good PSAT scores and a decent GPA. Despite what the admit said, an essay like that does not stand out at all (she said it was "good", which probably wouldn't be good enough if he were, say, out of state), and could hurt him in applying to MHYPS.</p>
<p>yeah Berkeley's admissions policies are lax.</p>
<p>This was at least 5 years ago, however. And they all seem to be residents of CA, which is a huge boost in admissions. It does seem a bit less selective than i first thought after reading that site.</p>
<p>The controversy regarding Berkeley admissions surfaced again this summer. In an article in the Los Angeles Times, reporters discovered that students with 800s and 900s were admitted over students with significantly higher SAT scores because they came from impoverished areas of Oakland and San Francisco. Under Cal's "Comprehensive Review" Policy, the admission committee wagers in "life challenges," which includes attending a poor school, death of a parent, low income, etc.</p>
<p>The co-salutatorian of my high school (C/O '04) was rejected by USC and UCLA because of her low SAT scores, but accepted by Cal.</p>
<p>What the report doesn't mention is that the 800 and 900 SAT people applied as undeclared L&S majors or undeclared in CNR, whereas the rejected people with 1500s and straight As were applying to very popular, competitive majors like EECS and BioE. The report to the Times, was written by Jay Moores, a regent with an agenda that is almost as anti-affirmative action as Ward Connoly's. Whether or not you are against the "life challenges" thing, you have to take the report with a grain of salt; getting admitted to the College of Engineering and getting admitted into CNR are two very different things.</p>
<p>Eiffelguy:</p>
<p>is it possible the co-sal got rejected by the SoCal schools bcos of geographic diversity? Another factor that comes into play with UCLA is the all-important yield factor. If many kids from your SoCal school prefer to go elsewhere, e.g. Berkelely, UCLA has been known to accept fewer from that HS.</p>
<p>Berkeley admissions aren't that scary. If you don't get in the first time, you can always go to community college for two years, save some money, and transfer in.</p>
<p>I would have rejected all of them. None of them had grades + SAT scores + good ECS. I don't see how you can admit someone that has an 800 or 900 on their SATs, that is basically screaming they will never be able to keep up with the course work at Berkeley. I can understand saying 1200 is low, but OK we'll admit them, but not 800 or 900.</p>
<p>I wonder about a well written essay penned by a student with under 600v. I am concerned that if the life struggles are to be included that they don't have more questions about it on the application. A student who struggles and achieves around these challenges might be less inclined to include these in an essay, than a student who uses them as an excuse for watching too much tv when they should have been studying.</p>
<p>applicant 2 was a applicant from my high school... and is just 3 blocks from ucb.. kinda hits home for me. since shes involved in so much stuff that i am in.. (except i have near straight a's and a much higher standardized testing scores). Also, how come they wont let us see the SAT2 scores?</p>
<p>800/900 SAT is just horribly low for a school ranked as high as Berkeley. The SAT isn't great at measuring intelligence, but extremes like 1500 and 800 give some indication on it. There's really no excuse for not scoring above 1000. This isn't a developing country, we've got books and internet access even in the ghetto.</p>
<p>I bet it's because of some BS about "life's challenges." But you are right, there is no excuse for admitting people with 800 Sat scores.</p>
<p>^ Uber. Berkeley's incoming freshman class is 3500. And it has a contract and a responsibility to the people of California. </p>
<p>"What economics is about is trying to prevent poverty insofar as that is possible" - George Akerlof - Nobel Prize Economics 2001. </p>
<p>Professor Akerlof summed up what Berkeley represents philosophically in that one sentence, so anything you say doesn't strike me as being more important than the above statement.</p>