How can I boost my chances? (CC to UC)

My goal is to transfer from a California community college to UC Berkeley.My question is how can I boost my chances of getting into Berkeley. In high school my gpa was 3.5. However, I never took any Ap classes. I am now attending a cc and have been getting only As. I am also in my cc’s concert band and also participating in the Philosophy club (Philosophy is my major).I plan to retake the SAT soon. With all that said, is there anything else I could do to boost a probability of me getting accepted?

There is no reason to retake the SAT since UCB will not consider HS grades or SAT test scores for Transfer. You need a minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units at your CC to transfer. Your CC GPA, taking the required UCB transferable courses, your personal application statement and any EC’s done during your time at the CC will be the determining factors on your transfer. Anything other than AP class credit from HS will not be considered.

http://admissions.berkeley.edu/transferstudents

If you have an specific UC transfer questions, post in the UC transfer thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/

Thank you for comment. It was very helpful.

Which CCC? Most CC’s don’t offer the prerequisites for Berkeley’s Philosophy major - only CCSF and Cabrillo College (I think?) offer them all. You can also take classes at Berkeley over the summer through their Summer Sessions program, open to all who are able to pay (it’s fairly expensive). I took 12A (Symbolic Logic) there last summer, and I loved it.

I’m a Philosophy major as well, and I hope to transfer to Berkeley next Fall.

To echo what was previously said - primary criteria will be your GPA, completion of any prereqs available to you, and GE (IGETC is probably best) - as well as demonstrated interest in the major. 3.6+ will make you competitive, but shoot for a 4.0 if you can.

HS stats are irrelevant. SATs are irrelevant.

Message me if you have any questions, I know the system (more or less) through and through, and I’m happy to help, and/or respond to things more thoroughly.

I am actually wondering if, other than the required philosophy classes, Berkeley would expect me to finish any type of courses. Such as physics, chemistry, etc.

It is generally recommended to follow the IGETC pattern for your general education requirements. As for completing specific courses, other than your major requirements (if your school has them) or classes in your major generally, they don’t care.

You should post anything else related to transferring to a UC in the UC Transfers thread.