<p>@f2loop, Berkeley takes holistic review pretty seriously and applicants are evaluated as individuals, with all of their achievements and qualities taken into consideration. Berkeley looks at fully weighted and unweighted GPA. Below is the long spiel I have written for my blog after the alumni volunteer training:</p>
<p>Freshman Admission</p>
<pre><code>Berkeley screens for UC eligibility before admission evaluation, so the campus will be adopting the eligibility changes implemented by the UC system.
Berkeley uses holistic review for admission evaluation. For an explanation, see http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/freshmen.asp?id=56&navid=Y. There was also UC Berkeley’s ‘holistic’ application review sets the standard for system - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee (March 24, 2011) that discussed how the process works:
Every factors listed on the freshman admission brochure is taken into consideration and there is NO point scale and NO specific weight assigned for each criteria (although I have noticed the campus leaning toward academic achievements again, so make sure you focus your attention on your coursework and grades).
What Berkeley means by “all achievement is considered in the context of your educational circumstances” is that the campus gets THREE sets of context for each applicant: you compared to other students at your high school who applied to Berkeley, you compared to other students at your high school who applied to the UC System (any UC campus), you compared to the entire pool of applicants who applied to Berkeley during the current application cycle. So you have three chances to look good; whether you are the cream of the crop at your crappy school or the top 30% of your cut-throat magnet school, you will be noticed (I picked “30%” out of the air, it’s not an actual stat).
Why the Personal Statement is Important
Helps the campus determine distinctions among highly qualified applicants
Provides information and context of an applicant's academic and personal experiences
Demonstrates student's ability to overcome any challenges
Illustrates the context of an experience with concrete examples
For leadership, Berkeley is looking for:
Motivation
Tenacity
Initiative
Demonstrated concern for others and for the community
While outstanding/consistent achievements are favored, improving grade trend is considered.
You should always take the AP exams to show you’re willing to try (but if you can’t afford the exams, state that in the Additional Comments section of the application); there is NO penalty if you receive a low score.
Additional criteria considered by College of Engineering and College of Chemistry:
Math and science courses above the requirement/recommendation
Strong SAT/ACT math and science scores (SAT Subject Tests in Math Level 2 and science are recommended)
Demonstrated interest in these majors (extracurriculars related to your major)
Stated interest in the major within the personal statement
OOS/International applicants must meet the general admission course (while a-g is not strictly enforced, applicants should comply with the general subject/number of year requirements) and exam requirements along with a 3.4 GPA. The admission index is not applicable and while each eligible applicant will receive a thorough review, applicants do not receive any form of guarantee. International applicants whose language of instruction is not English must also submit a TOEFL/IELTS score by January.
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