<p>I know that every college weights parts of the application differently. So I was wondering, does anyone know how much emphasis Berkeley places on the personal statements? I'm a little worried about mine. They're well-written and all that, but seem a little cliche, and probably won't stand out from the crowd as much. To be fair, the rest of my app is pretty good - 2370 SAT, 4.25 GPA, plenty of club leadership as well as summer research. So, considering that, do you guys think that a cliche or slightly generic essay will hurt my chances significantly?</p>
<p>if you’re applying L&S, you don’t really have much to worry about; a 2370/4.25/good ECs will probably get you in(assuming your essays aren’t below average)
engineering on the other hand will probably require at least average essays</p>
<p>honestly though, you’re probably getting in (unless you’re applying to something crazy like EECS) simply due to your grades and EC’s.</p>
<p>Well, what do you know… I actually am applying to EECS. I guess I should’ve mentioned that from the beginning. So considering that, can the essays actually make a significant difference?</p>
<p>I have to disagree that a 4.25 and 2370 ALONE will get you in, I knew/know of people in high school with 2200+ SAT and around 4.3 gpa who couldn’t get in to either UCLA or Berkeley. Keep in mind a lot of people have those scores, it’s the other stuff that helps you stand out (which your ECs are good, so you’re fine). </p>
<p>The essays are a bigger deal to Berkeley admissions than they are to the other UCs, meaning yes, it makes quite a significant difference and you should spend some time on them.</p>
<p>The essays matter a LOT. I know a friend who applied to EECS last year with a 4.6 GPA and 2350 SAT score and was outright rejected (his appeal was also rejected). </p>
<p>If you are set on applying to EECS, I highly, highly recommend you to make sure your essays clearly show three important things; why you are interested in this major (backed up with engineering awards/other examples of interest in the field), how you’d be a vital part of Berkeley’s student body, and how the two would help advance your future goals and aspirations in the subject. </p>
<p>The Engineering department has made it very clear that they want to see demonstrated interest in the field from their applicants.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for the feedback. I guess I’ll go edit my essays a little more. However, I do know that Berkeley wants to see interest in those essays. I read their tips on how to write personal statement, and all of them say that you need to explain why you’re interested I’m your major, what you’ve done in relation to it, etc. I feel like I’ve done that pretty well - both my essays talk about my interest in math and comp sci, although from different angles.</p>
<p>Essays matter A LOT. It can make or break your application.</p>
<p>@dina4119 … Do you know what majors they were applying to at Cal? I’d be very surprised if 4.3 gpa and 2200+ didn’t get admitted to L&S, but not shocked at all if they were rejected from EECS or the College of Chemistry, or from the film school at UCLA.</p>
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<p>What was your friend’s GPA (unweighted or UC weighted)? It does not appear possible to get a 4.6 UC weighted GPA, since only 8 semesters’ of honors points can be added (out of about 20-24 semesters’ worth of a-g courses in 10th-11th grades).</p>
<p>Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant a 4.6 W HIGH SCHOOL GPA. While I’m not exactly sure what his UC GPA was, I do know that he took the toughest schedule that was offered by my high school and did very well in each one of his classes.</p>
<p>@berkeley17 - of course I realize that there always gonna be exceptions to the rule, and that numbers alone won’t get you into a college as competitive as Berkeley EECS. However, I think that my numbers actually will give me a big advantage over many applicants. And of course, I’m not relying on just numbers; I have some strong ECs and some major awards as well. The only issue were my essays, which I considered a little generic and cliche. But I improved them a little since I made this thread, and I’m actually pretty happy with the essays now. They may not stand out, but at least they shouldn’t bring my chances down. Anyway, thanks everyone for the advice. I submitted my app yesterday and now just have to wait.</p>
<p>@mothergoldenbear, the 4 I knew in high school were applying to L&S, I’d say it was a combination of bad essays and mediocre activities that did them in.</p>
<p>Could anyone tell me when exactly the deadline is? The web site seems to just say November 30th.</p>
<p>@orbdas - this isn’t really the best place to ask, and I’m definitely not the best person, but I think the exact deadline is midnight from November 30 to December 1. Don’t just trust me on that one, I’m not sure. But I’ve seen a post with the exact same question recently, I’m sure you can find it if you use the search option. But my only advice is that you submit the app ASAP, because it’s never a good idea to wait until the very last moment. I waited until November 1 for my U of M application, and it was a terrible idea. So don’t do the same.</p>
<p>how about you just submit your app on Nov 29 and all your problems are magically solved :D</p>
<p>oh wait it’s the 29th already here, and it’s night</p>
<p>ehh just submit it before the inevitable crash tomorrow night lol</p>
Got rejected with a 2350 sat, 5.22 high school gpa…so yes everyone, essays matter
This kid wasn’t accepted. Look at his stats.
Here’s another one rejected but with impressive stats:
and another one.
^^^this person applied to EECS; that’s probably why. I think the acceptance rates for that program are very low, under 10%.