Hi all,
I just finished my high school third year, and as any rising senior would be, I’m focusing this summer to partly my college applications. At the moment, I have a 1490 composite on SAT I and I have a 4.47 uc-weighted gpa, and I live in a state which is not california. My concern is that I want to be a materials science engineering major, but as Berkeley is a very competitive school, I’m worried about my subject test scores. I took math 2 and totally bombed it, and I just took physics and I didn’t feel strongly. Honestly, I did not study enough for either. I do plan on taking them again, but I wanted to know if I should really freak out about them anyways… i feel like I could do good on one but maybe not the other, it just depends. MSE is a more lowkey major, but that doesn’t take away the difficulty of getting into the CoE which is roughly a 10% admit rate, plus the fact that I’m out of state. I’ve been thinking I may just take the SAT 1 once more to aim for a 1530 or 1540 and then try to strengthen essays but how much will subject tests affect my admissions chances?
Thank you/Ďakujem
UC guidance says applicants who do not submit subject test scores will not be penalized. http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/examination-requirement/SAT-subject-tests/index.html
But, if you have good subject test scores they are an advantage. What was your Math 2 score?
Below is what UCB considers important in their application review. Since SAT subject tests are not required but recommended, they should not have a huge impact on your chances. Unfortunately to be competitive for a school like UCB, it is to your advantage to have an overall exception application.
- BERKELEY
- Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
- Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience
- Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency, AP/IBLH exam scores
- Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
- LOR's by invitation only as of 2017
My math 2 was only a 710.
you look like a very competitive applicant. 4.47 is pretty high for a UC GPA - the 8 course cap usually keeps it below 4.40. you may want to calculate that again just to be sure. Understand, though the school rejects LOTS of high stat applicants each year so, be sure to apply broadly. Of course, if you get in OOS tuition is pretty absurd so, be ready for that. With your stats, a CA private like LMU, Santa Clara or USD will probably be much more affordable.
Apply broadly and good luck.
If I were in your shoes I probably wouldn’t submit that score. I’m pretty sure it would be near the bottom end of CoE applicants, it’s already below 50% for all test takers. Besides, Engineering recommends seeing 2 tests anyhow, one Math and one science.
It sounds like 4.47 is your UC uncapped GPA. Can you calculated your UC capped GPA? https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/ How much math did you take in high school? Also, what was your SAT math score? Does it show a strong math competency?
Here is what I suggest to improve your chances:
1.Do not waist your time on your Subject test and do not submit your scores. Instead, retake the SAT and try to increase your score to around 1530. You might want to also take the ACT and see what you score. If you get a high score on both exams this will help you a lot more that the SAT Subject. If you don’t do well on the ACT, you will not submit that score.
2.You MUST get a summer internship related to Engineering.
3.Focus your energy and efforts on your essays. You should discuss your leadership, volunteering, your community, and your passions (hobbies). Your stats are important, but mean very little if you don’t covey to the readers that you are good and caring human being. Please understand that the admission officers will be looking at approximately 87,000 applications and they have many students with amazing stats so you want to discuss in your essays what really matters.
4.Ask your English AP teacher and at least one other adult to critic your essays.
Your overall application would have to be amazing, not just your stats. I recommend you do the following:
1.Do not retake the SAT Subject since there is no guarantee that you will improve your score and also do not submit your current scores.
2.Retake the SAT and try to get 1530-1540 (Use Khan Academy or other resources).
3.Take the ACT. You might get a very good score and this way you can submit both SAT score as well as the ACT score. This will completely offset your SAT subject. As a matter of fact, you will differentiate yourself that way.
4.See if you can have a summer internship this summer (Engineering Related).
5.Write amazing essays talking about your passions, leadership, volunteering and have your AP English Comp, and AP Lit teacher critique your essays.
6.Make sure you have two amazing recommendation letters.
This year UC Berkeley had 87,000 applicants and lots of them have amazing Stats. You must impress the admission officers in your essays. You have to demonstrate that you are kind, humble, and care about your community.
Good Luck!
I submitted my 720 math 2 score got in for engineering (IEOR) this year, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.