<p>I am currently a second-year at a large state university (not in California).</p>
<p>What GPA should I be striving for in order to be a viable candidate for the History Ph.D. prgram at Cal? I'm in the Honors College of a "top 60" school, if that helps at all.</p>
<p>Also, what can I do to stand out in undergrad, particularly in my major.</p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>I imagine lots of research and excellent letters of recommendation is a good bet for any school.</p>
<p>Good History Ph.D. programs expect excellent language background, particularly languages relevant to the location/time period whose history you want to study in grad school. Berkeley might only require one foreign language for your particular subfield of History, but clearly it is to your advantage to take as many courses in as many languages as you can fit. (Yes, even if you are studying 19th century US History.) Four languages (Greek, Latin, French, and German, say) are not uncommon preparation for Ancient History programs.</p>
<p>Also, strive for the best GPA you can get! >3.9 = home free? No. Do as well as you can, and don't do it by padding your schedule with art classes. You should take all the hard courses <em>and</em> do well on them ^_^</p>
<p>5 on 4.0 sounds fine for Berkeley ;)</p>