Is Berkeley a safety or match?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I'm wondering whether Berkeley and UCLA can be considered safeties for me, or whether they are matches and I should apply to USC and some lower UCs as well:</p>

<p>Just some basic stuff, not going to put down my entire stat/ec list:</p>

<p>Applying to Chem, Asian female in SoCal</p>

<p>SAT I: 790v, 740m, 730w (retake in Oct.)
SAT II: 800chem, 800mathiic, 800writing, probably also 800ushistory and physics.
GPA: 4.0uw, no idea what UC weighted is, but I've taken the hardest courseload at school and have 31 UC-transferable college units from a local community college (about 9 classes, I think)
APs: chem-5, BCcalc-5, physics mech-4, physics e&m-5, ushistory-5
PSAT: 240</p>

<p>Abbreviated EC/Awards:
2 times Honors in National Chemistry Olympiad (top 150 nationally)
NASA SHARP at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Labs
1st place and 2nd place in Civil Engineering Fair, 1st place in Impromptu Design
an obscure, ancient Japanese swordfighting art
Editor-in-chief of school paper
President of Science Club
Captain of Science Olympiad team
Founder/captain of rocketry team
Self-employed: I had a contract with a division of Berkeley to build an interactive website, also was a lab assistant in a graduate chem lab at UCLA.
...and a bunch of other regional/school stuff.</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

2

<p>i would say its a safety, but you never know. UCB and UCLA are notorious for rejecting students who they know could get in to a private and instead admitting someone who they know has no chance at a private. my friend got into cornell and rejected from ucsb. go figure.</p>

3

<p>Who knows... they could very well win me over with money and chem.</p>

4

<p>Well, you are able to apply to 4 UC's for the price of one, so through in a safety or two with whichever other campuses are appealing to you, wherever in CA they may be. USC will probably throw lots of money at you, and the UC's might, too, although probably substatially less. Why not check two more boxes for other, "lower" UC's and fill out the one extra easy application that is USC? If you would go there, apply, see what happens, unless you have 12 ivy/mit/caltech/stanford apps to do. Then, just cry. No, I kid. Whatever they're considered, it doesn't really matter. Just have other places that you really do know you'll get into on the list, whichever UC is most "you" personality wise, and then relax. Although you will probably get into both UCLA and Berkeley, one never knowns.</p>

<p>Ew, ew, ew, i was just reading your profile and noticed that you really want to go to princeton. In that case, don't apply to the UC's at all. We don't want you!</p>

<p>I'm just kidding. Just known that if you have to settle on Berkeley for whatever reason, the place rocks. Best of luck to you.</p>

5

<p>I wouldnt say that if his major was chemistry that he would be settling at all. Berkeley has one of the best chemistry colleges in the country, it has its own college, its not just a department.</p>

6

<p>I concur with cmaher: since the Berkelely Chem school (and engineering) are impacted, I'd say match. USC will definitely throw money at those psat scores, assuming you make national merit finalist (they love 'em).</p>

7

<p>Haha I'd be pretty happy to "settle" for chem at Cal. Besides, I like the Bay area, and if I do go there I'll be looking forward to some conventions in San Francisco in the fall...</p>

<p>How is it that you can apply to four UCs for the price of one? I haven't heard of that... only that you can get the application fees for up to four colleges waived if you can't afford it. I don't think I qualify -- I don't even qualify for need-based aid at Princeton.</p>

8

<p>It's quite simple, really. Unless the "man" changed the system, applying to four UC schools cost 40 or 44 (i forget) dollars, while applying to each additional uc costs 40 more (if my number is correct). It's something around what i said, but yeah, four for the price of one, so they say.</p>

9

<p>But the app itself says, "Required nonrefundable fee of $55.00 for each campus; $65.00 for each campus for international appicants."</p>

<p>Is there somethng I've missed reading? I'm confused.</p>

10

<p>Perhaps it was changed, although i doubt it, or perhaps it's listed somewhere else on the website.</p>

11

<p>if an applicant does RSI, SHARP, CCIS, or MITES, then the UCs, even Berkeley, would be safeties.</p>

12

<p>you have to pay for each UC you apply to. it must've been different for you, drab, when you applied.</p>

13

<p>Nbanyk, could you show a link that proves what you're saying? Either i didn't fully understand what happened last year, or they changed things a lot. Thank you!</p>

14

<p><a href="http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply/how_apply/apply_fees.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply/how_apply/apply_fees.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It's not really my affair but that's the link. There you go.</p>

15

<p>Hmm well, thanks caljgonz, i guess i didn't understand last year, or it's been changed.</p>

16

<p>No prob, DRab.</p>

17

<p>DRab, it's always been like that. Were you in a particular program, or was there special funding for your school or something? I remember my former high school had the MESA program, and if you were a participant you'd get to apply to four UC's for free... But yeah, nothing's changed. <em>shrug</em></p>

<p>TTG</p>

18

<p>No, I wasn't in any particular program. I guess i was just under the wrong impression.</p>

19

<p>i wasn't particularly impressed by the academia at uc berkeley...but that's just me.</p>

<p>i say back-up. berkeley people will hate me for saying this, but oh well.
are you looking to go pure or applied? if you are going pure, i say go ivy/typical pop-culture schools, else think about mudd or other small schools.</p>

<p>if you want to continue after undergrad (which i assume you do):
<a href="http://hseagle.sas.edu.sg/hscounseling/College/phds.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hseagle.sas.edu.sg/hscounseling/College/phds.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

20

<p>How rediculous would that be, if we were to hate you for your opinion that the poster will have little trouble getting in? Your assesment of that is probably right. Your assement of the academia at Berkeley, however, is probably wrong. Why do you feel that way? What did you see that you didn't like, and what didn't you see that you expect any world class institution to have?</p>