<p>amused:</p>
<p>sorry, no tears here for anyone applying to only reaches. I too, believe U-Dub is a great school, and one of the most beautiful campuses in the Pac-10. </p>
<p>But, you need to remember, that Berkeley (and UCLA) turn down thousands of bwrk's -- well over 35% of the acceptees are low income and the first generation to go to college, so the odds for a middle class, suburban kid decline signficantly. Several kids with similar stats to the OP's friend (in the top 20 at highly compeititive in-state HS) were rejected by UCLA and/or Berkeley. Those essays do count under Comprehensive Review.</p>