<p>Anyone here admitted to UC Berkeley outside of the top 10% of their high school class? If so, what were your stats?</p>
<p>I'm a bit worried. I've read 99% of admits were in the top 10% of their high school class. My school reports deciles, and I'm somewhere between 10% - 20%.</p>
<p>(10th-11th) UW: 3.72
(10th-11th fully weighted): 4.27
SAT CR: 800; M: 770; W:720 = 2290
SAT II - Math: 800; Chem: 730</p>
<p>My GPA is mostly brought down by a C both semesters in Calculus BC, though I received a 5 on the AP test.</p>
<p>Class rank as reported by your high school is officially not used in admissions, although “achievement in context of your high school” may be indirectly correlated with class rank.</p>
<p>What would “achievement in context of your high school” take into account?
I would expect things like number of AP/Honors classes taken, relative GPA (to account for grade inflation at some schools), and ECs to be looked at. Are those assumptions correct and is there anything else?</p>
<p>Would relative difficulty of schedule be looked at?</p>
<p>sure, a lot of kids are accepted who are not top decile. Just ask Coach Dykes. :)</p>
<p>But seriously, what is your UC gpa? As an instater, the competition in your HS matters. Does your HS routinely send 3.7 uw’s to Cal? </p>
<p>Great test scores, but GPA is more important to UC. And, absent a compelling reason, great test scores and low grades, particularly in Calc, reads ‘slacker’ to adcoms (which is not a good thing). Of course, a C in Calc would not be a positive if you were applying to Eng or College of Chem.</p>
<p>Not applying to Eng or Chem, I applied L&S Economics. I am indeed instate. </p>
<p>Does a 5 on the AP Calc BC test do anything to lessen the burden?
In the more information section I talked about skipping into BC without AB and the significant amount of time the course and my other activities required. I doubt this explanation will be very convincing, though.</p>
<p>My UC GPA (weighted-capped to 8-semesters of AP+Honors credit, 10th & 11th) is 4.09.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how many my school sends outside of the top decile, but out of a class of ~580 I think 30-40 enrolled this past year. Another 10-15 ended up at more selective schools, so they were likely accepted.</p>
<p>Ah, it’s a different situation at my school. The ‘advanced’ math track has students taking AB in 11th grade, then BC in 12th grade. Rarely are students allowed to take BC without AB, about five or so a year.</p>
<p>Seems like a common, but poor, practice in high schools. One would expect that students reaching calculus by 11th grade (two grade levels ahead) are the top students in math, and can handle BC in one year instead of AB one year followed by BC the next year.</p>
<p>In any case, L&S applicants are all considered together and any who are admitted as freshmen enter undeclared. Economics is a capped major that one must apply to declare after completing the prerequisites. Also, if you want to go to a PhD program in economics, you need to take advanced math courses.</p>
<p>You need a 4 on both AP economics tests to fulfill Economics 1 for the economics major (5 on both for the business major).</p>