Hey guys,
I applied to the College of Chemistry and got rejected. Berkeley was my top-choice school, so I was pretty upset when I found at that Berkeley didn’t even want to consider me for the waiting list. Even though I know that less than 1% of appeals are successful, it doesn’t hurt to try, right???
So in the letter should I:
-re-emphasize parts of my application that may have been overlooked (strong chem scores and summer research)
-confirm that I will go to uc berkeley if accepted
-why I think Berkeley should accept me
-describe what exactly holds my attention about Berkeley
Did I miss anything?
It is more like less than 0.000001% of appeals are successful.
From the UCB appeals process::
Our original selection process involves careful individual reading of each application and it is very unlikely that we will choose to reverse our original decision. We strongly discourage letters of appeal unless you can provide significant and compelling information for us to consider. Disagreement with the decision is not a valid reason for an appeal. Information regarding internships or activities you participated in after the original application deadline is not relevant and should not be included in your appeal. For an appeal to have merit it must bring to light new information regarding your academic performance and/or information pertaining to extenuating circumstances that were not discussed in the application.
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None of the above points you listed meet “new and compelling”. You have been accepted to some good schools, so love the school that loves you and move on.
Could I talk about health issues like panic/asthma attacks that I had Junior year, which affected my academic performance? I never mentioned that in my original application. And I think a big part of my rejection is because of my low gpa.
That should have been mentioned, by your guidance counselor, in your original application.
@TomSrOfBoston I don’t think she did. Should I have her mention/write a letter or is it too late?
If it’s too late, it’s not a big deal. Like @Gumbymom said, I got into some good schools already. I just don’t want to regret not trying.
@JuicyMango I believe that it is worth it to write an appeal, as long as you are mentally prepared for it not to work. TomSr doesn’t realize that UCs don’t accept letters from guidance counselors as part of the process, so if you didn’t mention it in your application, you can mention it in an appeal. Also, I don’t really understand why people discourage others from appealing. There’s nothing you can lose, and as long as you stay realistic in your expectations, you should do it. I’d be willing to read your appeal if you want. I’m not an expert, but I’m currently drafting an appeal to UCLA so maybe we could help each other out?
@JuicyMango @SillyJillie423 Did you mention your health issue in your original application? If not, they will probably respond by saying you had the opportunity to raise these issues when you submitted your application. Still worth trying but I’m afraid that universities are pretty inured to such pleas except when something major happened AFTER you submitted your application.
@JuicyMango Since you are willing to go through the work of filing an appeal even though it might not be successful, I say, go ahead! All you risk is another rejection. If you are tough enough to deal with Berkeley’s grade deflation and surrounding neighborhood, then I think you are tough enough to deal with another let-down, if it happens.
<<did i="" miss="" anything?="">>
-re-emphasize parts of my application that may have been overlooked (strong chem scores and summer research)
-confirm that I will go to uc berkeley if accepted
-why I think Berkeley should accept me
-describe what exactly holds my attention about Berkeley
@JuicyMango Just so you know, I’m rooting for you. I believe you should have been admitted to College of Chemistry, UCB given your stats. I was a Chem major at Cornell, so us Chem folks stick together. Still, may I offer some free advice?
Instead of :
re-emphasizing parts of your app, I would give updates and identify things they don’t know about you
Confirm that I will go to UCB - No, state UCB is your dream school, and if admitted you will attend enthusiastically
why you think Berkeley will accept you: what you will offer the community
what holds your attention: what makes you a good fit.
Good Luck. I think at this point, it’s all in the attitude. Try an enthusiastic letter and one that connotes your heart lies there!.
@BunnyBlue Honestly, this whole admissions process has been one big let-down, so I don’t mind (and am expecting) another rejection from UC Berkeley. But I want to be able to say that I tried my best, so I’m still going to go ahead with the appeal.
@SillyJillie423 Sounds like a good idea! I’ll PM you when I finish writing my appeal, and you can do the same when you are done with yours. I’ll be more than happy to give you advice and critic your appeal letter.
@exlibris97 I had a pretty serious panic attack after I turned in my application (needed to take steroid injection in my leg) and was hooked up to an oxygen tank. I don’t know if this qualifies as “serious”, but I guess its worth mentioning.
@preppedparent That’s great advice, thank you so much!
While I suppose there isn’t any harm in sending an appeal letter, I think OP needs to move on. Admissions to schools in this country are so subjective. Your hard stats - grade, test scores, rankings - may only get you through the first round. Then it’s weighing EC’s, essays, LOR’s and other “factors”. Those are extremely subjective, and result in a landscape littered with highly qualified candidates scratching their heads about who got in and who didn’t and trying to speculate WHY. I really feel for you kids - it must be beyond frustrating.
Having a super strong resume increases your odds of getting into your desired schools, but there’s that keyword - “odds”. It is something of a gamble. When you go all in emotionally on one school, you are taking an incredible risk. While the high of getting in will feel absolutely amazing, the low of a rejection can crush a spirit like little else.
As a data point, I know a kid who got rejected by UC Santa Cruz, appealed, and got in, so it happens. I just don’t know about Berkeley. Especially since it was hard reject vs. being waitlisted.
So, OP, craft your letter if you feel you need to do everything you can, send it, and then get to work accepting - and embracing - another school. Even if you are one of the lucky, lucky few that they change their minds about, you probably wouldn’t hear until well after acceptances are due. In the meantime, you have to move on, physically and emotionally.
@JuicyMango The problem is that the panic attack you suffered occurred after you submitted your application. But it is worth trying. I’d just urge you to move on and focus on other universities. Rejection sadly is a fact of life.