<p>UC GPA: 3.47 SAT I: 2110 (M 680, CR 690, W 740) SAT IIs: Math Level II - 700, Biology M - 730 APs/Honors: APUSH (4), AP Bio (4), Am. Lit Honors, Chem Honors, AP Econ, AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, Physics Honors, and Spanish 4 Honors.</p>
<p>My ECs were focused on quality, not quantity:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Tutored students, 4 days a week, 2 hours a day afterschool for 3 years. I am currently the lead tutor (aka the President). (960 Hours total)</p></li>
<li><p>Programmed a software program for a registered corporation in the Bay Area and I also developed their website + I currently maintain it. (All 4 years - 1660 Hours total)</p></li>
<li><p>Interact Club Volunteer during Junior year (36 Hours total)</p></li>
<li><p>Track and Field during Junior Year (250 Hours total)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Essays: Really well written. Focused on how I tutored a blind student and a student with an amputated arm. My second statement talked about how I've lived in over 25 different places around the world since I was a little kid and how that's culturally enhanced my character. Both my essays ended with the lesson/new insights that I gained through my experiences so hopefully that'll count towards my strengths. Also in the additional comments section, I talked about how my programming experience demonstrates my passion and competency for engineering.</p>
<p>I applied for IEOR (Industrial Engineering and Operations Research), which is apparently not that competitive (only 50 ppl apply per year from what I've heard?). I didn't get the supplement though and that's kinda worrying me... chances please? :/</p>
<p>lol no, i’m serious. that’s why i said “ridiculous” in my title. I’m just hanging onto my average test scores + pretty good ECs to maybe get me into Cal. You never know right? I’ve heard of people getting into Cal who were rejected from the rest of the UCs.</p>
<p>Well, unfortunately Cal and the other UCs value UCGPA above anything else by far. Your UCGPA is 3.47, which is definitely very low for any of the top UCs. Your chances are fairly slim, but then again Cal does use holistic admissions meaning they may see something in you that makes them want to accept you.</p>
<p>Yeahh, I should’ve applied to L&S. whatever, its too late for that now. Isn’t Industrial Engineering one of the “easier” majors to get into? That’s what I heard atleast.</p>
<p>In terms of credentials, I’m not one of the super genius head of every club/organization in the state sort of kids. But from my standpoint, looking past your GPA, you seem like a fine candidate. Berkely has what? A 12% acceptance rate? I would have no trouble placing you in that group, GPA or not. Your experiences both technology oriented or not are fantastic and I really can not see anyone not appreciating that</p>
<p>With a 3.0 uw and no hook, in a word, ‘yes’. </p>
<p>UC values gpa above all else. EC’s can be a plus factor, but will not overcome a bunch of low grades for unhooked candidates.</p>
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<p>I would chalk that up to urban legend, or the fact that such students only applied to one or two UCs, or specialized colleges/programs (Eng at SD and L&S at Cal, which have different admissions criteria).</p>
<p>I, like bluebayou, would likewise call BS on the claim expressed in the first quote. I challenge anybody to identify a person who actually applied to and was rejected from the rest of the UC’s (including UCR and UCM) for non-specialized undergrad programs (e.g. not engineering), but was nevertheless admitted to Berkeley. After all, while admissions percentages are obviously not entirely indicative, it is nevertheless highly telling that UCM and UCR both exhibit a whopping 75%+ admit rate, in stark contrast to Berkeley’s 75%+ reject rate.</p>
<p>Ohh I should’ve made myself clearer. By every other UC, i meant the mid-tier UCs (Davis, Santa Barbara, and Irvine). I got into SB with my mediocre GPA btw.</p>
<p>I was accepted to UC Merced and UCSC and rejected from UCSB and UCD 3 years ago with a 3.2 and a 1990 sat/30 act (plus high sat2 scores, back when those things mattered). I was offered a conditional guaranteed transfer by UC Berkeley if I first went to UC Merced for 2 years and fulfilled their requirements (program was only awarded to a handful of applicants and has since been discontinued). I am now a junior at Cal. I had originally only applied as a joke/ wishful thinking- I thought with my stats I’d be rejected! My point is that even though you seem like a long shot, there is always some hope that a reader will like something in your app. A slim hope, but a hope nonetheless.</p>
<p>I keep hearing about how Berkeley is a “general achievement oriented” school… as in they want people who have excelled academically AND/OR through extra-curriculars. On the other hand, UCLA is apparently purely “academically oriented”. I also keep hearing that Berkeley wants people who look promising to being “agents of social change”. PLUS the personal statement matter more than the SATs to them as well.</p>
<p>Keeping all of this in mind, I’m having the tendency to think that Berkeley cares about the STUDENT who applied and not his GRADES (albeit, grades are a big part of the student as well). However, if the student has managed to excel in other areas and looks promising to the campus, then its fair to say that people with mediocre GPAs (such as mine) CAN be accepted, right?</p>
<p>I would say so. Since my grades weren’t spectacular, I can only assume that an admissions officer saw something in my personal statements that they liked. I did write both of them about the community service I had done/ my future plans (which are very relevant to the whole ‘agent of social change’/ ‘contributing to the community’ themes). But you’ve also got to remember that lots of people with high grades also probably have great ECs/personal statements. Admissions is a crapshoot. If you’re borderline, it really, really depends on who reads your app.</p>
<p>Sure they can. And the numbers prove it. In 2009, the last year that data is available, 1,870 students applied with a 3.0-3.19 and 1800+ SAT. Of those nearly 1870 students, 37 were accepted, for an admit rate of 2%.</p>
<p>I wish you all the best, but since you asked for opinions…a 2% chance is aiming rather high, particularly since UC has made it clear that they’d rather have wealthy OOS’ers than instaters like yourself with a passion.</p>
<p>ok, so my unweighted GPA is a 3.09. My weighted is a 3.47. Just had to put that out there because it seemed to me as though people were chancing me based off my unweighted rather than my weighted. I know that Cal looks at both, but my weighted should give me some leverage haha.</p>
<p>Also, I’m applying to IEOR (Industrial Engineering and Operations Research) and from what I’ve heard, its not that impacted as opposed to Mechanical, EECS, or even Chemical Engineering. Also, I’m the only person from my school who’s applying to that major. Since engineering decisions are based off of major choices, I’m basically the only applicant to that pool from my school. Does that make anything of a difference?</p>
<p>^^^And also, I got accepted into UCSC which apparently took Cal’s review score to decide whether or not to let me in. A lot of people with stellar GPAs (4.0s) and high SATs (2200s) got rejected to UCSC from my school while I managed to get in. Doesn’t that basically mean that I have a more competitive advantage than them? I’m not saying that I should be able to get in for sure, but I still have a better chance, right? </p>
<p>Thanks all you guys for your responses! They mean a lot to me! :)</p>
<p>According to UC Statfinder, such numbers had a ~94% admission rate two years ago. (I’m guessing the other 6% never completed the VAPA course and were technically ineligible.)</p>
<p>LOL you can’t claim it to be impossible that people from my school got rejected… Here’s a few examples I remember from the top of my head:</p>
<ol>
<li>3.9 UC GPA, 1990 SAT (waitlisted)</li>
<li>3.8 UC GPA, 2000 SAT (rejected)</li>
</ol>
<p>And yes, they were all very well qualified/eligible applicants.</p>
<p>UCSC relied on UCB/UCLA to do their admissions review for them so if these guys got rejected from UCSC, there’s no way they’re gonna get into UCLA/UCB.</p>
<p>“there’s no way they’re gonna get into UCLA/UCB.”</p>
<p>uhh… you might eat your words tomorrow/thursday. i’ve seen the total opposite happen. a lot. a LOT.</p>
<p>little known fact: UC admissions are made by a bipolar toddler.</p>
<p>jokes aside, you never know. they could have been rejected from ucsc to make the school appear more selective. i mean, if ucsc knows the scores were damned good, they know that those kids won’t be attending their school anyway because ucb/ucla will be taking them.</p>
whatever, its too late for that now. Isn’t Industrial Engineering one of the “easier” majors to get into? That’s what I heard atleast.</p>