Rising Jr. Needs Advice for Cal Admission

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

<p>I'm a rising Jr. at a super-competitive, rigorously grading, small top-5 newsweek HS. We attend class 7:30-4. Almost no on-campus ECs, no school athletics and few facilities. We have to take all AP classes - 7-8 full year academic classes ar required. Here are my current stats:
PSAT(sophomore): 205 ..I should be able to exceed the NMS cutoff in my state this year
SAT: around 2150 (practice) - I know I can get it to 2350+
(scored 1820 as an 8th grader)
GPA: By end jr. year will likely be unw 3.6 (All As with 2 Cs), UC fully weighted = 4.4
AP: 10th grade: AP Eng Lit - 5
AP Bio - 4
AP Macro - 4
AP Micro - 3
AP Calc AB - 3
AP Euro - 3
9th grade AP US Govt - 4
8th grade AP Comp Sci - 3
One of about 420 sophomores in US to get AP Scholar with Distinction
ECs:
Summers 2010/2011: Mayo Clinic HS Summer Volunteer Program - Nuclear Medicine
Summer 2011 Stanford Univ. Extended Program for Talented Youth - Artificial Intelligence
2009-present: Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth - JAVA Programming, Anatomy/Phys
2010-present: National Society of HS Scholars
2011: Founder/Pres. Computer Science Club
2011: Founder/Pres. Competitive Writing/Literature Club
2011: Founder/Pres. Key Club (service club related to Kiwanis)
2011: Founder of corp. that helps non-profits with computer/web applications
Martial Arts: Brown Belt
Competitive Weightlifting
Entering several essay competitions</p>

<p>11th Grade courses: AP Calc BC, AP Chem, AP USH, AP Eng. Comp, AP Comp/Sci, Hon. Phys., Spanish IV, Fine Art</p>

<p>Major area of interest: Comp Sci, minor: English/Literature/Writing</p>

<p>What are my chances for UC-Berkeley and what should I do to increase them? How much better of a chance would I have if I did my Junior and Senior year at a decent public HS in California? Can you also chance me for UCLA and UCSD?</p>

2

<p>Your academics look extremely strong, also considering you’re a Junior! Your extracurriculars also, being the founder and pres. of those 3 clubs, look very impressive :slight_smile: But did you have an idea of what you were going to write your essay about? What, out of these things you’ve listed, is your true passion? Do you have any volunteering hours? Just important things to think about. Also, I’m not sure how a different, public HS would affect your chances, but UCSD looks totally fine, and I’m gonna say UCB and UCLA as well.
Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Still too early to honestly tell, but it looks impressive so far.</p>

<p>Few tips:
1.) Figure out your passion / real goal (past getting into college) and aim towards that.
2.) PSAT isn’t important; SAT and ACT are on equal importance though.
3.) You’re really lucky to get the rare opportunity to attend a HS with so many course offerings to challenge you; take advantage of it.</p>

4

<p>For majoring in computer science at Berkeley, applying to the College of Letters and Science (intending to declare Computer Science (L&S CS) later) is generally considered easier to gain admission than applying to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) major in the College of Engineering. Both majors select from the same list of CS courses.</p>

<p>[Degree</a> Programs | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/education/degrees.shtml]Degree”>Academics | EECS at UC Berkeley)</p>

5

<p>Your AP scores are actually really . . . bad . . . </p>

<p>It’s obviously too early to say anything about you, but just try to maintain good grades, prepare well for standardized tests, and pursue your interests outside of school.</p>

6

<p>For those AP scores, a 5 on English Literature gets you out of the the two semester reading and composition requirement if you are in the College of Letters and Science. A 3 on Calculus AB can let you skip Math 1A, but the Math Department does not recommend skipping for those with less than a score of 5. The other scores do not really help fulfill anything for your proposed majors, and the College of Letters and Science does not allow them to fulfill its 7 course breadth requirement.</p>