Hello everyone, I will be applying to the economics major at UC Berkeley in the Fall, and I was wondering if you were willing to share your grades and ECs that got you into the major as a transfer student.
Thanks for reading.
For GPA, check this link for GPA admit ranges by major and campus: Transfers by major | University of California
Hello! My stats should give you some confidence because my acceptance to UCB was kind of a surprise considering my stats. I transferred after 1 year out of high school, so that could have been a factor. I had a 4.0 until getting a C in Calc during the fall semester that I applied, so my GPA dropped considerably because I don’t have that many classes taken.
Stats:
GPA: 4.0(3.52 at time of transfer update in spring)
ECs: Lifeguard working nearly full time, volunteering with an organization for 5 years
Awards: Seal of Biliteracy, Basketball Awards in College, CSF Membership
AP Scores: mostly 3s and some 4s
Side notes : I stated in the “additional comments” that both my parents were high risk, and because of that I was unable to do a lot of ECS.
In my opinion, the only possible explanation for the acceptance was my essays. I wrote one about my leadership on my high school basketball team, one about my passion for cooking, one about my interest and time spent investing in the stock market, and one about the adversity deciding whether or not to transfer or go to college out of high school.
Tips: For the essays, take the essay where it asks you to explain how you prepared for your major very seriously. Showing a passion for your major and an interest outside of studying it in school really expresses your interest to learn and looks very impressive. I would also suggest the “overcame an educational barrier” or “significant challenge” prompts. If you can find the sweet spot between explaining how determined you were to achieve a goal while facing opposition without making it seem like a sob story that also boosts their image of you.
Very helpful, thank you for sharing.
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