Hello all,
I was in your place just a year ago and I have not forgotten how it felt. Just around this time, I had come back from visiting UC Davis and touring UCSB and was deciding whether I wanted to submit a TAG to Davis or SB (I ended up choosing Davis). You’re truly in for a wild ride!
I remember not wanting to apply to Berkeley because I thought I was wasting my money on a school that would never accept me. APPLY. I want to offer my assistance as best as I can to others who are in my footsteps. I’m here for you all, whether you need insight, support, advice (with a grain of salt as I am not an admissions officer), or anecdotes about my application process. Message me and I’ll be more than willing to chat (I was seriously obsessed with this stuff). I’m still figuring things out day by day here, so I’d be willing to share my Cal experiences thus far too. Keep in mind that we are all nontraditional students, and we all have unique paths that have led us on the cc route. Share your story and never sell yourself short! Good luck, everyone.
A few sites I think everyone applying to a UC should check out:
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major used for gauging what major would be a smarter choice to apply to (if deciding between two), and the 25-75th quartile range for the average GPA per campus and major. Don’t use this to chance yourself, but as a means to be realistic. (My GPA was lower than that of the 25th quartile for Soc at Cal, and I got in the day admissions were sent out)
http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html Complete your GE’s!! Super important stuff (although I did get into UCSB comm with 3 GE’s missing)
http://cacollegetransfer.com/blog/ These guys know their stuff. Sign up to receive blog post notifications and stay up to date with all things regarding UC admissions.
http://www.essayhell.com/uc-essays/ & http://www.essayhell.com/2016/03/new-university-california-essay-prompts-2016-17/ Used to gain a little more insight into just what the essay prompts are asking. Start early (meaning tomorrow) and be sure to show a reflection of life events. Don’t just say something happened, reflect and say how something helped you grow (that shows intelligence) Also, only UC Berkeley and UCLA (and possibly even UC San Diego as of 2017 admissions) read essays so if you’re not applying to those schools and don’t feel super strongly about your essays, you’re chilling.
Contact your transfer center! Employees there may read your essays and give you feedback. Utilize your resources and attend UC workshops set up by your school.
And in case you want to see my stats:
Major: Sociology
GPA: 3.68
CC: SBCC
IGETC: Completed. Didn’t take any honors classes.
Prereqs: Done by Spring 2017
ECs: During my time at cc I was the President of the Transfer Club, a Student Ambassador/Volunteer coordinator, the social media coordinator for the TAP club, a co-founder of the Italian Club, I worked 10-15 hours a week in a computer lab/as an ESL tutor, made president’s honor roll every year, I was a Phi Theta Kappa member… I can’t remember if I put anything else tbh.
Essays: I’d say about an 8/10. I also had an upward trend in grades of all A’s since Spring 2016, and I think that really helped
Accepted: UCSB, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Cal
Rejected: UCLA