UC Berkeley 2023 Applicants Thread

@TheGuy1 @ProfessorPlum168 Thank you guys so much! I honestly was expecting a flat out rejection from UCLA but was surprised with their waitlist. So this whole process is unpredictable. Anyways, both of your inputs make me feel a lot better so thank you for that!

@TheGuy1 yikes, you wouldn’t be able to use that tool for split terms. You’d have to do the math manually for each school and then average them back up, which should be pretty easy still. In both cases you should have a denominator and a numerator for both, which you can add up to get your consolidated GPAs.

The interactive page would show UC capped weighted GPAs.

@ProfessorPlum168 Alright! Gotcha.

@collegebound2023 No worries! THe process is unpredictable, but pretty much everyone comes out happy and relieved in april.

@ProfessorPlum168 So should I average the Unweighted, weighted, and weighted and capped?

I think so.

@ProfessorPlum168 if i am accepted for ucla electrical engineering, does it mean that i got a low chance of getting into berkeley eecs? or are the decisions of both schools independent?

@stresssssedkid

Its independent. Any 2+ colleges taken in the US are independent of each other in every possible conceivable way, including review process, interpretation, strategy, vision, and so on.

If I got into both UCLA and USC, how likely is it that I’ll get into UC Berkeley?

@mimicry2

refer to my previous posts on this forum

Hi @ProfessorPlum168 ! Can u chance me please?
Uw gpa: 3.75
W gpa:4.1
(Studied in Hong Kong from 9th grade to the first semester of 10th grade, which affected my gpa a bit)

  • US citizen/ in state
    7ap classes (all As except ap lang with a C
)
    Sat: 1440
    Major: media study
    ECs: choir section leader& performed in Carnegie Hall
    -lots of awards related to performing arts
    -started a club
    -internship in an interior design company
    -translater in a tutoring school (super fluent in 3 languages)
    -speech champion
    -played flute for a major orchestra in Hong Kong
    -grade 8 piano, flute and music theory (pass with distinction)
    -some volunteering related to music
    Essays:
  1. About my busking experience—- how I view music differently
  2. Balancing Uniformity vs diversity under different educational opportunities
  3. Handling housework to emphasize the key to thrive is not all abt diploma, but the ability to handle different situations on top of academic skills
  4. My imagination: everything is possible for me& I won’t limit myself
  • Requested LORs
    Accepted: UCSB UCD UCI UCSD
    Rejected: UCLA
    -UCB usually only takes 4 people from my school and I am definitely not the best candidate compared to my peers. Is there any chance for me to get in with less stellar stats but studied abroad before ?

@sdhotmama Thank you!

If you look at UCB’s Common Data Set https://opa.berkeley.edu/campus-data/common-data-set , GPA, rigor, test scores and application essays are all VERY IMPORTANT. Extra-curriculars, volunteer and work experience are IMPORTANT.

@Gumbymom has a better summary for what the different UCs look at but to say that essays don’t matter “a lot” to the UCs is just wrong.

@lkg4answers I get what you mean, but what I’m saying is that I cant ignore most people telling me that the UC GPA takes huge precedence in app eval’s. THats all. Otherwise I generally agree with CDS’s.

Here is the criteria that UCB uses for their application reviews. With some many high stat applicants, the essays and EC’s are going to set these applicants apart and UCB tends to be the more “holistic” of the UC’s so essays matter very much.

  • BERKELEY

  • Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
  • Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience
  • Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency, AP/IBLH exam scores
  • Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
  • LOR's by invitation only as of 2017

SO there’s a disparity in @Gumbymom and @lkg4answers CDS Importance criteria, but since @Gumbymom 's views matched with what I was previously saying, I agree with that.

I doubt they comb thru, analyze, eval, interpret, and paint the pic of 88K apps over the course of 4 months. They clearly use the UC GPA as a vantage tool for easing the process for such an insane pool of apps.

Edit: Whup, never mind I misread @Gumbymom 's post. But I feel even in that category, the other components of the same importance level precede. Thats just my opinion tho. Based on how many apps apply, and the force to be spent there.

@TheGuy1: There is no discrepancy between my summary and the CDS. Essays are VERY IMPORTANT along with GPA and test scores. UC’s do read every application essay submitted.

Edited: In the end it is the whole application package and which students UCB believes will be a good fit for their campus. Stats alone do not get you into any UC campus just due to the amount of competitive students applying.

So I was looking at last year’s thread and found that many of the students that got accepted got an email on Sunday. So I was wondering if anyone here got an email cause i haven’t got shiz.

So what time do we predict decisions will come out on 3/28?

@musiciangoaler 3:00pm

@collegebound2023 not too many people got that email. My kid didn’t get one and he got in.

@collegebound2023 May I ask what was the email about?