I’m a high school junior and the school of my dreams is UC Berkeley. I have legacy there - both of my parents, my two uncles, and my grandfather went there. My dad was on the rowing team and went on to work in the Athletic Department, and my mom graduated Phi Beta Kappa. I’ve been going to Cal Football games since before I could walk. (I have a cousin that works in admissions too…does that mean anything?)
However, what I’m struggling with in looking toward the application process is my sophomore year grades. In my freshman year, I achieved an unweighted 3.975 GPA. Last year, I had an extreme malfunction of sorts, at the point where my cumulative unweighted for my first two years is a 3.3. This was largely due to the fact that I took AP Chemistry as a sophomore, despite my lack of interest for the topic (I got a two on the AP). Despite my GPA, I’ve done relatively well, scoring a 210 on the PSAT as a sophomore. By the end of high school, I will have played tennis for two years, run track for three, and run cross country for two. I’ve taken the most rigorous courses available. I’m not part of any clubs at school.
My second struggle involves my interests for the future. I’m a caucasian female. While my family has pushed me towards STEM in an effort to make me appear more desirable towards colleges, what I truly enjoy is language and communication - I excel in Spanish and English and I enjoy writing. I am very passionate about social justice but am not exactly sure how to go about this particular topic. Sciences are not my forté (judging from the C in AP Chem and the 2 on the AP test.)
Really, I’m making this post because I don’t know my odds, and I don’t know what I need to do to maximize my chances. Of course, I’m looking at various different schools, and I’m not opposed to attending a JC for 2 years and then transferring, but it would make my dreams come true to be able to attend UC Berkeley as a freshman. (Wow, that’s not cliché at all!)
Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much.
