@WantInternship @SnapApp Absolutely! It’s on the first page of this PDF:
http://admissions.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/docs/Tools%20for%20Students.pdf
…
Has anyone who submitted their application around the 29th or 30th received the request yet? 
@MiniLion I applied 29th and haven’t gotten anything from Berkeley
I submitted my application the 27th and have yet to get my letter of recommendation request. However, I changed high schools between sophomore and junior year, making my GPA incalculable. So, the LOR Request could have something to do a certain GPA checker
Hey guys, is it a positive or negative sign to receive a request to submit the LOR’s?
From what I’ve been hearing (from UCB application readers and counselors), they’re sending them out to applicants they want to know more about. They aren’t necessarily a great sign, but they most likely aren’t bad.
I got a LOR request. kinda worried. thought I had zero chance but this is a better sign than not receiving any, right? I submitted on the deadline.
I submitted on the 27th and haven’t received a request. Has anybody who applied on that last weekend received it?
@ayylmao1 since you thought you had zero chance, I would say it is definitely a better sign. I don’t believe they would waste their time with people who are a definite no for them. I wish I got it, I’m either a no or borderline :-<
I just got a LOR request today and I submitted my app on the 28th
I got a LOR request today and I submitted a few days before the deadline.
Got a LOR request today and I sent my application in about an hour before the deadline haha
It feels like a lot of people are receiving LOR requests. Are we sure that this isn’t randomized/sent to everyone? This is first year they are doing this, correct?
This 2005 report explains how admissions decisions were made back then, including how ties were broken between similar students, how students at the same school were compared to ensure fairness, and how and why Berkeley asked for extra information from some applicants. Appendix A gives the admissions scoring rubric from back then.
Although we don’t know what will happen this year, you can check yourself against Berkeley’s admissions criteria as of 2005:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/05/16_houtreport.pdf
Good luck, everybody.
Hey guys, it seems like the majority of the people on this thread that received the request for LORs have nearly perfect scores and GPAs. I myself also received the request (ACT 31, SAT II’s in the 700s, 3.95 unweighted and 4.35 weighted, strong ECs, positions, and honors/rewards) and I applied to the School of Letters and Science. Wondering if this has to do with the school you applied to? Seem like mostly Letters and Science applicants are getting the request, which makes sense because I assume this school got the highest demand. The LORs might be a way to differentiate the applicants. Thoughts? I’m a bit worried about receiving the request, but am partially consoled by the fact that other, much more test-score qualified people got it, as that is the only weakness in my application. At the end of the day, I’m sure that these requests can only do good for those who were asked.
@ayylmao1 Like people said in previous posts, this is the first year UCB is doing this but they’re only sending it to 20% of the applicant population. No one really knows why, and we’re all trying to figure it out, although the consensus seems to be that they’re sending it to borderline students who they aren’t automatically accepting or rejecting. When I got my request, I thought it was randomized too (simply because they sent it out so quickly after I submitted) but as others have pointed out, it wouldn’t make sense to request letters from students they were going to reject anyway.
@cpretiz what were your sat scores/gpa? I have a friend who applied on the 27th and didn’t get lor yet.
I submitted my application on the 27th and have just received the LOR email. International here btw
@treker205
Applied to EECS
California Resident
1970 SAT (retook it today and I think I got like a 2100),
GPA not sure since I went to a high school outside of the US where I couldn’t take AP or Honors courses, but all of my grades were As (92-100) except a B in one trimester. So I guess a 3.9?
Very good essays (talked about female Hispanic engineers like me)
Unique ECs and focused on math and engineering. Lots of awards. Work experience all through my high school. (all of this was outside of the US)
BAD SAT subjects 680 Math II, 690 Biology
I know my SATs are awful for EECS, but I thought I might at least be borderline with my essays, GPA (not including the fact that I couldn’t take honors) and extracurriculars.