If you have a good GPA, and now that you won’t be rejected, getting asked for rec letters is a bad sign.
In the 2016-17 application cycle, UC Berkeley:
requested letters from more than 24,000 freshman applicants,
observed more than 19,700 (79%) applicants (of the 24,000+) requesting at least one letter from recommenders,
received and reviewed almost 40,000 letters from more than 19,000 students, representing a response rate over 95% (of the 19,700).
In the 21% who did not receive a letter of rec, more than 9500 students were admitted.
Of the 79% who were asked, 6,040 were admitted.
Thus, if you know you are probably not rejected, you have a MUCH larger (about 5x more) chance that you are going to be admitted.
AP Courses: US History, Computer Science, Calculus BC, AP Physics C (5 on all )
Senior courses : Multi Variable Calculus, Linear Algebra, AP English, AP Gov, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics
Part time job : Since sophomore
Summer internships : Research work in AI
Lot of programming experience (C, C++, Python, Java)
Various Hackathons prizes
Volunteering : since sophomore > 130 hrs
National Merit Semifinalist
National Honor Society
AP Scholar with Distinction
Published research paper, presenting in January at a conference
Out of State makes your admission chance as hard as getting into, say, MIT for Californians. You don’t seem to have very strong extracurriculars, but that is okay since your GPA is pretty high (although your unweighted is not optimal, I’m pretty sure UC weights your GPA). All in all, you are probably not going to make EECS, as for anyone who is out of state, just like I am not going to make MIT. That being said, with a research paper, and decent extracurriculars, it is worth it for you to apply, and you definately have a nonzero chance.
All the above is my opinion, and in no way reflects an admission officer’s view.
@robokid Can we not post stats or any chance me posts on this thread? Everyone’s anxious and worried about their stats and posts like yours aren’t helping at all. Do it somewhere else.
@LINA1203 Chance Me’s aren’t very helpful. They just create anxiety, and don’t have any true value. Just do the best you can, and know that nobody here can change the outcome – only you can.
Who made @LINA1203 the thread keeper? people should have the right to ask any kind of questions! This is a Berkeley thread home of the free speech movement. But, not hate speech please be kind to
@happygal2017 there is nothing in the new Augmented Review policy that suggests it does not apply to international students as well. UCs can request additional information, including LORs, from any applicant but are limited to requesting this information from 15% of all applicants.
If you don’t get requested for additional information does that mean you aren’t going to get in? Or does might it mean that they think you’re strong enough already so they don’t need any more information.
Not sure if policy has changed, but two years ago my S and his 2 friends all got LOR request. Top GPA and test scores. Average ECs. All three were accepted.
@swanfactor it could mean either. The LOR request, at least according to the new policy, is intended to get more information from people on the margins.
Some info, per ucop.edu website: UCB received 89,294 apps this year, 5 percent more than last year. Most of the increase was attributable to in state apps (+5.1 percent) and int’l (+10.4 percent). OOS essentially flat (+0.8 percent)