Yes, his school policy:
1. Only 1 AP for sophomore
2. Max 3 APs for junior and senior year.
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What major did you apply and what major would you like to change to on the application?
I would contact UCB admissions but according to their website, they will not accept updates after the application submission.
Interesting point about LOR, I just checked with my son on the requests for LORs for his friends at his high school. None of the friends get that request, except one who has address in Berkeley. His school is a small high school in East Bay. So, it sounds like the resident zip code makes a difference?
heard kids talking about it in school so wanted to know if it could be done.
thanks
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How far is his school from Cal? Just curious about the possible “splash zone” of LOCs.
You can change majors at UCB once you are accepted but have to go through their change of major process depending upon the College. The College of L&S does not admit by major unless the applicant applied to a High Demand Major (new this year). For High Demand majors, a spot is guaranteed in that High Demand major as long as the student meets the requirements to declare. CNR does not admit by major. The College of Engineering and College of Chemistry do admit by major.
The General Change of major procedure includes the following but specifics can be found for each UCB College on the UCB website:
- A specific minimum GPA in required courses.
- Completion of a minimum 1 semester at UCB
- Good Academic Standing
- Satisfactory academic progress in your current major
- A planned program that includes a realistic trajectory for completing all degree requirements within the time allotted by the college
- Submission of a change of major application.
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School is in San Leandro area, about 18 miles from Berkeley.
OK, so a little farther away from Cal than BHS and AHS, which are the the two closest high schools and which are getting the most LOC requests. So it seems very locally focused. Interesting that the one person from your son’s school who got the LOC request has a Berkeley address. Then it may be by zip code rather than school. Hmmm.
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Freshmen were not allowed to take AP’s and he wrote in the extenuating circumstances space that he signed up for 2 AP’s sophomore year but they ended up not offering them because not enough kids signed up for them. So he took 3 AP’s junior year and 2 senior year.
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Sorry, I don’t know. My son applied for a major in L&S.
Maybe the LOR request is to differentiate all of the applicants from the same school esp if grades are relatively similar.
Yes, I was also wondering if that might be the case. Pretty much all the students at my daughter’s school take the same classes and get the same grades. Obviously their PIQs and ECs would help to differentiate them, but the requests came so fast that it seems unlikely that they would have had time to read through those.
@Gumbymom @blessugod
Per the website, you can contact Berkeley thru the portal and submit a request to change major. Our daughter requested and got approval last month. But as Gumbymom mentioned, no new additional info can be submitted for consideration.
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I think that you’ve nailed it here, @parent365. From an yield rate, I’m assuming that the schools that are getting LOR requests have a very high yield due to their proximity and other factors, so maybe Berkeley is sort of hand picking the exact kids they want from these schools with this LOR process, knowing the admitted ones will most likely attend? This is how I was thinking about it. Maybe this partnership that you are suggesting revolves around a certain number of guaranteed offers in exchange to a closer look at the candidates.
My (very crude) observation about Lowell over the last 3 years is that students from Lowell with perfect grades and ample APs get in. Like, almost all of them. These kids probably have a history of performing well at Berkeley, and with the stockpile of AP classes available, their GPAs really pad the published stats of admitted students .
The other thought that had crossed my mind…although I realize this may be totally out in left field…is the issue of student housing. BHS and AHS students are also more likely to live at home and commute to campus, due to its proximity. As we all know, Cal has had huge problems securing housing for their students. I have no idea why this would cause LOR requests nor what role LORs would play, but it is another uniting factor between the two schools that seem most affected and relates to a pressing issue for UCB.
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Yes, I was thinking about that, too.
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It would also explain the timing of these requests coming this year. Wasn’t that lawsuit last year? And there was concern that they would have to reduce freshman admissions as a result (in the end, they didn’t need to do this, but it was a real possibility for a while)? I didn’t follow the lawsuit closely, tbh, but caught the headlines here and there.
another great point here, @worriedmomucb. The People’s Park housing stalemate looks as dismal as can be. Whatever 5-year housing plan Berkeley had is pretty much shot at this point. There are a ton of units proposed for that location. Really a bummer for the students. It would be pretty amazing for Sophomores to have a 2nd year dorm option, because as it stands, it’s pretty impossible. You might be on to something.
I had even (jokingly) told my daughter that in the “additional info” section of her UC app, she should state that she intends to live at home and will not place additional pressure on the local housing market lol
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That’s not even a bad idea at all.
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