UC Berkeley EE Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hi, I am a CA senior and considering an Electrical Engineering major. Any opinions or comments on my chances in getting in are highly appreciated. Thanks.</p>

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<p>The short list:
SAT Reasoning Test: 2160 (1440 on SAT I)
SAT II Biology (M): 700
SAT II Chemistry: 760
SAT II Math IIC: 790
SAT II Chinese: 780
8 AP Tests in Total
Main Extracurriculars: Key Club, Badminton, Math Club, FBLA, Yearbook, CSF, FPA
UC GPA: 4.27 (8 semesters of Honors credit max, yes?)
High School GPA (weighted): 4.20
High School GPA (unweighted): 3.98</p>

<p>Junior Year Courses:
Japanese 3
Calculus BC AP
Biology AP
Chemistry AP (outside)
English 11 H
Intro to Computer Science</p>

<p>Senior Year Courses:
Japanese 4 H
Statistics AP
Physics B AP
English Lang/Comp AP
Computer Science AP
Multivariable Calculus (Community College)</p>

<hr>

<p>The long list:
Honors/Distinctions
· Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors, ‘05
· District Scholar with Distinction, ‘02-05
· 1st Place Stanford Mathematics Tournament (SMT) Team, ‘05
· Bay Area Math Meet (BAMM) Team Participant, ‘05
· 6th Place Senior Division Tokutomi Math Contest, ‘05
· American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10 Participant (Score: 69), ‘04
· American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 12 Qualifier (Score: 101), ‘05
· American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) Participant (Score: 5), ‘05
· 3rd Place California-Nevada-Hawaii Key Club District Traditional Scrapbook Award, ‘05
· County Athletics League Badminton Seed #3, ‘05</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities
· *California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Member, ‘02-06
· Digital Internet Technology Computer Club (ITCC) Club Member, ‘03-06
· *Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Vice President, ‘04-06
· *Future Physicians of America (FPA) Historian, ‘05-06
· Interact Club Member, ‘03-04
· Key Club Member, ‘02-06
· *Key Club Historian, ‘04-05
· Knowledge Masters Member, ‘04-06
· Mandarin Club Member, ‘04-06
· *Math Club Member, ‘04-06
· Robotics Team: Robot Sensors Group Member, ‘04-05
· Junior Varsity Badminton Boys Singles, ‘02-03
· *Varsity Badminton Mixed Doubles, ‘03-06
· Middle School Math Olympiad 6 Assistant Coach, ‘05-06
· *Link Crew Leader, ‘04-06
· Associated Student Body (ASB) Newsletter Commission Staff Member, ‘05-06
· Tutorial Center Tutor, ‘05-06
· Yearbook Writer, ‘04-05
· *Yearbook Mini-Mag Section Editor, ‘04-05
· Literary Magazine Staff Member, ‘05-06
· School student-run website Administrator, ‘05-06
· Third Period Student Council Representative, ‘05</p>

<p>Standardized Testing Scores (retaking SAT Reasoning Test in one week, goal around 2300)
· PSAT: 200 (58 Verbal, 68 Math, 74 Writing)
· SAT Reasoning Test: Single Sitting: 2160 (600 Verbal, 790 Math, 770 Writing)
· SAT Reasoning Test: Highest Scores: 2210 (650 Verbal, 790 Math, 770 Writing)
· SAT II Biology (Molecular): 700
· SAT II Chemistry: 760
· SAT II Math IIC: 790
· SAT II Chinese (with Listening): 780
· AP Biology: 5
· AP Chemistry: 5
· AP Physics B (currently taking): -
· AP Calculus BC: 5
· AP Statistics (currently taking): -
· AP United States History: 3
· AP English Language (currently taking): -
· AP Computer Science AB (currently taking): -</p>

2

<p>Are you attending Saratoga High? They send students to Cal by the dozens like Monta Vista.</p>

3

<p>EE = very competitive. That's all I have to say, and good luck.</p>

4

<p>· American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10 Participant (Score: 69), ‘04
· American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 12 Qualifier (Score: 101), ‘05
· American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) Participant (Score: 5), ‘05</p>

<p>Whoa...how? A score of 5 on the AIME is top-notch, while the 101 and 69 are lackluster in comparison (no offense, but percentile-wise they are).</p>

<p>And being an EE admittee myself, I'd say that you have a fairly good chance.</p>

5

<p>When I took the AMC 10 test, I forgot that points were deducted for wrong answers. So I ended up getting a 69 instead of a 100-110 if I had left the ones I guessed on blank.</p>

<p>As for the AMC 12 test, I calculated that I only needed to get 10(?) right to qualify for the AIME. So I decided to be safe and only fill in the answers for the ones that I was 100% certain of. (I still tried on the other problems, of course, and I think I would have scored about 110-120 if I had.)</p>

<p>For the AIME, I figured that my chances for passing that and going on to USAMO were extremely slim; only one person from our school qualified. And, since the test is not multiple-choice and wrong answers do not deduct points from your score, I naturally tried my best to answer all of the questions. I believe the average score at our school was a 3?</p>

6

<p>A Physics professor whom I know said that it's unlikely that I'll be able to get into Berkeley for EE or Bioengineering. Is it likely that I won't be accepted because of my 2160 SAT score?</p>

7

<p>I think you have excellent chances. Relax!</p>

8

<p>Frankly, I would say given your excellent grades, solid test scores, and good ECs, that you have less than a 26% chance of admittance. Sorry dude, that 650 verbal score is going to KILL you, I mean look at the middle 50% of verbal scores at berkeley. Below 2200 SATs = immediate rejection, sorry to destroy your hopes, but you need atleast 2350 not 2300 because of EE major.</p>

9

<p>I agree that you might want to raise that verbal score, but 1337hax0r is being a little ridiculous. EE is arguably the most competitive major, but a 2250 is enough to make you very competitive. The SAT holds some value, but grades are far more important. Plus, there aren't any concrete cut-offs either, so just focus on those essays.</p>

10

<p>ehh, ramsfan i was being sarcastic. you have to be kidding me.</p>

11

<p>lol, I guess I'm spending too much time here.</p>

12

<p>I recommend that you choose a different major that is less competitive and less selected because UC capmuses want a evenly distributed population of students for each major. Unless you want to go EE no matter what, you should choose a declare a different major but change it later after sophmore year. After all, you are not bound to your major and freshman and sophmore classes are the same no matter which major you take.</p>

13

<p>well it's also very competitive to get into eecs when you get into berkeley. if he wants to do that, he should just stick with that major.</p>

14

<p>I was told by a UC counselor that it's extremely hard to get into impacted majors after you've already gotten in under another major. So if I did apply for a less competitive major and got in, it would be unlikely to be able to switch into a more competitive one after my freshman year. </p>

<p>Then again, I am still in the midst of considering which major to take for Berkeley and UCLA. EE at Berkeley is certainly one of the best in the nation, not to mention one of Berkeley's most notable majors, so I considered EE first. I do know, however, that I will apply for Bioengineering as my primary major at UCSD.</p>

<p>Oh, and I think the GPA that I wrote above is incorrect. I only included a maximum of 8 honor credits (which is only used for eligibility), so my actual UC GPA would be much higher, probably around 4.4-4.5?</p>

15

<p>Did you talk to a counselor at UC or one at your high school about switching majors later?</p>

<p>I am also applying to engineering but I really don't know which one. So I don't want to pick the hardest one to get in. </p>

<p>By the way I think your SAT scores are fine.</p>

16

<p>1337hax0r, there's more to college admittance than SAT scores. I got in with a 1320 on the old test. Did it kill my chances? I got into UCLA, too. How dead were my chances? Yeah, I didn't apply to the CoE, but you didn't specify that it would kill your chances of admittance to that specifically. If every other thing is near perfect, sat test scores aren't going to hurt you, even in the CoE or CoC. And often, students aren't getting in with everything being as good as it can possibly be or extremely close to that.</p>

17

<p>I talked with a UC counselor, my own high school counselor, and at least two or three more administration people, and they've all told me that it's difficult to switch into impacted majors after you get in. It's better to just apply under the impacted major, but whether or not you get in is another matter.</p>

<p>But yeah, is there anyone (preferably knowledgeable in impacted Engineering majors at Cal) who can tell me how likely I'll be accepted into either EECS or BioE? At first, based on my resume, I would have thought that I had at least a 90% chance in getting in Berkeley EECS, especially with my EC's and very high GPA (only 1 B in high school) but now I'm having second thoughts after hearing other people.</p>

<p>Oh, and another topic: would anyone want to read one of my essays? It's about 800-850 words long. PM me.</p>

<p>And I think 1337h4x0r was just kidding.</p>

18

<p>yes, I'll read it!!!</p>

19

<p>It's funny that you say you have a 90% chance of getting in. I have no idea how you would come up with it. </p>

<p>But the underlying question is whether you are willing to risk the chance of not getting into Berkeley if you apply for BioE or EECS. Or if your goal is to get into Berkeley.</p>

20

<p>The 90% was just a random guess - it's not based on any actual data at all. I just thought that I would have a very high chance of getting in because my high school coursework seems to be stronger than most of the students from my high school who got into Cal before.</p>

<p>But the real underlying question is what my chances in getting into Berkeley are. If I have a solid chance of getting into an impacted major, then there really is no point in considering whether to apply to a non-impacted major just so I can get into Cal. Of course, my parents are more focused on the getting-into-Berkeley aspect.</p>

<p>But all things aside, what I really want to know is how likely my chances are in getting admitted into an impacted engineering major at Cal. Even if my chances of getting in can't be whittled down to a mere percentage, I'd still like to hear what other people think, based on previous admits and what not.</p>