If you want the college experience it’s all about picking the right major. My friends in STEM/Pre-xxx/Bus Admn programs are extremely buckled down and focused on their classes, but have no lives and are not excited to be there. My friends in humanities always seem to be having fun or going somewhere.
Diversity legally cannot be a factor in admissions consideration in the state of California, hence why UC’s and CSU’s are not as diverse as the Ivies or Privates.
If you think it’s bad here, try touring some schools in Florida or Texas.
hi everyone - will excelling in a cross enrollment class at cal make any impact on my acceptance? has anyone here also taken cross enrollment at cal? i was also invited to an honors seminar by the same prof but couldn’t take due to the restriction on upper division courses. good luck everyone!!
Interesting that some of you don’t like it. I’ve always loved Berkeley. Sure, i’ve had one or two unfriendly experiences in my visits there, but i’ve lived in cities/dangerous places before so it’s really not a big deal to me. I love the surrounding restaurants and I loved how hilly the campus is, it’s really beautiful imo.
I’ve also connected really well with everyone that i’ve met from Berkeley. Also, I am excited by the thought of how competitive it is, as I am a type A personality and would love to be surrounded by people who are the same (as I was in highschool). I’m a little unhappy with how uncompetitive students are at my current school. I think Berkeley would be a great fit for me.
Let’s hope they think so to :)) (my GPA is on the low side tho so we’ll see for EECS specifically)
I feel like the least they could have done to help assuage the current pandemic vibe is release decisions a little early. Selfish!
Sarcasm aside, I’m nervous as well. My GPA is on the lower side (3.66), my major is small (Social Welfare) and I have zero EC’s. I’m a reentry student with 5 kids and the inability to move wherever I get accepted, so you can’t beat the location and world class education right here in my Bay Area backyard.
I wish everyone luck and look forward to seeing all of the “Accepted’ comments in 2 days!
@anxiety1677 luckily for you Berkeley really does take a holistic approach with admissions. Good luck!
btw I grew up in parts of Oakland way more suspect than Berkeley so I don’t view it as dangerous. But having lived in the suburbs of a city with a 0 homicide rate for the last 8 years I’m pretty much over the whole urban experience. Of course there are thousands of people who would love everything UCB has to offer. And I hope every single one of them gets accepted. ?
@QueenA101 Hi! Thank you for offering your help and advice! I saw that you mentioned in last year’s discussion post that you had rushed a sorority as a transfer. Could you tell us more about your experience rushing as a transfer? I am applying as a Political Science major as well. How has it been adjusting to the difference in workload from community to Berkeley? Would you have any advice on how to adjust to the academic rigor of Berkeley? Thank you again and looking forward to hearing from you!
do you think someone has good chances of getting into UCB with a 3.6 GPA, very few extracurricular activities, a W in a class that they are retaking this spring, and really good personal statements? She is applying as a Political Science major. Asking for a friend. I’m really nervous for her and I would love to know what her chances are.
Based on stats alone, she’s already below the 25th percentile GPA for Poli sci admits at UCLA (I’m guessing the rates are similar to Berkeley’s but they don’t publish)
However, it’s really hard to say. I’m not an admissions officer, just another student. She might catch the eye of admissions officers through her essay, you never know! I hope she gets in. You’re a good friend
@Abaker34 I think the name is definitely a factor for why I’d like to go! Ever since I was little I’ve heard about how cut-throat/competitive it is and that the campus is somber, but for some reason that really appeals to me. I’d love to grow more in that type of environment and see how much I could achieve among the great students there.
It’s one of the best English programs in the country. I’ve already taken every English class my cc offers, worked as an English tutor, worked as a TA, been selected to speak at English/writing conferences, and have superb relationships with every single English prof at my current cc. I’m also published, editor in chief of our literary magazine, and am working on getting one of my essays published in a different magazine. I’ve taken advantage of every possible English opportunity at my school (and then some), and I’m hungry for the challenge of Berkeley’s English classes. God, I look at some of their electives and just kind of drool at them!
Of course, I’ve grown up in the East Bay, so I’ve always lived in Berkeley’s shadow and heard about its programs. I’ve visited the campus more times than I can count, and it’s always seemed the most natural thing in the world to want to go there. I am definitely the Berkeley “type” and have loved my time spent in the city, whether on the campus or not. I’ve considered other schools, and I think I could be happy in other places. But I’ve always just felt like I “fit” on that campus really well. I do realize it’s not for everyone, though. Some are just drawn to the prestige or the name, and I think that’s okay. It just comes down to what different people want their college experience to be.
GPA: 3.98 / 4.00
[ *] California Community college: Mission College
[ *] Major: Psychology
[ *] Honors: Yes, with 18 units completed by the end of Spring 2020
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Toastmasters (Co-Vice Pres. Public Relations)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Tutor at my college’s tutoring center; respite caretaker for a teenager with autism
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: N/A, except for some things I did in high school, a few of which I put on my application towards the bottom
[ *] Personal Statements:
Required question: I talked about my interest in psychology, connecting it back to my childhood growing up with an autistic sibling, and then talked about the opportunities I took advantage of at my community college to enrich my experience and prepare me for transfer (specifically the Honors Transfer Project, which introduced more opportunities for research that mimics what you’d see at a UC. I also briefly mentioned my job as a respite caretaker to show that I’m serious about pursuing psychology and have some experience under my belt already)
Creativity essay: I talked about being a journalism student in high school and how I had to think of creative, out-of-the-box solutions to manage my workload since I had two editor positions at once in my senior year. I talk about what I learned and how these skills have transferred to college.
Academic challenge essay: I talk about the circumstances that led me to going to community college after high school as opposed to a 4 year university and how going to community college has helped me grow as a person and as a student, and how the traits I have accumulated at the community college will help me once I transfer
Significant life challenge essay: I talk about growing up in America as a Pakistani-American Muslim Immigrant (i know, it’s the typical immigrant essay, blah blah) and the struggles I’ve faced in balancing two completely different cultures and finding myself in the process. Things like that. Cliche.
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[ *] Gender: F
[ *] Strengths:
[ *] Weaknesses: Missing 2 social science classes that were listed on ASSIST because they were not offered in the term that I planned to take them. I explained this in the additional comments section of the application
Applying to what schools?
UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCSC (admitted), UCD (tag), SJSU (admitted)
hi everyone,
i just wanted to wish you all good luck. i was in your shoes in spring 2018, constantly refreshing my application portal, calcentral, and college confidential. it’s my last semester now and i’m heartbroken to be leaving cal, as this place has done amazing things for me. i truly couldnt have wished for a better transfer experience, better friends, a better internship, a better job, or better mentors. i hope you all find the same, whether it’s at cal or whenever you go. please enjoy this ride, it goes by quickly.
It’s a very competitive major, so based on stats and the fact that there seems to be no other hook for them to accept based on, she probably has a slim chance. Not impossible, but slim. I highly doubt the W will affect admissions decisions at the other schools she has applied to.
her GPA is actually 3.7, and she does have really good personal statements. She also was in TAP for UCB. Hoping she gets lucky! I’m more nervous for her than myself lol
@rt0784 TAP has like an 85% acceptance rate, I think. A counselor mentioned that to me last year. Or maybe 80%, either way its a nice benefit. Good luck to you both!
