Hi Everyone,
I’m a UC Berkeley graduate with degrees in Molecular Biology and Public Health. I’m very open to assisting students.
I’m taking a gap year before applying to medical school and would love to answer any/all questions you have about Cal or other UCs. I can even chance you if you’d like 
what gpa and sat(new) should I be aiming for
Berkeley’s insanely high on the GPA aspect: 3.8-4.0 is usually good. UCB’s average GPA is usually around a 3.87 for an incoming class.
SAT Score: Anything above a 1400 is good, and anything above a 1500 is exceptional. On the old test, UCB’s average usually fell around a 2100.
Why is Berkeley so underrated? Why are people so unhappy there?
I’m at a california cc right now, majoring in Public Health. I want to transfer to UC Berkeley. I was wondering if you could chance me?
GPA- 3.4 currently
Apart of Honors program at my school (I can do TAP with UCB)
CNA certified
200+hours volunteering as a patient escort @ a hospital (still doing this currently)
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major says that, for 2015, transfer admits to UCB public health had 3.79-3.92 25th-75th percentile GPAs and an 8% admission rate (13/171).
In-state CC Student -
Major: Computer Science in L&S
GPA: 3.45 (3.56 after Fall if good grades)
IGETC: Completed by Spring
TAP: Yes
Major Prep: Completed by Spring
EC’s:
How’s parking there? Is it difficult to get high GPA in Berkeley? How difficult is it to get into popular classes?
Also living expense in general?
@siarota Parking’s awful, unless you change your vehicle’s registration to your Berkeley address, in which case you can get an annual (or bi-annual?) street parking permit for something like $55.
Berkeley is difficult as hell. You’re competing for good grades against some of the best students in the world. It’s not impossible to succeed (I just transferred this Fall, and I’m doing pretty well so far), but it’s definitely much more difficult than CC.
What do you mean by popular classes? You should be able to get into most classes you need for your major without much trouble. Certain classes (like the one taught by Robert Reich) are very difficult to get into.
It’s expensive here, but we have great grocery stores in the area with cheap produce. Sharing a room with another person generally costs $600-800 per month, and having a single room generally costs upwards of $1,000. There are many good restaurants in the area, but they can be expensive (and eating out regularly definitely adds up.) I’ve been budgeting ~$400-$500 per month for monthly expenses, but I’d like to cut it down by cooking at home more, making coffee/tea at home, etc.
I highly recommend getting a meal plan, too.
@SeinfeldFan1 It’s not underrated.
Berkeley is very intense. In my opinion, it’s not a good environment for people who get overwhelmed by it (although we all feel the pressure, sometimes). The academics are fantastic, however, and so many people here are brilliant. Campus is beautiful, and the city has its own charm. It’s a great place to be for those who thrive under pressure - but again, it’s very intense here, and that’s not for everybody.
I visited Davis recently, and the campus seemed so much more relaxed, the town was quaint, etc. I think you should consider picking a school which has an environment conducive to your learning and development - because again, Berkeley isn’t for everybody. (I absolutely love it though, and many other people do as well.)
@goldencub when I think of Berkeley, I feel it is closer to T10-T15 than it is to T20 universities, considering the fact that various programs there are considered to be some of the best in the nation (history, english, EECS, etc.).
So can you only transfer as a junior? If I take three years to finish GEs and major prerequisites do I have to apply as a junior transfer or have I missed my only window?
You can take as many years as you’d like, as long as it’s all lower division units … which anything in a community college is.
As long as you have 60 semester units, you’re a junior level transfer. If you have over 70, you’ll be capped at 70 … so it’s not an issue.
Hey. I have a question about Tag. If I tag with UCD and will that affect my chance to get into UC Berkeley? Hope you can reply me. Thanks
TAGing to a school will in no shape or form affect your chance of admission to Berkeley.
In terms of GPA: I think anything above a 3.5 will make you competitive, but anything around a 3.7 will basically give you a significant boost (aka they’ll strongly consider you).
SAT: Anything above a 1450.
If you want my stats as a reference, feel free to email me.
@siarota
Parking is brutal. I still drive there every week to meet friends, and parking is ALWAYS difficult. You either can pay at a meter or find 2 hour parking slots (if you’re going for a day). If you want to bring a car to college, you usually need to work out a parking space with your landlord. When I was living in an apartment, my landlord charged $75/spot/month for parking.
Yes, a high GPA is tough, but that’s only because Berkeley makes you EARN your grades. Getting an A+ at Berkeley literally means you mastered the material. To be honest, I personally value the fact that the classes are so difficult because it really challenges you to REALLY understand EVERYTHING. I’m currently interviewing at Medical Schools and I believe that the hard curriculum at Berkeley has prepared me well for the insanity of medical school.
Getting into popular classes as a freshman/first year is difficult, but as you get older, you have higher priority for classes. TL;DR If you want to take a class, you’ll get it eventually over your four years.
Living expenses are okay - IF YOU’RE WILLING TO DO THE WORK. For my third and fourth year in college, I lived in a double and paid $550/month. It’s a bit on the expensive end, but still manage and MUCH cheaper than living in the dorms. Furthermore, the living expenses (though a bit higher than other places) are ALSO offset by the fact that the tuition at Cal is SIGNIFICANTLY lower than private institutions. So yeah, housing is a bit more expensive, but it is more than manageable.