Hey y’all I got accepted into Berkeley this year, but my brother was waitlisted last year so I remember firsthand how crazy it was for him during this time, but there is hope and don’t be discouraged. One thing he told me to say was there will be a ton of theories and random glitches leading up to the days of the decisions, but just remember to have hope and be patient. There were many random theories that Berkeley would go super deep into the WL and high percentages of people would get off of it which gave everyone a lot of false hop as well. Berkeley at the end of the day is a really competitive school but just the fact that you were waitlisted doesn’t mean you were not good enough but rather there weren’t just enough spots for you. There are def chances and there are two pathways FPF and Global Edge (but this seems to be different this year) when I last checked how many spots are available in these pathways for L&S it was 762 for FPF and 296 for UC Berkeley Changemaker. I will update once again by April 30th if I am still able to view how many spots are left which should give a good estimate to how many wl seats would be open for L&S students. If there’s anything you would like me to answer I can always ask my brother and would be happy to respond to any comments. Good luck to everyone and I hope you get off the waitlist or to wherever you will be happy the most. If you want to relive some of the craziness of the waitlist go look at last year’s thread haha.
It is not first submitted, first reviewed. As long as you submit by the deadline, you will be considered equally as other waitlisted applicants.
Just another quick question, how do we choose our pathways? Or do we choose them after being admitted through waitlist? Thank you soo much for replying to my questions.
My understanding is that you select the Pathway when you opt into the waitlist and submit your essay.
Ok thank you 
last question, sorry, can i still choose the traditional pathway instead of FPF and Changemaker or Global edge?
Also, I applied for college of engineering
FPF and Changemakers are for the College of L&S so if admitted off the waitlist for the College of Engineering, you should get the Traditional Pathway.
Ok! thank you very much, have a nice day!!
Last year it seemed as though there were no traditional slots available for anyone who came off the WL. And Global Edge went away because of Covid. So there was FPF and Spring admission (not guaranteed)
I just submitted a waitlist for L&S, without filling in the fpf pathway which was the only option available. Are my chances automatically lowered, or do I stick to the traditional pathway which a lot of the admitted students go through?
No, your chances are not lowered but if admitted off the waitlist, you will probably still have to choose the FPF or Change makers if you want to attend. @scrambro stated last year only FPF was available.
Does it mean anyone who comes off the waitlist in L&S won’t be admitted directly into the traditional pathway? Will they be given a choice to choose from FPF or change maker? Pls advise, thanks!
Based on last years waitlist admits, only FPF was an option last year. Historically, L&S waitlist admits have the FPF or for this year Changemakers. I am not going to say it is impossible to get the Traditional Pathway but usually if any Engineering majors are admitted, they will get that pathway but not others.
Engineering waitlists dont get the choice right? I am not able to see any fpf option on my portal
Whats the chance of getting off the waitlist as an undeclared engineering major?
Engineering does not get a choice and unfortunately odds are low to get off for Engineering of any kind.
Should the waitlist offer be accepted then? I am actually confused whether to accept it or not
I would definitely opt into the waitlist if UCB is your top choice but you should consider the waitlist a soft rejection and move on. If you happen to be admitted then you can make the decision. Historical data is only that, so each year will vary and although things are less uncertain now, you do not know how many admitted students will actually enroll by May 1. I have been getting a lot of PM’s from OOS and International students asking about why they are not getting good financial aid so costs will be a deterrent for many.
Gumbymom…any insight on the College of Rausser? My son was waitlisted and did not check the box for Changemaker…Do many come of the list in that particular college?
Most of the waitlisted admits come from the College of L&S since the majority of majors are housed there. Since CNS is a small college, it is possible to be admitted off the waitlist, but have no one from CC post the admission. Since UCB and all of the rest of the UC’s do not list waitlist admits by College or Major, I can only go by what is posted on CC or other college websites.