whats my chance at uc berkeley?

Applying to College
1

<p>whats my chance with:
27 act ( 35math, 29science, 26eng, 16 reading, and 11/12 essay) i might improve it to like a 29 or 30 possibly</p>

<p>i have only lived in the us for 6 yrs ( hopefully that will explain my ACT reading and english....)</p>

<p>taking 2 sat 2 subject test and aiming for 2 800 in chem and math 2</p>

<p>gpa 3.973 uw, class rank top 5%</p>

<p>5 ap classes, 4 scores of 5s in chem, bio,us hist, and euro and 1 score of 4 in stats</p>

<p>senior transcript with ap calc, ap physics, ap gov, and ap econ, and honors mentor connection</p>

<p>ec:
captain of robotics team 3 yrs, head of electronics department 3 yrs, team driver 3 yrs
varsity track 1 yr, athlete of the meet 1 yr, top triple jumper
soccer 1yr, most improved player
swimming 1yr
member of NHS 2 yrs, top tutor for math and science and ap courses
member of link crew 2 yrs
volunteered for boyscout and at homeless shelters.</p>

<p>awards:
3 yrs of academic letters with high honor roll
french honor society
american legion school award winner
theres a few more...</p>

<p>so whats my chance as an out of state person? and any tips on improving my chance into berkeley?
and how much would i get in terms of grants and schoolerships? my family makes below $50,000, so theres no way that i can afford it if it is really $51,000 per yr with room and board and tuition and books for out of state tuition....</p>

2

<p>Your reading scores are a little low, but I’ve found that the UCs put emphasis more on WGPA which looks pretty good. Your ECs are a little weak (doesn’t seem to be a long term commitment or demonstrated passion) but better than nothing. Can’t tell you much about the grants and scholarships- but to be cynical I believe they look at us out-of-staters in the context of how much we’re willing to pay. I wouldn’t expect too much from the school itself in other words - most of my OOS friends have just had to swallow the $50k but obviously at your income level there will be other options. I believe if you write a great essay (might be hard with your english skills?) UCB will be a mid reach.</p>

3

<p>i can write essays and papers fine. i can also make it very personal. but i was just wondering if my grades, ec, and ACT score can make it in there</p>

4

<p>any1 els? please help</p>

5

<p>Are you in-state or out of state? If you’re a California resident, you probably qualified for ELC (that might apply to out of state too, i’m not sure). Either way, your GPA is perfect and your ACT could use some work. Honestly, if you’re in-state, I’d say Berkeley is well within your reach – a match. You’d be surprised how many people get into Berkeley with nothing more than GPA, SAT/ACT scores. Also, robotics looks very good on any application for engineering (i’m assuming that’s what you’re applying for). Of course, your chances vary with each major you choose. If you choose Mech E, you’re a shoo-in. If you choose EECS, the competition is tougher, but you’d be a strong applicant. If you choose Chem E, it’s more of a reach.</p>

6

<p>^“If you choose Mech E, you’re a shoo-in.”</p>

<p>Sorry ace, but no one’s a “shoo-in” at Cal with an ACT score of 27- regardless of Engineering discipline.</p>

7

<p>Of course. After he raises his ACT score a bit, I meant :slight_smile: Also, if he writes about his coming here from another country in his personal statement, it could help explain his ACT score’s English part.</p>

8

<p>[University</a> of California - Financial aid](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/financial-aid/index.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/paying-for-uc/financial-aid/index.html)
[UC</a> Berkeley Financial Aid and Scholarships Office: Undergraduates](<a href=“http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/undergraduates/index.htm]UC”>http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/undergraduates/index.htm)</p>

<p>[University</a> of California - Admission requirements](<a href=“http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/requirements/index.html]University”>http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/freshman/requirements/index.html)</p>

<p>ELC is only for in state.<br>
[Eligibility</a> in the Local Context (ELC)](<a href=“http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/]Eligibility”>http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/)</p>

9

<p>The only ones who can give you a realistic assessment of your chances at any school are the members of the admissions committees at that school, and then only when they have your complete application package in front of them.</p>

<p>This message is MIT-specific, but the principle applies to all selective colleges:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/10581800-post1.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/10581800-post1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Make sure your college list includes some safeties - schools where your stats are well above the norm, that you can pay for under most pessimistic FA assumptions, and where you’d be happy.</p>

10

<p>i really want to go into chem e. chemistry for me sticks very well and its easy. but so are other things like math. havent done much in physics, taking it this yr.
i really dont want to go into mech e at this moment. its like the most populated engineering field ever and job placement in the future and its low pay compared to other engieneers kinda scares me.</p>

11

<p>and yes ace i am an out of state. also low income… ■■■.
and if i do want to go into chem e, whats my chance of making it into that part of college( idk whats the name of chem e college at berkeley)</p>

12

<p>The majors of chemical engineering, chemistry, and chemical biology are in the College of Chemistry at Berkeley.</p>

<p>Berkeley career survey information is here: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt; . Chemical engineering appears to have much better job and career prospects than chemistry or chemical biology.</p>

13

<p>^ thank you. its like 2nd ranked in pay besides petroleum engineering. but natural gas is running out, so the field is going to die within 20 to 30 yrs. once alternative energy starts to take over petroleum the chemical engineering will over take petroleum engineers as #1 paid engineering field. thats my opinion.</p>

<p>but back to topic, how likely is it for me to get into berkeley? as an out of state, low income family person?
any tips on improving my chances at this point???</p>

14

<p>why not try taking SAT I? You may score better.</p>

15

<p>I agree–some people do better with SATs than ACTs. Also, if I were you, I would also be applying to certain other schools that might be likely to give you scholarship money–your robotics interest is special and might be appealing to a good school. With your income that low, you would almost certainly get an excellent scholarship at the Ivies and top LACs if you got in. Even if they had less specialization on your particular field, a smaller school might give you a better edge in terms of developing your English language skills and with also with making connections. I went to a big public like Berkeley and my son goes to a top LAC, and I can see that the connections that he’s made–both with professors and with his brilliant peers–has given him incredible opportunities that I never got.</p>

16

<p>I would say, just focus on your reading on your ACT and retake it.
If you got a 11/12 essay i’m sure that your reading and writing can improve greatly to at least a 25.
But I wouldn’t recommend Berkeley because they are usually quite stingy when it comes to out of state financial aid. If you raise your ACT scores to a very high score (34+) then you can get full tuition at many Ivy’s (My father knows an admissions officer at Harvard who said that at my family’s income which is around 75-80k, I could get a near full scholarship there, and at other top colleges if I were to be accepted to them [in particular liberal arts colleges]).</p>

<p>As for your chances at Berkeley in general, I wouldn’t say that they’re too bad. If you raised your ACT score to a 32+ it would be a low/mid reach school for you.
Also, consider taking the TOEFL test if English is your second language, as that will vouch for your low ACT English scores if you are not able to raise them.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

17

<p>OP, even if you do get in to UCB you will be responsible for paying $50K/year. How will you do that? They don’t offer FA to OOS students (except federal which would be $5.5K grant and $5.5K loan).</p>

18

<p>EECS and Chem E are the most competitive majors to apply for at UC Berkeley. For an out-of-state applicant, its likely equivalent to applying for the Ivy League. That being said, you want to show that you are an angled, strong applicant for the college. It’ll take a great GPA, ACT, and something extra. It’s hard to define what exactly you need, but probably something that shows that you’d make an excellent chemical engineer. Show your interest by applying for an internship in someplace like Genentech or Amgen, or better yet, apply for an internship at LBL (lawrence berkeley labs). I did one there; however, its mostly based on which professor you talk to and what mood their in. I wouldn’t spend time doing community service or some pursuing a random or tangential award. Focus on doing something like Intel Science or a local science competition.</p>

19

<p>alright i will take the act again and try to score 30 or higher.
but i hate language arts with a passion. i just dont see the point of it… and i am a lot more math and science based.
so it sounds like berkeley wouldnt be the best choice for me according to u guys, but i will still apply.
well then where els? any other ideas on where my stats can get me? i know ivys are pretty good but it sounds like they are freaken out of my reach. plus all of them arent good for engineering except for like cornel…
i really want to have a school thats heavily focused on research, and also have really good engineering programs.
but the last thing i need is 4 years of nerd surrounding me in my college life. no offense to anyone.</p>

20

<p>

You’ll probably have to get over that at a major research U.</p>