@lookingforward well first off, holistic review is for freshmen, transfers are evaluated under comprehensive review, which is slightly different. That was the point I was trying to make. You’re right, essays should not just reciprocate what was said in the activities section. If you read the transfer essays, then they are pretty specific, so I answered them jut like everybody else did. I knew they were not the problem, though, because I received regents to 2 different UC schools, so I knew it was something else.
I got in touch with my Berkeley advisor after I posted this and he said the only reason I was rejected was because I had too much major prep in progress and they could not accept me without knowing how I would definitively perform in those classes. He said if i appeal and keep my 4.0 for this semester, then there is a good chance of me getting accepted, so long that they are able to take appeals. He said it all depends on how many people SIR, and then waitlist/appeals are looked at together afterwards. Hope this helps anyone else who is in my same situation