<p>Well I live in Texas and I would really like to be an electrical engineer or something along those lines. I am in the top 5% of my class (30 out of 607). I got a 4.0 gpa (not A+'s… just A’s). I took 12 AP’s with 4’s and 5’s on all. I received a 2180 on my SATI (760/670/750) (m/cr/wr), which was the highest in my class(not sure if that helps!). I work about 18-24 hours a week at the local grocery store. I have 40 or so hours of volunteer work. My ecs aren’t great… NHS, NM commended, YoungRepub… How decent are my chances at Berkeley?</p>
<p>youngrepub…you lose.</p>
<p>lol jk. GPA, work experience, SAT are all good. top 5% in the class bodes well. But I feel like the most important thing is the essay. It doesn’t all rely on that, but its a huge determinant.</p>
<p>haha yeah… should that even be on my app?
But about the essay… is berkeley into well-written “i’m poor and have to work” kind of essays?</p>
<p>Your stats are pretty good. Your SAT score(s) could be higher, I think. As for an “I’m poor and I have to work” essay, don’t emphasize your economic situation and turn it into a self-pity essay. Do emphasize the experiences and revelations that you’ve gained from working at the store though and tie it to your aspirations - maybe a specific life-changing encounter or conversation with a store customer could be interesting?</p>
<p>Someone involved in admissions counseling told me that UC Berkeley looks at class rank the most, then SATs, and they don’t read the essays at all. Not sure if its completely true, but if it is then I think you have a good chance of getting in.</p>
<p>^false. The uc app doesn’t even ask for class rank so it can’t be true. And berkeley is the UC that looks at the personal statement, I think. </p>
<p>@OP, you have a good shot at getting in. Pretty much 50:50, so flip a coin and find out for yourself ;)</p>
<p>Wouldn’t the chances depend on which college (and major if other than the College of Letters and Science) the applicant applies to?</p>
<p>For example, given the stated interest of “electrical engineer or something along those lines”, if “something along those lines” means computer science, then wouldn’t applying as a major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Engineering give different chances of admission compared to applying to the College of Letters and Science (where all freshmen start undeclared) intending to major in Computer Science?</p>
<p>Used to be that OOS students had a harder time getting into the UC’s. With the budget mess in California, I think theres gonna be a lot of incentive to admit OOS students that can pay the full OOS tuition. You’d be competitive in the best of times with your stats. Now, I believe, even more so with the fiscal mess the UC’s are in.</p>
<p>Well in regard to the tuition thing… although I do not HAVE the money to pay full tuition, if I were willing to go without asking for any sort of financial aid would that have the same effect?</p>
<p>And in regard to the major v. undeclared question… would it be in my best interest to apply undeclared and then apply to a specific school once there? If so, then would I possibly not be able to major in either engineering or some other science (for pre-med) and simply be stuck?</p>