<p>AP COURSES AT MY SCHOOL
AP studio art
AP music theory
AP US History
AP BIO
AP Calc
AP stat
AP eng lit
AP spanish
AP Gov
AP french
AP Comp Sci</p>
<p>Questions
Should i take about myself being an immigrant on the personal statement?Why?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Should i send in my ACT scores?</p></li>
<li><p>When should i open a student bank account?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it safe to deposit some money into the bank account once i’m in college for living expense? or will it mess up my financial aid stuff?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You need to justify your low CR/W scores. If you can do that adequately, you have a good shot at Berkeley. Talking about that in your personal statement may be one way of explaining the scores.</p>
<p>Which college are you applying to? (Letters and Science, Engineering, Chemistry, etc.)</p>
<p>I’d say you don’t need to justify your CR/W scores. Sure, your CR is low, but the combined 2010 score + good SAT II scores+ your high GPA should be enough to outweigh the low scores. I got a 610 in math on the SAT (but high scores on CR/W) and didn’t reference it at all on the personal statement. Then again, I’m a humanities major. Were I going to do something like engineering that requires competency in math…then yes I definitely would have explained myself. If you do explain your scores in your personal statement (maybe in the additional comments section at the end?) then put a positive spin on it. For example, I noticed that your SAT score significantly improved from the first time you took it to the second time. You could describe how the CR/W sections were tough for you the first time around, and how you worked to improve them–your hard word paid off, leading to your higher score, demonstrating your dedication, etc. However, I really don’t think you need to do this. Berkeley is a mixed bag; there are many students here with 2400s and many with 1800s/1900s. Admissions also depend on your GPA and having a solid personal statement.</p>
<p>For your questions…</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I would definitely include the immigrant aspect in some form on your personal statement. My Indian-American culture/heritage was a significant part of mine. However, if you do put that in your personal statement, don’t just throw the term in there, but really describe how being an immigrant defines you and shapes the choices you make, the way you view society, academics, family, culture, etc. Bring up aspects that are unique to YOUR life–you want to stand out from the other immigrant students who are applying.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t send in your ACT. It would be a waste of money. Your second SAT score of 2010 seems comparatively better than your ACT score.</p></li>
<li><p>I think it would be wise for you to get your own bank account within the next year. Certainly before you go to Berkeley. It will be very useful to withdraw money for food, books, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not completely sure what you mean by this… I’ve never heard of anyone’s financial aid being hurt by depositing money for living expenses in a bank account. Maybe someone else can answer this question?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>you should definitely explain your low CR/W score in some form on your application, but i suggest that you go about it indirectly. Maybe you could talk about how English as a second language was tough etc. and the steps you took to try and overcome it and it made you the person you are today. it seems to me that your english isn’t strong enough to do well on the ACT/SAT sections that reading/writing intensive. i may be wrong but you seem to be a good student</p>
<p>yea english is just not my thing. i’m quite good at science and math related subjects but english just doesnt click for my brain.
where should i explain the low score? part of my personal statement? or additional comments?</p>
<p>i wouldn’t just come out and say “hey…my english sucks” per se i would write about how moving from china affected your upbringing and such(insert how hard english is/was). i wouldn’t mention the low sat scores just the whole english thing in general</p>
<p>What i dont understand is how you get As in your English classes and taking AP lit with such low scores on reading/writing in your standardized tests…but in any case im pretty sure you’re in if youre applying to L&S. I think itd be a decent idea to retake the SAT one more time though, just study over the summer if you arent too busy</p>
<p>The difference between your GPA and your SAT score makes me believe that your grades are inflated or you’re bad under pressure? (Not that the SAT or ACT are very high pressure tests)</p>
<p>Then again you are an in state applicant so you should be fine.</p>
<p>I also suggest studying over the summer and taking the SAT one more time. If you could get your SAT to 2100 or above, then I think that the SAT+ your GPA would give you a very good chance of getting into Berkeley. I retook the SAT in fall of my senior year, and upped my score from a 1940 to a 2180. I really think that the improved SAT score gave me the necessary criteria to be admitted into Berkeley. Just because your friends have lower SAT scores and and are applying—and believe me, I know many students here with pretty low SAT scores, in the 1900s and even one or two in the 1800s --doesn’t mean that you should have the same mentality as well. You should do anything possible to increase your chances of getting into Berkeley. </p>
<p>However, you must also have a good personal statement, so spend a long time composing and revising those essays, especially since you stated that writing is your weak point. Get others to review your essays before you submit it and offer suggestions.</p>