So a recent visit has put Berkeley above UCSB for my top choice and I’m curious of my chances. I know my test scores are a bit moderate for Berkeley but I have a relative who works there and says I have a strong profile and I’m in range for the less competitive College of Natural Resources, so I’m curious what you all think of my chances of getting in CNR as an Environmental Science major are.
I go to a title one school with a high API index in Orange County compared to the rest of the state
GPA 4.0 UW/ 4.5 or 4.6 W (Ive heard both when trying to figure out my UC gpa but my relative who works there said it should be a 4.6)
APs: WHAP, APUSH, APES, AP lang, AP Lit, AP bio, AP Calc AB, AP Stat,
IB: Mandarin SL
Involvement: 4 year varsity water polo, 2 year varsity swim, 2 years student senate, 2 years ASB (treasurer senior year), 4 year National Honors Society Member, community service (beach clean ups, marathon helper, water polo table worker, and more)
My APES class also offers a lot of research trips which when I talked to my relative and a director at CNR, they were both very surprised and impressed our school offer these and CNR will be interested to hear about them, so I put them on my app under educational prep. For example, twice I went on a camping trip to the Whitewater Preserve where we do our own research on the arid and riparian areas relating to the soil content and plant and arthropod biodiversity and then I also got SCUBA certified thru a few classes and then went on a boat trip to Catalina Island and performed research on the fish biodiversity using transects and such and on both trips we present our research and get grilled by the teachers and such, but yeah in short they’re college style research trips to prep us for actual field research done through the school.
ACT composite 30/SAT (new) 1310
My essays were written to discuss a lot of what I know UC wants to hear and especially discussed the vast family changes I vent thru with my parent’s separation bc of alcoholism and then moving out of my home (also forcing me to get a job for awhile to help my mom) during my junior year, but my grades never dropped which I know they will look for when reading my essays. Also discussed my leadership in one essay where I helped lead a student protest over DACA. My other essay discussed a personal obstacle and another one was about my passion for environmental science where I discussed my research trips and love for nature and how I want a career in research and eventually policy.
If there’s anything else you are wondering that may impact my chances feel free to ask!