Will having an outstanding common app essay and letters of reccomendation make up for having a low Gpa (3.4 unweighted) and will it give me a shot at schools like Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Berkely?
Typically a student’s transcript (including GPA and course rigor) plus standardized tests are the most important parts of the application. It is highly unlikely that a great essay and outstanding recommendations will make up for sub-par grades, particularly at such competitive schools. You can google the common data set of each school and look at section C to see the relative weight given to the different elements of the application at each college you are considering.
It is fine to throw in a couple of reach applications but the majority of the schools you apply to should be match and/or safety schools relative to your academic achievements.
For UCB, GPA and test scores are highly considered. Yes, they do a comprehensive application review but unless there is a compelling reason for low grades, outstanding essays and LOR’s will probably not make up for a lack of academics.
Test scores matter. Depending on how well you test, maybe Michigan. Other schools to consider:
Ohio State
IU
Penn State
UIUC
Pretty much every SEC school
And if you’re really hellbent on going to a prestigious school, you can backdoor your way into USC, UCLA, or Berkeley.