<p>Why does Berkeley not take recommendation letters?</p>
<p>same reason they don’t take transcripts except after admission as verification of what you enter in the application, and they don’t take senior midyear updates. too many applicants to handle all that processing, thus they drive admissions by what is entered in the application and enhanced with historical data and various analysis done by computer. the admissions reader sees the entire electronic file (including scores from std tests that are delivered electronically) but they don’t need to open envelopes, match up documents in folders, move around physical folders for each applicant . . . </p>
<p>For the small number of applications where they need more information to finalize a decision, those right on the edge between accept and reject, they will send out a request for supplemental information. That process DOES ask for first half senior year grades to be self-reported and for exactly one recommendation to be field (through a special web link you give to the teacher/counselor). They get the best of both worlds, a reduced level of work to handle huge numbers of applications but access to the information for those situations where they are really undecided without recommendation or senior year grades.</p>