Should I give up on Berkeley?

GSG900
Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:53:53 +0000

Raise your GPA pronto, and get involved with something, anything, that’s on campus.

I was a straight 4.0 applicant for Berkeley Economics. By the time I applied, I had completed both Economics classes, one Calculus class (through AP score), and had one more Calculus to take (equivalent statistics courses are not offered throughout the state). I was interning part-time at a property management firm, and had about 10+ hours of volunteering per week, some of these positions being that of leadership. I felt my essays were strong, as I had them proofread by various professors and friends. However, I was rejected, only to be accepted on appeal because of a personal family issue (I also hear the successful appeal rate is less than 3% for UCB).

In hindsight, I would have been more involved with student government/something-on-campus. It was difficult for me to do so, as I basically went through CC in about one year, giving me little time to actually be on campus. I viewed my school as a “commuter school”, just going to school, work, volunteer, and home. Berkeley emphasizes the “holistic review”, which basically means your essay and EC’s are extremely important. I am referring to:

-student volunteer work on campus.
-on-campus jobs.
-on-campus honor programs (Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Gamma Sigma, etc.)
-student government (this one is a biggie.)

Just look at the statistics. If you read through the Berkeley Acceptance thread, I remember seeing an Economics applicant being accepted with a 3.5, but with about 15+ years in the workforce. 3.6/3.7 Philosophy majors are in.

What I’m trying to say with my long-winded post is this: Grades are really important. But Berkeley really likes community involvement too. To be frank with you, it’s going to be tough for you being a while, middle-class student whose parents went to college. But if there is something in your life that will make you stand out, especially if it is something that relates to community involvement, write about it in your essay. It will help.