@Ukrainininian
it should be fine, you would just be behind in math because you’d have to take Math 1A and 1B but you wouldn’t be behind in CS and could still declare the major at the normal time.
more info: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/csugrad/index.shtml
@Masterball Thanks! I appreciate your comment)
@heybluebear I can’t speak for Cal specifically (S was waitlisted) - but I just had a full presentation on UROP at UCSD. The opportunities for undergraduate research sound extensive. I imagine that Berkeley is similar. They key they said was to take advantage of opportunities to talk with the professors and get to know what’s being worked on. You can get involved in all manner of projects even from Freshman year. Among the panel they had two student speakers who had done UROP at the school and one a Chem E who was doing research at a private company as an undergrad. Also one of the students had done research while traveling abroad - a two-fer! Good luck and have a great time at Cal.
I love people who say they were rejected but don’t care as they didn’t plan on attending in any case. Sure! And why bother posting anything in that event. Rejection hurts; I know, I’ve had my share.
If you had great scores and grades and were rejeted = you came across as boring. I’m serious. I know a former admissions reader. She said that if you come across as boring it doesn’t matter how fantastic your stats are, you still won’t get in. UC Berkeley is literallyd drowning in candidates with fantastic stats. They simply aren’t enough these days.
As for USC, don’t worry. They have terrible FA. Mostly loans. UCB is better.
@excanuck99
…where I suppose ‘boring’=‘didn’t pay someone to write/edit your essays’?
Seriously though, I think a lot of kids are simply guilty of nothing but…being kids.
These adcoms are burried in so much faux-precociousness and manufactured ‘interesting’-ness that I think you are probably on to something. When they see an authentic kid it probably stands out.
As far as UCB is concerned, they seem extremely strapped for resources in admissions. They don’t even answer the phone most of the time, and the general office email address is buried on the website, obviously intentionally. They do not read recommendation letters or any supplementary information not specifically asked for. To think they then have the time (or skill even if they had the time) to assess how boring someone is with enough certainty to have it impact the admissions decision is simply scary (not saying incorrect, just scary).
@patertrium Thanks for your help!!
Most admissions office have a policy of not answering calls before 1st May. They simply do not want to be on the receiving end of pleas, insults, and parents venting their spleen. Time was, parents and kids accepted rejection. Now the sense of entitlement is so strong that everyone feels they have been wronged.
@patertrium Yea i guess that was part of it. I mean I’ve been really involved around school. I was in cross country for 2 years, yearbook for 3, and i did capoeira at my local park for 3 years too lol. I guess it’s also my situation as an individual. I don’t come from a very good neighborhood and I made sure I accentuated the struggle I’ve had with my family and my community in my personal statement.
@patertrium Wow im so surprised you and your friend were not admitted. I didn’t have nearly as many AP’s. I come from a fairly new school and they didn’t start having AP classes until my sophomore year. The most i could’ve taken were 8 in total, I’ve only taken 7. I have a friend who was admitted and his stats were even lower than mines. I guess his personal statement really hit it off you know. What’s great though is that the college doesn’t define a person, it just matters how you make use of the resources available to you wherever you are. I wish you luck wherever you decide to enroll. Personally i’m still honestly debating whether to come here or to Santa Barbara, that would be a no brainer to anyone else but i’m honestly torn.
Haha, that is funny.
Yeah I’m sure you are right. They have tons of available staff sitting there listening but unwilling to answer the phone.
You misunderstand my comment anyway. I haven’t tried to contact them in six months. It took two messages before getting a call back. Other parents and high school counselors told me/my son this is definitely SOP. They are severely understaffed; it has nothing to do with not wanting to talk to entitled rejectees (although I do agree with you about all the entitled rejectees; that is just part of the job of admissions this time of year.)
@tuffguy123 Good luck and have a great time wherever you decide to go. We’re very fortunate I think to have a great UC system out here. You’re right about the college not defining the person. And that’s true even of the opportunities. Apple gets its largest share of engineers from San Jose State for example. I know a bioinformatics firm that hires most of its interns and first job out of college employees out of UCSC. The education, research and job opportunities are vast and certainly not limited to Cal.
Just a heads up regarding upcoming AP tests. I was thinking of dropping some of the tests because they won’t benefit me at Cal any way since I already have regent status. But when I contacted the admission office, they said I should still take the exam because I had it written on the UC application.
Submitted my SIR!! I can’t wait 
Denied as a transfer student around 4:30 pm. Their FAQ states that 3,200/17,200 transfer applicants were admitted for Fall 2015. Oh well 
3.85 GPA
Mechanical Engineering
Anyone know when appeal decisions are coming out
How hard is it to get the classes I want at Berkeley? Will it hurt me if I go to the later Calso dates (June 30)?