UC Berkeley Fall 2016 Admits, Waitlists, and Rejections

goldencub
Sun, 01 May 2016 07:01:25 +0000

Accepted!

Major: Philosophy (College of Letters & Science - Humanities Division)
UC Transferable GPA: 4.0

Completion of Major Prerequisites? (Y/N): 3/3 by the end of the Spring (one IP)
Completion of IGETC or other GE requirements?: IGETC completed by the end of the Spring (art requirement IP)
Extracurriculars & Honors/Awards:
Vice-President of Chess Club
Philosophy Club (Freshman year only)
Studied under a reputable professor of philosophy at a US university.
Part-time job (~6 hours per week).
Honor Roll.

Applied: UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCI (TAG), UCSB, UCD
Accepted: UC Berkeley, UCLA (invited to apply for Regents, too), UCI (TAG), UCSB, UCD
Rejected: N/A

Attending: UC Berkeley

Advice for future applicants? Strengths and weaknesses in your application? Lingering thoughts about the admissions process?

I’ll start with strengths/weaknesses in my app, and then go to provide advice.

Strengths: I took a major prerequisite at Cal (Philosophy 12A) and got an A. I also commuted (and am still commuting) 3x per week for two semesters to get the other 2 prerequisites completed. For reference, there are very few schools that offer prerequisites that articulate with Berkeley’s lower-division requirements for the major. CCSF has all three - so for any Philosophy hopefuls in the Bay Area, I highly recommend that.

GPA, ECs, essays, etc. were all perfect, or at least very good. I gave them absolutely no reason to deny me.

Weaknesses: Honestly, none really. I could have done more ECs, sure, but it really wasn’t necessary for me.

Advice for future applicants: Probably the most important piece of advice I have: Develop a strong work ethic while in community college - it will be a huge asset after you transfer, and on through your life.

Don’t take too many classes, especially your first semester. Some people overload on classes because they’re interested in them, and their GPA tanks.

Your GPA is extremely important. Also, if you plan to go to graduate/professional school, YOUR GRADES IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNT. So try to do well while you can. My 4.0 over two years in CC provides me with an excellent GPA cushion for law school - i.e. if I were to keep a 3.5 average at Cal, I would have approximately a 3.75, which puts me in the running for numerous T14 law schools. Get good grades while it’s still easy - at Cal, As are definitely not handed out so easily. Still, challenge yourself in CC - if your CC has honors courses, consider taking them. It will likely make the transition easier, and you will probably get more out of your classes. Community colleges can offer a strong education - it’s up to you to take advantage of it.

Don’t load up on ECs - they take up a lot of your time. If you want to get involved, pick something you’re really interested in/passionate about, and try to make some impact with that. You don’t need to be a member of 10 different clubs to be admitted into UC Berkeley.

Commuting is terrible, don’t do it unless you’re blindly dedicated.

Don’t trust your CC’s counselors.

Take the minimum required Math/English courses ASAP.

Research the process yourself. Read through old threads on college confidential, read through some of the materials on the UC transfer admissions website, etc. - it’ll give you some familiarity with the whole transfer process. After well over a year of this sort of research, I feel like an expert on UC transfer admissions (at least regarding all information pertinent to me).

I dunno, I’m exhausted, but I can’t wait to start classes in the Fall. Good luck to all future applicants - if you have any questions, or would like any advice, then feel free to message me. I’m happy to help.

Go Bears!