First generation Mexican here. I’m the first in my family to go to college, I live in a neighborhood with some of the highest crime rates in the state, and both of my parents are in blue collar jobs. I have a 3.8 GPA (3.9 within my major) and have completed all pre-req’s for Physics. Did some research at Stanford last summer, doing some research remotely for Irvine this summer, I was president of my school’s Physics club, and I volunteered 25 hours a semester promoting STEM to at-risk elementary kids.
I probably had the ideal mix of ethnicity, grades, socio-economic factors, and EC’s yet I was still wait-listed. UC’s have not been following affirmative action for years now. I really doubt that your ethnicity was the deciding factor for you being placed on the wait-list.
We have to understand that we are competing against other extremely qualified students and that admissions in general has some factor of randomness in it. We are all on the wait-list so obviously Cal saw something in us, there was just not enough spots to offer to us all. In an ideal world we all would’ve been accepted. However in this world there are limited resources and we were on the bad end of the dice roll when Cal decided who to admit and who to offer a spot on the wait-list.
For all of our sakes, I really hope that Berkeley throws appeal letters written by counselors into the trash. Imagine how much more of a mess admissions would be if counselors could pull some strings to get their student’s into elite schools. Favoritism like that is already ruining the admissions process, we shouldn’t want to invite more of it. It’s also a bit ironic that you are upset that people of color might have an easier time in the admissions process and then in the next paragraph you complain that your counselor wasn’t able to pull some strings to get you into Berkeley.
You sound like a very qualified student and you also sound like you are very passionate about your work. That will get you far in itself whether you get into Berkeley this semester or not.
Hi. I am fairly certain that waitlisted students are ranked so the top 3 spots would hypothetically fill for 3 students who declined to attend. Therefore (and my understanding is that physics is L&S) I really hope/am certain than you are in a position above most of us here and if a wave happens for L&S then I truly do believe that you should be among the ones accepted.
I get that people who get into Berkeley are truly exceptional, and every day the more stories I read, the more shocked and ashamed I am to think that I would have had a chance looking at the group berkeley seemingly placed me with. Obviously this isn’t a competition, but I can’t help but feel insignificant to some inspiring stories on this forum alone(war-torn refugee from a dangerous country, social/educational boundaries, or simply pure hard work and academic prowess).
Really hope for the people who had the odds stacked against them who manages to get to this point, or in some cases surpassing others who was born in a “comfortable” position, that they get accepted in. Ofc I understand institutions don’t matter, and success is based on the person and not the school. Everyone is different. I get all of that. But if there was any scenario where I somehow knew that the student right before me claimed the last spot, I would be content knowing it was one of you guys.
You shouldn’t minimize your own accomplishments. You have great stats and you deserved to be in Berkeley too. Everyone on this thread who got wait-listed deserved to get in, at least in the eyes of the AOs.
I just want to reiterate how close all of us on here where to making it into Berkeley. If you get placed on the wait-list then you were a fit for Berkeley. They just ran out of spots before getting to your place on the list.
I will say though that this thread has opened my eyes as to how many other great students there are. I’m not gonna lie at first I felt pretty wronged and cheated out of a spot at Berkeley since I thought I could easily get in. Now though I’ve come to terms with it after realizing how many other people deserved a spot too.
Yup! It is so strange how my confidence has been waving throughout an entire year. I took a skydiving course on my own time and I coincidencely met a EECS transfer who applied in 2014. After conversing with them they told me to just keep a good GPA like a 3.6 with a educational related activity or just a job and you will be fine. Later I discovered that the stats for transfers has gone up and up over the years and clearly you needed to do more. Really been humbled throughout this whole experience and I’m glad I mentally landed at a place compared to before getting my decision back in April. I swear I would be depressed for a week then after looking at assist and some other stuff I would be confident for a while then moody again after learning about the latest random discovery about college applications.
@ShmopyShoj
What can I say, in your case they probably thought you are overqualified and can aim at Stanford or Ivy.
How many students in this waitlist have high GPA? You, others, my major GPA is 4.0 and it’s while working full time to pay rent and feed a family of 3. And what was the admission trend in April? People were getting in with 3.2 GPAs with no extracurricular activities. Does it look like a fair competition?
And to be honest, saying that someone was going to pull strings for me, when I was telling about recommendation letter is ridiculous. 99% of universities here ask for like 3 of them to be attached to application. I’m not begging for it, or paying for it, or asking someone to check their connections. I have exemplary student works, my 4.0 GPA speaks for that. I did hella amount of volunteering work for my college. My department’s official .edu website was made with my hands. And it’s not a wordpress page, it’s a fully-functional website with python back-end and Django admin for teachers. I am proud that I am a student which every professor in my department knows by name, and I am sorry, but I don’t see anything wrong in using recommendation letters which I deserved 100%.
And please stop saying you’ll be good anyway without Berkeley. I’ve seen it multiple times here. I’m not eligible for financial aid, not eligible for loans, don’t have anyone to ask for money. UCB is the only architecture school next to me which I can afford. I was talking about CalPoly before, but it’s more like a calming mantra, because my current status doesn’t really let me to consider any private school or relocation.
@ShmopyShoj
And for God’s sake, I‘ve never complained that people of color have an advantage. If that’s an official fact which UCB confirms, what’s wrong with acknowledging it when you are trying to analyze reasons of being on the waitlist?
Recommendation letters where Professors and a Chair of Department (not a counselor who only knows about you from your own words!) write about their opinion on my personality, work and achievements they have witnessed - are by no means can be called “pulling a string”. I wasn’t born with those letters attached to me, I worked and studied so hard to the point that I developed psychosis with my lack of sleep. What’s ironic about that?
I never said you complained that people of color have an advantage. Also, is that a fact that UCB confirms? I tried looking online and found the opposite. This is from a former AO at Berkeley in a Los Angeles Time Article, “I can wholeheartedly affirm that the University of California system does not advantage of disadvantage certain applicants based on their race. Such practices across all college systems are unconstitutional”.
Also, Berkeley does not accept letters of recommendation when reviewing applications. Not even for appeals. So when you said your counselor would have sent a letter to have you accepted then I assumed he was going to reach out to someone to try and get you in. I mean, even if he did send a LOR and Berkeley used it as your basis for gaining admission, that would be unfair to other students on the waitlist or on the appeals list. No one else is able to send LORs to be considered for Berkeley. A lot of us on here are also hard workers. I bet you the majority of us on here have developed close relationships with professors and department heads too. If you are able to send a LOR and have it be considered then that should be open to everyone.
@ShmopyShoj
It was such a groundless assumption from my side, my bad. Just don’t get it why then you wrote that you considered yourself to be from a perfect ethnic background to get accepted. Lol
Whatever I wanted to do - doesn’t affect your course of action. No one prohibits you from trying to sent them whatever you want. Of course everyone here are hard workers. But for some reason you assumed that not me, because in my case - LOR which I was offered with and which was never even sent - becomes favoritism from professors and unfair advantage.
Your direct citation:
“It’s also a bit ironic that you are upset that people of color might have an easier time in the admissions process and then in the next paragraph you complain that your counselor wasn’t able to pull some strings to get you into Berkeley.“
You literally accused me with two unethical actions for no reason and then wrote that it never happened.
This whole conversation is ridiculous to be honest.
I’m a low-income Latinx & African American, in the last 2 years I have had a GPA at 3.93, more than all prereqs are done (finished some very difficult courses required for CS as I considered applying as that). I took CS61A (CS class at Cal)and placed in the top 5% of the class. Essays were very strong, work experience in the industry since age 15, CTO of a media company with millions of followers on IG alone. 100s of hours of volunteer hours in my community(Helping immigrants from my community in Africa). I hate when people throw in ethnicity as a factor, since age 16 I have worked full time to help support my family as well(sometimes 50-60 hours a week), plus I took more than the max units even allowed at my CC. so while the kids who got to just take classes to go home and study and get As in easy prereqs I would personally say I worked several times as hard as them. I don’t think they have “quotas”, what Berkeley is famous for is having holistic reviews of applications and trying to make the best judgment based on that. for example, if a Latinx kid has a 3.5 with 0 ECS or work and the same socioeconomic status as a white kid with a 3.8 and the white kid has no ECS or work experience I am pretty confident the white kid gets selected. It is extremely offensive when a minority works their butt off to get into a school only to be immediately judged as only getting in because of their background.
“Just don’t get it why then you wrote that you considered yourself to be from a perfect ethnic background to get accepted. Lol”
I never said I was from a perfect ethnic background though? I said I had a good mix of ethnicity, grades, EC’s and I still didn’t get in. I was trying to prove that ethnicity isn’t a determining factor in admissions. Throughout this thread there are also other minorities with amazing stats who did’t get in, I would just rather use myself as an example cause I don’t want to unwillingly bring anyone into this discussion.
Of course anyone could send a LOR to the AOs. None of these LORs would have been considered though, because again, Berkeley does not accept LORs. However based on your wording, it seemed as if your counselor could send a LOR to Berkeley and have it be considered as a basis for your admission. That is the definition of favoritism. If none of our LORs would have been considered then neither should have yours. I’m also aware that you weren’t actually able to send this LOR, I was just pointing out that you didn’t realize how unfair this would have been to everyone else on the waitlist/appeal list.
I didn’t mean to attack you and I apologize if I came off that way. I am just absolutely sick of people thinking that they weren’t admitted to Berkeley because they weren’t the right color. There is zero evidence to suggest that ethnicity plays a factor in admissions. Ever since affirmative action got abolished the percentage of minorities at UCs has actually decreased, as expected. Throughout the whole application process I had people saying to me that I was lucky to be a minority because we have it easier on applications. Like no. Being Mexican or Black and having a decent application is not a free pass to get into Berkeley. Mexican and Black kids aren’t taking the spots of White kids at Berkeley. That is a narrative that shouldn’t have any merit to it yet it still does for some reason.
For the record, I am anti-affirmative action. I think socioeconomic factors should be taken into account, not ethnicity. I plan to vote against ACA in November.
Thank you for sharing! I am honestly surprised how you didn’t get in. You have some of the best stats I’ve seen out of anyone that applied. And yeah I agree with you. It’s pretty infuriating to hear how about how easy we have it in admissions even though there is no evidence that backs that up.
There is a certain randomness factor in admissions. Someone can have an amazing application but if the wrong admissions officer reads it then that application could be in jeopardy. I think people try to explain away this randomness factor using unsupported things like “Minorities have it easier in admissions and this disrupts the admissions process”.
I understand why people might think that. It’s more comforting to believe people aren’t admitted due to an agenda rather than them not being admitted due to simple bad luck. I just wish that narrative would die.
ACA5 just uses racism to be against racism which is quite ridiculous. All lives matters. They should consider students’ background rather than ethnicity. Minority groups deserve better treatment but this doesnt mean privilege. Honestly, given a unqualified kid some satisfying illusion is more cruel than a rejection. I take ACA5 as a political tool other than something which could benefit minority.
It also triggers me when people claim that we get into Berkeley because of race. I did put a lot of effort like everybody else to get accepted, saying we got reserved spots not for our efforts, but for our race is not cool.
UCB shows in its graphs how POC are still underrepresented comparing to the total percentage of each group in California, but the percentage of people who apply to universities is much lower then the total %. For example ratio of Hispanics In California is 39%, but in UCB - is 15%. However, only 11% of Hispanics are applying for Bachelors degree in California. The very same thing has already been discussed in this thread earlier and everyone seemed to be ok with that.
I’m not a white American, I’m Ashkenazi Jewish first-generation immigrant from Western Europe. Everything is just my observation from what I see and what I hear from people I know. I am not claiming it to be 100% true, and I obviously don’t have as much understanding of the situation as people who have grown up here. I wasn’t trying to offend anyone, so I apologize if I did.
@konata91
No one ever said that you have reserved spots. What was said is that UCB aims towards diverse university population and they combine racial factors with others in holistic review to achieve it. What I think is that it puts into disadvantage every smart student, disregarding race. The best proof is that we are all here, and many people with weaker background are in. Just google for “audit finds troubling errors in UC admission”. People are making up stories and achievements, and getting in with low GPA, while UCB doesn’t bother to check it.