For a while now, I’ve had my heart set on going to UC Berkeley. However, I know that it is a very hard school to get into, so I was wondering what my chances would be. I don’t feel comfortable disclosing a lot of my personal information about me, such as grades and test scores, but I can give as honest an answer as I possibly can.
GPA: it is almost a 4.0 weighted
Class rank: top 25 (out of 350)
SAT: my score isn’t good, but it isn’t bad (I would describe it as sub-par)
I have not yet taken the ACT, but I plan on doing so, and I also plan on retaking the SATs to improve my score. I will probably take these tests after I apply, however.
Clubs/activities: (I will give a shortened list of just the important stuff)
Cheerleading, letterman’s club, NHS, FNHS, French Club, Recycling Club, Dance
Volunteer Hours: not many, but I will definitely be volunteering more as the year goes on because it is required for a lot of activities I’m in
Intended major: linguistics
Please just tell me honestly what my chances would be. I would attend any branch campus of UC, even though I am really determined to go to UC Berkeley. I would really like to become a translator/interpreter one day and UC Berkeley was on a list of top schools for linguistics. I was also wondering if my major would help to outweigh my not-so-stellar grades and test scores. I know that a lot of people apply to UC for engineering and medical degrees, and while I’m not the only one with a passion for foreign languages, it is not typically a field that people wish to pursue. I have also taken a total of 5 APs (most of them currently), as well as 3 foreign languages- French, Spanish, and German. Two of my APs this year are Spanish and French.
Calculate your UC GPA and post capped weighted and fully weighted: https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Here is the 25th and 75th percentile for the SAT. If you do not post your score, no one can chance you:
UCB: 1280-1490
There are no branch campuses of the UC’s. Each UC is an individual campus/school and there are 9 UC schools.
Are you a California resident?
UCB is one the most competitive UC campuses, so even though your major is not STEM which is usually very competitive, overall all majors at UCB should be considered competitive.
Please post test scores and your calculate UC GPA to give CC posters some idea of how to chance you.
This is what UCB considers important in their application review:
- Berkeley
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Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores -
Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience -
Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency -
Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major. - LOR’s by invitation only as of 2017
You may have a better shot going for a language major than a more competitive one (like engineering). I would also scope out other UC’s that have good language programs and shoot for those, if you are in state. If you are not, there are schools all over the country that are higher ranked for linguistics. I would consider Cal a reach for 99% of humanity, so make sure to get jazzed about other schools.
FYI, Cal’s language classes are notoriously difficult.