Hello, I am currently a sophomore and taking IB and AP courses. This is my dream university that I want to get accepted to, and I am looking for standards so I can fulfill them. I have one semi-complex question, and that is: What are the standards for getting in UCB? (When I talk about standards I am talking about the general populace that are accepted) I need to set my goals early on, so I can have a goal to work at.
-Thanks!
If your goal is EECS, you need either big accomplishments and a great set of writing skills, or an SAT score of preferably higher than 2350 + perfect academics (no joke, some of the rejection stories are brutal!). On the other hand, there are a lot of people who get in with ~1900s in other disciplines (but they are no joke, to be sure). It’s strange! The general impression I got from browsing an RD thread was that your highest chances of getting in come if you’re 2300+ or around 1900-2100. But correlation doesn’t show correlation; I’m betting that the people with lower SAT scores come from certain backgrounds or have certain accomplishments that greatly bolster them. And the people who tend to get 2200~ definitely have a great chance of getting in, but tend to not come with the same package as the rest. (BTW if you’re not EECS, you don’t have too much to worry about - just try your reasonable best).
At my school, the top 40 kids go to Berkeley or top Ivies. Something I’ve found that most have in common is:
High AP Count- 9~10 usually
Good GPA: 3.8+ for sure (unweighted)
Consistent Honors/Weighted courses
Some type of EC that they are involved in- doesn’t have to be heavy, but interest and passion is the key.
Always challenging themselves: don’t take random courses just to fill up slots in your schedule- use that time on something you like to do.
My calculus teacher graduated from Berkeley as a physics major and said:
Don’t be flat: “If someone replaces your name with another generic name, and your apps seem exactly the same, you’re flat. Don’t be flat”
Basically, your app is the resume- show why you want to go, and show your love- and the college is the company you are applying to. Show how you’ve worked hard yet maintained interest and life outside of school. Be an individual. Go against the crowd. Don’t be flat. That’s all I got :).
ps. Physics C, Calc BC, Chem AP, Comp Sci AP- those are some math/science courses that UC’s in general love to see you take
Summary of last year’s results reported on these forums:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17249805/#Comment_17249805
Thanks for the great answers you guys! I appreciate it, but I would like to ask one more question if that isn’t too much to ask. I currently live in Utah and from what I’ve heard is that Utah does not weight GPA’s. ( I honestly don’t know if this is true, but please correct me if I am wrong!) Also, the final question… my school does not have class rankings, (No idea why) so will that slim down my chances?
-Thanks! 
One thing you need to consider and worry about is how you will pay to go to Berkeley. As a student from Utah, you would have to pay full fees since California does not fund OOS students. So, you need to make sure your parents can afford $55K per year to pay for your schooling or all of your efforts will be for another school.
We have established the funding and my parents are in full support of my establishment of Berkeley. But, I am still wondering if Utah weights GPA’s, I would be furious if they didn’t because all my classes are either honors, AP, or IB courses.
So your parents are willing to pay $220K for an undergraduate degree? Since you would be OOS, Berkeley is under no obligation to admit you or prioritize your admission. It’s a state school funded by California taxpayers.
UC weighted GPA give +1 to up to 8 semesters’ worth of college, AP, some IB, and some school-designated honors courses taken during 10th and 11th grade. However, UC approval of school-designated honors courses is limited to California high schools, although many school-designated honors courses at California high schools are not given +1 honors points by UC (see http://doorways.ucop.edu ).
So if you have 8 semesters or 4 full years of AP courses in 10th and 11th grade, then you will be at the maximum for UC +1 honors points in your UC weighted GPA.
Stating in your essay why it’s your dream would be a tremendous boost to have a realistic chance to get into Berkeley.
Don’t worry about if Utah weighs your GPA or not or it has rankings or not. My school didn’t weigh nor had rankings and things went fine. Steamroll your classes and control what you can control and the admission office will have no doubt processing the rest.
There’s no reason to even think that just b/c the state doesn’t weigh your GPA or don’t have rankings means your chances are decreased.
But really, doing well in classes is a given. You can reasonably assume just about everyone who applies to Berkeley have decent GPA’s so it’s not a make-or-break factor. I think the difference comes from having a convincing statement of purpose why you want to come to Berkeley.
Hi Rephine! Just wondering if ur from Pen High? @rephine