What are my chances of getting into any UC?

What are my chances of getting into UC Berkeley?

• I have a 4.0 GPA for the UC system but I got a 1600 on my SAT. I also wrote my personal statement on my struggles through high school with ADHD and they sent me a supplemental form to answer questions on how my disorder gave me disadvantages in which I gave thorough answers for each and explained how I didn't like the way Ritalin made me feel and decided to stop taking it at the same time I had my hardest semester schedule I had ever had. I was also allowed to have someone answer a series of questions pertaining about me basically a recommendation in which I had the head of the math department of my school do it for me ( I peer tutor for her algebra 2 class). I applied to go for physics what are my chances of getting in.

• Answer:

  The supplemental form is used for students who are tagged for augmented review. The way Unitary Comprehensive Review works is that two readers read the personal statements and review the application and then score it from 1-5. A 5 means the applicant did not meet minimum UC standards and is rejected. 1-4 all meet minimum UC standards. If the two readers scores do not agree, then the application is scored by a senior reader. After the applications are scored then for L&S Freshman Admissions there is no distinction between majors or fields of majors. If there are 5,000 slots and 1,000 1's, all the 1's are admitted. If there are 2,000 2's, all the 2's are admitted. If there are 8,000 3's, then all the 4's are rejected and the 3's are scored again to differentiate the 3's from the 3.5's. If there are less than 2,000 3's, all the 3's are admitted and the 3.5's are scored again to differentiate between the 3.5's and 3.75's. If instead there are more than 2,000 3's, the 3.5's are rejected and the 3's are scored to differentiate between the 3's and the 3.25's and so on till all the L&S slots are filled. COE(College of Engineering) has a set number of slots for each major. There are also CNR and CED. The point is that there are no set standards for a 1,2,3 or 4. It is a qualitative review. If Berkeley is your dream school and you are not admitted, it is possible to appeal the decision. It is even possible to appeal the appeal and so on. I know one guy who appealed four times till he was finally admitted. Berkeley has the highest GPA in the UC system. http://statfinder.ucop.edu/library/tables/table_139.aspx That is referring to the Gpa of students at Berkeley not the students HS Gpa, but Physics does not have one of the higher departmental Gpa's but still the Gpa of Physics at Berkeley is above the overall at Davis. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/900945-average-gpa-graduating-students-major.html One reason is that Berkeley is a semester UC. All other UC's are on the quarter system. The quarter system does not work so well in a UC. A student often does not finalize his class schedule till the 3rd week of classes. In a quarter system UC, the semester is almost 1/3 gone by the 3rd week and midterms can be taking place. A student my have been sitting in on extra classes since he did not know which he would be admitted. At Berkeley, midterms don't take place till around the 5th week so there is time to catch up after the schedule is finalized. Another issue is that Berkeley and most UC's have three hour finals that take around 2.5 hours. Davis, Riverside and Irvine have two hours finals that take 2 hours, so there is a time pressure element to testing on finals. These campuses also have the lowest Gpa's among the UC's. Berkeley has over a week of dead week to prepare for finals. At quarter system UC's, classes stop and maybe a day or weekend off and Finals start the next day. At the "School Reports" tab find your high school to view the academic profile of students admitted to Berkeley and other UC's. http://statfinder.ucop.edu/ It is possible to be admitted to Berkeley as a community college transfer. L&S admits by the field of the major. Math and Physical Sciences has a fairly good rate. See page 5: http://students.berkeley.edu/files/admissions/12626_5.info_transadm.pdf Admission stats from the different community colleges can also be seen at the "School Reports" tab at several links above. here is the rate from BCC located a block and a half from the Berkeley campus. Numerous classes take place at UC Berkeley at night. http://statfinder.ucop.edu/reports/schoolreports/school_uc_enrollment_report.aspx?atpCode=7711&Year=2008-09&Type=communitycollege Anyone can audit large lecture classes at Berkeley. The Professor has no idea who is actually in the class. Smaller classes; ask the Professor if it is ok to audit the class. Aside from Berkeley and UCLA, the other UC's offer a guaranteed transfer called a TAG. UCSB TAG: http://www.admissions.ucsb.edu/taginfo.asp UCLA has the Transfer Alliance. So does Berkeley, but Berkeley's is by Invitation only. California community college students can take one class per semester at a nearby UC or CSU at community college rates through intersegemental cross enrollment: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/staff_resources/registration_enrollment/spec_registration.html#cross Community College students can also get library cards at a very discounted rate as well as Cal Rec Club memberships at a very discounted rate. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/services/borrowing.html#cards See Associated Students: http://recsports.berkeley.edu/insidepage.aspx?uid=b21e61d9-bb15-4db8-89f0-109a67ba90be At Berkeley, community college students can live in the Berkeley Coops. http://berkeleystudentcooperative.org/eligibility-guidelines I am maxed out on links... Good Luck with Augmented Review!