Can I get into UCB?

I wish to attend UC Berkeley. I was wondering what my chances are at getting in. (note: Just got out of sophomore year and haven’t received second semester grades yet?)


Classes (* = weighted grade)


Freshman (I know they don’t count GPA wise, but I thought I’d still include them)


Frosh PE: A, A


CP Algebra I: A, A


CP Biology: A, A


Concert Band: A, A


Pre-AP English: B, A


Journalism: A, A


Sophomore:


AP European History*: C


Journalism: A


Pre-P English: A


Concert Band: A


CP Geometry: B


Honors Chemistry*: C


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Next year I’m taking:


AP Biology*


AP Language and Composition*


AP US History*


Newspaper (adv. Journalism, first year open at my school)


CP Algebra II


Speech and Debate


ASL I/II


And Senior year I plan to take:


AP Chemistry*


AP Literature and Composition*


AP US Government/Politics*


Newspaper


AP Statistics*


Speech and Debate


ASL III


ONLINE: AP Physiology


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I am Editor-in-Chief of my school paper, and am going out for the position next year as well. I’m also volunteering at the local Animal Shelter and am in a band at the local JC. Junior year I’ll have a job, be in the local JC band and the local city band and be interning at the local paper. Sophomore year I was in Academic Decathlon and plan on doing it and Science Bowl Junior year. I am in AAJA (Asian American Journalists of America) and CSF and was recently accepted into NHS (at my school you can’t get in until Junior year). Me and my best friend are starting 2 clubs: GSA and STAND (a club trying to help the genocide in Darfur). I plan on taking the ACT and the SAT II in Biology M and US History. I will also be tutoring at the local JC this summer and volunteering at the local vets home (in addition to 2 sessions of Summer School … health and PE … grad requirements).


STATS: I am a California native and am Asian Indian with a little mix of German in me. I want to major in Mass Media and Communications OR Political Science.





I appreciate your help and advice.

Can I get into UCB?
To prepare for Berkeley, you should complete the a-g requirements (ask your counselor for the approved courses at your high school or check online at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/ ), study and do well in your high school courses and standardized tests (SAT and/or ACT, and SAT II), take as many honors and/or AP courses as you can handle, participate in educational preparation programs available at your high school (see a list on my blog), and commit to one or two extracurricular activities in which you develop leadership skills (more is not better, quality is better than quantity).





Berkeley will weigh the following components of your application (in the order of importance): 1) your essay (Berkeley publishes a guideline on how to write your personal statement at: http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admis... ) about your academic achievement, talent or extracurricular activities that highlight your motivation, dedication, and/or initiative to achieve, your potential to contribute to the university, and any special circumstances like hardship; 2) your grades and any grade trends (improvements are better than just maintaining a high GPA); 3) your test scores, including SAT and/or ACT, SAT II; and 4) number of AP courses completed compared to the number of AP courses offered at your high school. Other factors are taken into consideration, but to a lesser extent.
Reply:I cannot tell you with those stats. I don't know anything about the California system. However, I would strongly advise you not to take AP Chemistry if you only earned a C in honors chemistry. That's suicide. I got an A+ in Honors chem and got top marks in Virginia's standardized test in chemistry, but I struggled a B+ in AP and probably didn't pass the AP exam at the end of the year.