Berkeley rejection. appeal?

Question

i got rejected from my number 1 first choice since i was born. UC berkeley. I have a decent academic record, and am considering appealing even though it is really hard to succeed.

My academic record:
2070 sati score, 800 satii mathiic score, 760 us history satii score.
4.15 weighted GPA, 3.698 unweighted GPA b4 senior year.
I got 3 As and 2 Bs 1st semester senior year (with 2 Bs in the hardest AP classes on campus)
president of chess club for 2 years
ASB Leadership comissioner 1 year
Writer on school newspaper
very involved in school activities.
always takes most challenging course load.
3 parents went to berkeley (1 stepdad)

So for my appeal i plan to talk about what they are missing out on rejecting me. show them my senior grades. Attach a teacher rec letter my teacher sent to privates, ask my APUSH teacher in which i was one of his top students write another letter for me. Anything else?

I put business major on my application, should i tell them to change it to undeclared/etc?

Answer 1

I would certainly think about changing to an undeclared major. The Haas School of Business is notoriously difficult to get into. I attended a community college for about a year (due to finances), was admitted to U.C. Berkeley as an undeclared major, then transferred into the business school where I earned my B.S. in business administration, so I know from experience that there is more than one way to achieve this goal.

I do wonder if you might reconsider your choice of major though. In my experience, an MBA is much more marketable, and MBA programs often prefer that you earned your undergraduate degree in another field since the MBA can be somewhat redundant after an undergraduate degree in business.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

Firstly you're not going to garner a schools sympathy by stating how they're making a huge mistake. Secondly I don't know why you keep listing that your parents went to Cal. UC Berkeley is a public school and doesn't care about "legacies". I would encourage appealing just because there are slots set aside for appeals. Mostly appeals are for NEW and compelling information. Essentially if you forgot something on your application (some community service maybe?) or something has occured since your application that could change there mind ( you got an internship at a business firm etc.) you have a chance. If the only new information you have is senior grades then you're going to really have to write a smashing essay and get some stellar letters of recomendation. Best of luck to you!

Answer 3

No, I think that changing your major would only make you look indecisive or manipulative. I'm sorry that you didn't get accepted, but know that Berkeley is one of the hardest schools in the country to get into. You sound like a terrific student, but they may have had enough other similar students that they were looking for more of a mix (people from other areas, with other interests, etc.). Try for the appeal, don't come across as too arrogant (don't make it sound like they were stupid to reject you, but let them know that if they would reconsider, you would be so honored that you would feel truly obligated to prove that they were making the right decision), and if it doesn't work, you can do well elsewhere and try to transfer in later. If not, there is always grad school (which Berkeley is better for anyway).

Answer 4

Save your parents the money and go to a community college for two years. Then you can transfer to Cal Berkeley. I would also re-evaluate your desire to attend Berkeley and if you got into any other schools I would look to see which of those you would want to go to instead of Berkeley. Getting rejected from your "dream" school can sometimes lead to better opportunities. If you are really undeclared and don't know what you want to do this may be a really good time to explore everything you can on another campus. I started at my dream school and ended up graduating from a completely different university.

Answer 5

While you seem like a really great candidate for UCB, I don't think that they will change their minds. The letter of appeal is basically a change to reveal NEW and compelling information that is not already stated in your application. If all that information you put was on it, then there isn't that huge of a chance. If I were you, I would still send a letter just to give it all you've got. So do it, but don't be disappointed if you don't get your desired results. Looking at your record, you probably got into other great schools.

Answer 6

i had a friend who was admitted with a GPA of only about 3.0 and much worse scores than you after he appealed. his appeal was from his elder brother who said simple "Please admit my brother so we can live together" (they were from out of state)

- contact your school counselor and an admissions counselor at berkeley. you might need to ask around a bit but you will be able to find someone with success stories. find out what is the most effective form of appeal

- your teachers letter of recommendation may help considerably.

- if you live in the area, consider trying something like "i need to live with my family to help out with the family business" or that you have to live at home to take care of family members, or because you need to help pay the bills.

- the business school, last i checked, doesn't accept freshman. it is a program for 3rd and 4th year students. this could have complicated your admissions. make sure the major you put down is actually available. the biz school is competitive to get into once you reach that 3rd year.

- getting into berkeley's college of natural resources can be much easier than the other colleges (such as college of engineering, college of chemistry, letters and science, etc). it might be too late to make this change for this academic year, but look into it.

- finally, send it in!

don't be discouraged. if all else fails another university is a genuine option. most schools in the country would be overjoyed to have someone with the stats you quote, and you can always transfer to berkeley later if you get good grades. if you already got into other schools, go check 'em out. berkeley is great but it has some real drawbacks (homeless, bureacracy, overcrowding).

drop me an email if you need more advice.

Answer 7

You have crappy grammar for the stats you listed.

Remember, Berkely is the "little red school house", putting down business was a mistake. You should have put political science.