UC Berkeley? What can I do to get in?

Question

I'm a senior in HS. I'm interested in majoring in art history.

GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.6 weighted

SAT I: 1990 (taken twice, will take again in October)

SAT IIs: 670 literature, 660 Math 2, 630 Spanish.

My HS doesn't rank, but I'm in the top 10% of a class of about 500.

I took Calculus at the local community college this summer.

Extracurriculars: President of Photo Club, Youth Representative at my church, and Historian of NHS. I've won many photography awards as well as academic awards. I volunteer a lot at the library and with church.

Background: female, white middle class family, from California

I want to go to Berkeley because it has a great art history program and it's close to the San Francisco, which has a lot of interning options.

Do you think I could get in? What could I do to boost my chances? Thanks!

Answer 1

Your chances are already good. I was accepted with slightly lower qualifications than yours. My advice: don't stress too much!

Answer 2

Preparing for Berkely

If you’re applying to the UC, you need to know about the "a-g" course pattern required for UC eligibility. You should take more than the minimum requirement and also take advantage of as many honors and AP-level courses as are offered at your high school, plus college-level courses, if they're available. You may want to take advantage of some of the College Prep Online services offered by Berkeley such as free test preparation and tutorials.

Subject Requirement ("A-G" Coursework)

To satisfy this requirement, you must complete the 15 yearlong high school courses listed below. These courses are also known as the "a-g" subjects. At least seven of the 15 yearlong courses must be taken in your last two years of high school.

History/Social Science – 2 YEARS REQUIRED

English – 4 YEARS REQUIRED

Mathematics – 3 YEARS REQUIRED, 4 YEARS RECOMMENDED

Laboratory Science – 2 YEARS REQUIRED, 3 YEARS RECOMMENDED

Language Other than English – 2 YEARS REQUIRED, 3 YEARS RECOMMENDED

Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) – 1 YEAR REQUIRED

College-Preparatory Electives – 1 YEAR REQUIRED

Answer 3

Stop worrying. You have as decent a shot as much as any other qualified applicant. First off, it helps that you live in CA. And with those stats you are quite a competitive applicant. I would re-take the SATs and subject tests to be on the safe side. You really can't do much other than that as a senior.

Good luck.