Would Berkeley accept an ACT score of 26? (See details)?

Question

Ill be an out-of-stater and by far an underrepresented minority. My background is quite unique, at least in the sense of my life circumstances.

I'm in the top 10% of grad class w/ very strong extracuricular activities, including varisity soccer. I have a ton of community service hours, and my schedule is loaded with AP courses which I have good grades in.

How are my chances looking?

Answer 1

26 is fine if your in-state, although it is really borderline. Your essay will come into play for you, more than the other applicants. This is only true because of your GPA and extracurricular.

Answer 2

To tell you the truth, 26 is really pushing it. Most students IN STATE usually get in with around a 4.3 and 2100+ SAT scores, even including ec's. Most of these students are also the top 4% of their high schools as well. I would need more information in regards to your UC gpa and hours of ECs. However, I have seen students who had less than a 4.0 or less than a 1900 get into Berkeley, but every year competition becomes more and more competitive. Also if you are able to write a REALLY stunning essay, then Berkeley may give more power to that over your standardized scores.

Keep in mind the broad diversity of UCB in regards to out of state colleges, because that drastically changes minority status. The UC system will not award points for ethnicity, but they will if you are a first generation college student.