So this is life...

Anonymous asked: I really want to go to UC Berkeley... but I don't know if I'd make it... I don't have stellar SAT scores or fantastic grades... any advice on how to get into Berkeley? Do they even care about your extra-curriculars or college essay? Also does Berkeley offer any merit aid...scholarships of any sort? Thanks in advance!!

Sorry if this is a late reply.  I kinda forgot I had an ask box.  Honestly, I have no idea how colleges decide who gets in and who doesn’t because it seems to change with different colleges.  But I’d say with Berkeley, it’s pretty much the same as other colleges.  You of course have to have a pretty decent GPA and I’d say an SAT score maybe around 1900 or higher?  I don’t even think that’s for sure.  My advice is if you’re kind of iffy on your grades and SAT, hella emphasize you extracurriculars and what makes you stand out.  You don’t need fantastic grades or perfect SAT score, but if they’re decent and you have a fair amount of extracurriculars behind them, then you’d have a pretty good chance.  I’ve met a lot of people that said they didn’t have the best grades in high school, but that there was something they did that totally caught the university’s eye extracurricular-wise so they got it.  And I’d try and make your college essay unique and well-written as well.  It doesn’t only show what kind of person you are, but also how you think, and sometimes, it matters more to the college what you’re able to offer than what you’ve already done.  

To answer the second part of your question, yeah, Berkeley does have scholarships and merit aid.  There’s a Regent Scholarship that you automatically apply for by just submitting your application and they notify you later if you got it. then there’s a whole checklist of scholarships you can apply for based on your ethnicity, background, family, etc (i think it was a part of the app).  There’s also a Leadership award, which is a scholarship given to people who have shown outstanding leadership over the past few years.  That’s a separate application you have to fill out.  I’m pretty sure if you look online, you’ll find tons of things the campus has to offer, but those are the ones i know of.

I’m really sorry if I didn’t answer your question really well.  I feel like I was all over the place.  Feel free to ask me again for any clarification or anything, cuz I’m totally flattered someone’s looking to me for advice.  But what I’d say is keep your grades up at a decent level (cuz they do matter a fair amount in the grand scheme of things), and if you’re worried about them holding you back, then put emphasis on extracurriculars and the essay.  it doesn’t hurt to fudge a few things ;) and i just realized that you’ve probably already finished your apps (if you’re a senior), so i apologize that this is hellza late and i wish you the best of luck.  Hopefully you get in and hopefully i get to see you next year at Berk =)