The University of California - Berkeley

“High grades andSep 09 2013Criminal
High grades and SAT scores for Engineering, AP classes
Very difficult and hard to get in now, easier standards for women and minorities, Liberal Arts is a joke (no disrespect, but not technical, not practical, and very opinionated)
SAT: 1400 Male

“My credentials in high school:Jun 06 2012Economics
My credentials in high school:
GPA: Unweighted 3.7, Weighted 4.4
SAT: 1990
ACT: 31
At the time of my application my extracurricular activities were as follows:
1) Piano: 13 years (With several competition wins)
2) Violin: 8 years
3) Mock Trial: 4 years (With county and state wins)
4) Capital Markets Contest (1st place)
5) Tennis: 13 years (4 years on HS team)
6) Community service: 203 hours

Really it's consistency that counts, but winning competitions doesn't hurt either. I applied to 3 schools: UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Yale. I only got into Cal, so I had no choice but to go here.

For you to get in based on my understanding and what I've witnessed from others at the university:
1) Academics don't hurt to be good, but as I am an example (and I know others as well) you can get in with mediocre grades and a bad SAT/ACT score, so even if you get low SAT/ACT score or have a bad GPA, still apply, you may get in.
2) Extra-curricular activities and consistency are vital. Cal wants to see
A) You are involved in stuff outside school and
B) You are consistent in your outside endeavors.

I got in over other students at my high school who had better grades and better SAT/ACT scores than me. Hope this helps in your application process and your choices in high school.
In the long run, you should understand that SAT/ACT is subjective and does not prove if a student is "smart". Cal admissions is aware of this, and you better show that you can be a beneficial citizen in society.
ACT: 31 SAT: 1990 Male

“AP classes, get a high GPA and a decentMar 01 2012Sociology
AP classes, get a high GPA and a decent SAT score. UC's are pretty basic with just looking at the numbers. Sorry.
Female

“Although I took AP's in high school, I onlyJun 19 2011Biology
Although I took AP's in high school, I only took five, and some of my friends at Cal took 14...so I don't think it was the rigorousness of my schedule (academically) that allowed me to attend this university. And while my test scores were pretty good, they were not spectacularly exceptional. So, I guess that leaves extracurriculars. I was really involved with music during my time in high school. My senior year, for example, I was in three orchestras and two quartets (some were youth orchestras in the community, and one of the quartets was through a performing arts school). I had leadership positions within the orchestra and my section, and made sure that I wrote about that in my essay. I was also on Varsity tennis and did some biomedical research at a nearby university. So, it wasn't just my classroom and test taking experiences that got me into Cal--it was what I was doing when I wasn't necessarily studying.
ACT: 33 SAT: 2070 Female

“How I got in: good grades in high schoolNov 23 2009Linguistics
How I got in: good grades in high school. Extra curricular activities like varsity sports, music and volunteer work., etc

My advice to anyone considering Berkeley: know what to expect from a large univ. vs. a small college. Berkeley has over 35,000 students! That is larger than the population of some cities.

Know what to expect of the city of Berkeley itself. It's very urban, there are a lot of homeless people everywhere. San Francisco and the Bay Area in general, is a beautiful place to live, but also very expensive. Food is expensive, entertainment is expensive, but most of all rent is really expensive.
Female