APPEALS
If you are denied admission into any University of California, you are entitled to appeal. The Admissions Office gives you this opportunity if you believe that they overlooked NEW AND COMPELLING INFORMATION in your November application or if you believe that the application did not offer a full, clear picture of you.

DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

• End of March - Berkeley admission notificication
• April 15th - encouraged deadline to turn in appeals packet (so that decision known before May 1st)
• May 1st - absolute deadline as suggested by PASS

HOW TO START

The first step in assessing your application for appeals is to determine what is different from you now versus you when you applied in November. The most successful appeals packets are those that showcase NEW AND COMPELLING INFORMATION that Admissions may not have seen in the first round of applications. This could include (but is not limited to) situations like the following:

• Did you have low grades when you applied? Did you explain those grades in your Personal Statement? If not, then that would be "new information" to cover again.
• Have your grades improved during your senior year, showing an improvement trend we did not see in the first?
• Did you talk about personal situations that affected the activities you participated in during school or the grades that you got in class?

The Admissions department is mainly looking for you to report circumstances that vouch for the faulty parts of your application. These have tended to be emotional situations regarding family and personal development. Simply, what about you did you leave out in your application that would have helped us get a better understanding of you?

We ask that you assess yourself carefully. The 'new information' approach is really what has helped students have a successful appeals packet as it is utilized as a 'theme.' So please share this information with us. If there is no new information that you have to offer, then this appeals packet will be more difficult but not impossible.

PUTTING AN APPEALS PACKET TOGETHER

THIS PACKET IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ONE SENT TO THE ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. It is a working packet so that our volunteers can assist you in finalizing your appeals packet.

Start working on the following:

LETTER OF INTENT- 1 to 1 ½ pages. States new evidence, why you are appealing, explains 'weak points' in your application and makes the argument that you are a strong candidate for the UC campus to which you are appealing. Address it to

I. FORMAT – address to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
University of California, Berkeley
110 Sproul Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720

II. INTRODUCTION – Sample: “I am writing this letter in response to my denial for the fall admissions. My name is ________. I ask that you and your staff please review my complete application once again and reconsider me for the fall admissions. If after this I am still denied for the fall, then I would like to be deferred to spring.”

III. REASON FOR APPEALING – Sample: “ In your letter you stated that you consider not only grade and test scores for admittance but also what the students have accomplished outside the classroom and how they respond to opportunities and challenges. However, I think you overlooked these accomplishments in my application and I failed to make them known also. Therefore, I have enclosed two teacher recommendations and a recommendation from my college counselor.”

WHAT DID THEY OVERLOOK IN YOUR APPLICATION IN NOVEMBER? WERE THERE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES THAT AFFECTED YOUR APPLICATION? IF SO, THIS IS WHERE TO SHARE.

IV. WHAT DID THEY MISS? – Sample: “After reviewing my application, I have come to the conclusion that I probably was denied because it seemed that I…”

FURTHER ELABORATE ON CIRCUMSTANCES HERE. USE ‘THOUGH… I…’ STATEMENTS. TALK ABOUT HARDSHIPS AND OBSTACLES. ARE YOU A FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT? DO YOU WANT TO SWITCH SCHOOLS?

V. WHY IS BERKELEY YOUR SCHOOL? – Mention other schools you were accepted to (it shows your demand) but emphasize why you are appealing to Berkeley. It is to YOUR ADVANTAGE to mention SPECIFIC PROGRAMS and PROFESSORS that you want to work with here at Cal, even if you don’t end up working with them later on. If you show your research and genuine interest in the school, they can see that you really do want to come here. NO “DREAM SCHOOL” stuff or “SOB STORIES”!

RESUME – Highlight any activities that strengthen your case but do not reiterate what is on your application from November. OPTIONAL part of packet if you have no new activities to list.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION – NO DISCUSSION OF ACADEMICS! START EARLY!!!!! GIVE AT LEAST THREE DAYS NOTICE! Get these from teachers or people you work with explaining why you'd be a strong candidate. Have 2-3, but more is better (not too many). TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IF YOU GET PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES YOU WERE IN TO WRITE LETTERS. Also it helps if they’ve known you for more than a year so they can highlight your growth. Ask for OPEN LETTERS so that you can pick and choose which ones to send. Letters from family or Cal alum have no advantage unless they are written regarding the aforementioned circumstances.

SENIOR YEAR TRANSCRIPT – ONLY INCLUDE IF THERE IS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GRADES.

PORTFOLIO - this could include news articles, letters of commendation, awards, etc. that would show your strength as a student

>>>IMPORTANT NOTE<<<

• The appeals process is extremely informal. There are no exact rules but rather just patterns to follow.
• By appealing, you are not necessarily guaranteed housing in the 'first year guarantee' that schools offer because your acceptance is determined after everyone has turned in their SIRs. However, this doesn't mean you won't get housing or that you can't try other housing options; it just means that the guarantee is gone.
• STILL SEND AN SIR (Statement of Intent to Register) TO A SCHOOL YOU WERE ACCEPTED TO BEFORE THE DEADLINE. In the event that you are not accepted into UC Berkeley under appeals, we hope that you still attend a college in the fall. What happens is you send your SIR to another school and if your appeals is accepted, you ask that they void your SIR (fees will still apply). WE ASK THAT YOU CONTACT EACH SCHOOL'S ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT (the one to which you are 'applying' and the one to which you are appealing) for more information on that.
• Remember, PASS is here to help you put the packet together and give you advice on how to approach the appeals process. However, please don't assume that working with PASS on your appeals guarantees you an acceptance. We really try hard to help you get in but please note that our affiliation with Undergraduate Admissions does not mean we have direct connections to the Master Appeals committee. Through PASS, we are offering our knowledge in the appeals process acquired by helping students appeal for years.