🍦UC Berkeley Interview Part 2

Three more days of break! Here’s the lineup today:

1. Info Zone Refresh: A couple new scholarships

2. Scoops Exclusive: Part 2 of our Conversation with Mr. Mcghee

3. Friday News Focus: Harvard College Will Not Release Admissions Data on Decision Day

TRIVIA
Guess the college!

🌐 This billionaire tech entrepreneur co-founded a company in a dorm room that became the world’s largest social networking platform. Before dropping out, he attended a university known for its crimson color and long history.

Who is this alum, and which school did he attend? You can find the answer at the bottom of the email!

LINK LOUNGE
Who doesn’t love scholarships?

Gallery Collection Greeting Card Scholarship - win $10,000 by designing a birthday, holiday, or general purpose greeting card

UC PIQ Guide - the official UC guide to writing strong PIQs

(NEW) Peterson's Scholarship Search - find the best scholarships for you out of over 1.9 million scholarships and grants

(NEW) Stamps Scholars - win up to $360,000 in total scholarships at partner schools

SCOOPS EXCLUSIVE
Part 2 of our conversation with Mr. Mcghee

Welcome back to day two of our interview with Mr. Marcus McGhee, UC Berkeley’s Assistant Director of Admissions! Today, we dive deeper into the behind-the-scenes admissions process at Berkeley. We’ll cover everything from how applications are reviewed and the role of external readers to the unique honors opportunities within Berkeley’s departments. Stay tuned as we uncover what makes Berkeley’s admissions process both rigorous and equitable, and don’t forget to join us tomorrow for the final installment, where we’ll tackle even more burning questions!

How does the process of reading a Berkeley application look like? Does a student’s file get read by multiple Admission Officers? Is there a committee-style discussion on whether to admit, waitlist, or reject?

Each Berkeley application is read twice, starting with an initial reader who goes through the application in detail and then forwards it to a second reader. This process is supported by a large team of external readers and the two rounds make sure that every application is seen by multiple different perspectives. Usually two readers is all it takes but if these readers come to conflicting decisions or can’t make a decisive call on their own, the application on question gets passed to additional readers.

You mentioned Berkeley has a team of external readers going through applications. What does the reading process look like for them?

Berkeley’s external readers play a crucial role in the admissions process, ensuring that each application receives careful attention. Applications are typically divided among readers based on factors like high school or geographic region, allowing for some familiarity and context in the review. Each reader spends about 8–10 minutes per application, carefully reviewing all sections and even though it might look like a lot of information to go through, no part is skipped. To maintain quality and focus, readers are limited to evaluating a maximum of 50 applications per day. This structured process ensures every application is given a fair and thorough assessment.

Berkeley doesn’t have a formal campus-wide Honors Program like many other public universities, but there are department-specific honors opportunities. Could you clarify what those opportunities look like and how students qualify for them?

Honors opportunities at Berkeley are offered within individual majors and are based on a student’s performance in their coursework. In many cases, these programs culminate in a significant research project or honors thesis, typically 20–40 pages long, which is presented to a faculty advisor or department. Fields like the social sciences and humanities often feature such offerings, but each department has its own system for selecting students and structuring the experience. Honestly I have much more experience with humanities departments especially because that’s what I studied in my time at Berkeley. It’s important to remember that every major and department has their own specifications and rules when it comes to this stuff and you can always use your advisors’ guidance to help you look for opportunities like honors.

INFO ZONE
ICYMI: New info session from Yale

Here’s some upcoming school virtual information sessions. These are great opportunities to learn more about school’s programs to determine if the school is a right fit for you. It’s also great to learn more about the school’s vibe and possibly what admissions officers are looking for. All the times listed are below are already converted into Pacific.

Penn Admissions Virtual Information Session - Monday, December 2, 2024 at 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM

USC First-Year Admission Information Session - Monday, December 2, 2024 at 3:30 PM until 4:30 PM

Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Webinar - Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM

(NEW) Yale Virtual Student Forum - Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 4:00 PM until 5:00 PM PM

Columbia University Info Session - Friday, December 6, 2024 at 7:00 AM until 8:00 AM

Rice Virtual Admission Information Session - Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM

FRIDAY NEWS
Harvard College Will Not Release Admissions Data on Decision Day

"With the shift away from transparency, Harvard joins the ranks of peer schools like Stanford, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania, which over the course of the past few years have stopped releasing their admissions data on the day they send out college acceptances.”

Harvard’s admissions office just dropped news that they’re no longer releasing admissions stats (like acceptance rates) on decision day, a tradition as old as time—or at least older than TikTok. Instead, they’ll reveal the numbers in a single comprehensive report in October or November. Why the shift? It’s partly thanks to the 2023 Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, which threw a wrench into how race is factored into admissions. Harvard says this new timeline allows for a clearer, fuller breakdown of the data.

This move echoes trends at Stanford and Princeton, which stopped sharing stats entirely to protect applicants’ mental health. Harvard, though, isn’t ghosting us completely—they just want to delay the “brutal reality” moment. While some hail this as a step toward reducing anxiety for rejected students, critics argue it’s just adding opacity to an already murky admissions process.

So, what does this mean for you? No more obsessively refreshing Crimson headlines for acceptance rates on decision day. Instead, you’ll get to sit tight for months, waiting for Harvard to drop the numbers. It’s like a suspense movie, but instead of a thrilling twist, the big reveal is a spreadsheet.

Read the full article: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/11/22/harvard-breaks-admissions-data-precedent/

TRIVIA ANSWER
Looking for the answer to our fun trivia question up at the top?

Answer: Mark Zuckerberg, Harvard University

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Get cracking on those UCs!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

UC Deadline: December 2
December SAT: December 7

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
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