Can anyone tell me about high school in USA, if I were to attend high school in USA, does it mean I'll start attending college when I'm 19? How well do I have to do to get into UC Berkeley?
Higher Education (University +) - 3 Answers
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1 :
You usually graduate from high school when you are 18 and then enter college at 18. Assume to get into UC Berkeley that you have to get the highest grades in the hardest subjects that the high school offers. You can't go wrong with that formula. Oh, and take debate class, preferably in 9th grade and every year thereafter. Very very useful life skill is taught in that class. You may have to argue your way into UC - Berkeley and the practice you get in debate class will be invaluable then!
2 :
You would start attending college when you graduate from high school, which generally happens sometime between the ages of 17 and 19 (when exactly depends upon into which class you would be placed when you moved here). UC Berkeley is a very selective school, and you would have to do very well to be admitted there.
3 :
U.S. high schools are usually 4 years (grades 9-12 with students usually entering 9th grade at age 14-15 and graduating high school after completing the 12th grade at age 17-18). There is no particular advantage to attending high school in the U.S. if you remain on a student visa; students on visas will have to apply to UC schools as international students regardless of where they attended high school. If you are able to obtain permanent residence to the U.S., then attending high school in California will qualify you to apply as an in-state applicant where you will receive priority consideration (against out-of-state and international applicants) and the benefit of lower tuition fees. To prepare for UC schools (including Berkeley), you should complete the a-g requirements (ask your counselor for the approved courses at your California high school or check online at http://www.ucop.edu/doorways/ ), study and do well in your high school courses and standardized tests (SAT and/or ACT, and SAT II), take as many honors and/or AP courses as you can handle, participate in educational preparation programs available at your high school (see a list on my blog), and commit to one or two extracurricular activities in which you develop leadership skills (more is not better, quality is better than quantity). UCs (including Berkeley) will weigh the following components of your application (in the order of importance): 1) your essay (Berkeley publishes a guideline on how to write your personal statement at: http://students.berkeley.edu/files/Admissions/Personal_State_07.pdf ) about your academic achievement, talent or extracurricular activities that highlight your motivation, dedication, and/or initiative to achieve, your potential to contribute to the university, and any special circumstances like hardship; 2) your grades and any grade trends (improvements are better than just maintaining a high GPA); 3) your test scores, including SAT and/or ACT, SAT II; and 4) number of AP courses completed compared to the number of AP courses offered at your high school. Other factors are taken into consideration, but to a lesser extent.
