Tips + Tricks!

Want to learn more niche advice about things you may have overlooked?

Look out for our team's advice!

Highlighting Tips and Advice for Applications

• Curating PIQs to target schools in accordance to holistic review prioritizations

• Utilizing Assist.org for Course mapping curriculum 

• Establishing goals prior to applying to reinforce motivation and direction to career path

• Conducting thorough research and tours for prospective schools

• TAG & TAP resources developed to increase competitiveness of student's application

Highlighting Tips and Advice for Admissions

• Preparing documentation and vaccinations necessary for Admissions

• Creating a safe space for yourself when waiting for admissions

• Be receptive to decisions and outcomes that don't align with your developed plan

Highlighting Tips and Advice for Assimilation

• Careful consideration for budgeting allocation for school and housing - willingness to pay for entirely of experience

• Allotting ample preparation time of considering logistics - no impulsive choice of housing or financial aid options

• Receptiveness to a new environment - make use of the resources given to you!

Advice from the Team!

 What do you think stood out in your PIQ's?

Raine : For my PIQs, I made a conscious effort to emphasize my personality in the responses. I found that emphasizing personal values concerning my experiences is an effective approach to the essay prompts. One strategy I used when writing my PIQs was ensuring that each response had some connection to my intended major. While this connection should not dominate the entire essay, taking the time to link it to my future goals within the major is useful to show my eagerness and goal-making.

Dylan F. : I strongly believe that my PIQs is what made me stand out. Keep in mind, the UC system evaluates candidates on a holistic review. When applying to Berkeley Haas, they look specifically at how well you align with their Defining Leadership Principles, how you demonstrate leadership/leadership potential, and how you positively impacted your community. Having little experience in on-campus leadership ventures and professional development opportunities,  I cannot tell you how many times I stayed up at 2 a.m. searching up prospective students and current students at Berkeley Haas and comparing myself and feeling like I had no chance.

 Compared to the admitted student statistics, I fell behind the upper 70th percentile for the GPA and not having any internship experiences or on-campus leadership positions, I was always stressing about my chances of getting in. However, I knew that I could still demonstrate the Defining Leadership potential and other askings in the current roles I assumed. I explained my current family situation, working multiple part-times simultaneously to support my higher education journey and my family, work-related injury to explain my gaps in my application (unexpected grades and not having the ability to participate on-campus leadership positions). It is very important to understand your story and how your higher educational journey has shaped and prepared you to transfer. 

Jhoana : I referenced a lot of formats from Tiktok (LOL don’t do what I did - use valid resources). I followed the STAR method, highlighting values that Berkeley prioritized in their holistic review. I showcase my passion and ambition, and I strictly limited unnecessary yapping details to structure my PIQs more clearly in what I was trying to answer, despite me wanting to yap so much. 

Sammy: I think what stood out in my PIQs was my emphasis on family values. I focused a lot of my PIQs on my family and how much they’ve supported me and our shared struggle with my dad's cancer diagnosis and following passing. I made sure to emphasize how that experience and my relationship with my family played a role in all parts of my academic career, both at school and at my internship. An important part of my writing process was not to make the PIQs, just an essay on my suffering. While the struggle did reshape my life immensely, the bad memories do not encapsulate my life and, therefore, shouldn’t make up the entirety of my PIQ.

Aryssa: For my PIQ’s I tried to connect each of my experiences (whether good or bad) to a larger outcome that not only benefited me, but also my peers, and my community. This is how I demonstrated my personal growth as a community college student and through this I showed that I could overcome challenging circumstances and shift them into strengths. 

Rhianna: I didn’t have anyone look over my PIQs, but I made sure to be honest by integrating my foundational qualities in my essays. I highlighted my personal and academic experiences, from high school throughout my growth in CC, and how that fundamentally changed me and my perspectives. I was unafraid to be vulnerable to what made me unique as an individual but didn’t take myself too seriously, similar to how I would converse with a counselor, which I think made my essays very personable and representative of who I was as a person.

Any experience with TAP? TAG?

Jhoana : I did both! I did TAP my sophomore year, which crammed a lot of honors classes, so I would recommend doing it your freshman year so you aren’t as overwhelmed. During my sophomore year and despite Berkeley being my target school since freshman year, I was on the fence of staying in LA due to my current job at the time and targeted UCLA instead, which is why I did it my sophomore year. TAP is specifically used for UCLA transfer as far as I can recall it being advertised that way. 

As for TAG, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT DO WHAT I DID. THIS IS A CAUTIONARY TALE!! I changed majors  at the end of freshman year, and I did not reference Assist.org or consult my counselor. I ended up taking my CALC 2 class in the second semester of my sophomore year, which resulted in my transfer guaranteed admission application being deferred by UCI, as it was a requirement to finish CALC1/CALC2 prior to spring semester of sophomore year. 

Aryssa :  I did TAG to UC Davis, which is such a cool program since you’re guaranteed to get in. However, once I got into Berkeley I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity because it had been my dream school since I was 14. I’m very happy with my decision!

Sammy: Nope, ngl didn’t know it was a thing till I started the application process

Rhianna: I TAG’d with UC Santa Cruz because I was thoroughly set on transferring there for personal reasons. The application process was very straightforward and simple, and I think it’s a great way to secure a safety or even dream school if you can TAG with them. My counselor was of great help with helping me understand what I could expect from the application process, which eased a lot of my anxiety.

Shawn: Yes, I TAG’d to UC Santa Barbara. It was very helpful because it gave me the assurance that I would get into one of the UCs. My main advice is to prepare ahead because TAG has an earlier deadline than the actual UC application and you have to finish certain courses by a certain timeline.

Giles: Unfortunately, no. I was not aware of this resource until I transferred. This made me realize that there are NUMEROUS and amazing resources out there waiting for us, and I hope that we can bridge this gap and make it accessible to those who need it most.

How did you prepare to set goals for yourself to align with school or career aspirations and personal goals?

Jhoana : It ultimately was academic validation from my parents. I was (still) a workaholic, so I prioritized working jobs. I soon realized that retail and food service, while it provided great experience, wasn’t a career path I wanted to pursue that would achieve the personal dreams I had of retiring my parents and having financial stability. So I chose to go to school in a UC, as I was close to being content with an associates degree from CC at some point in high school. I also wanted subconscious vengeance for people in high school who passively implied that I was dumb or was less intelligent than them for going to CC instead of a CSU.

Sammy: I didn’t have any set goals when arriving in Berkeley, tbh. I just knew I wanted to get my degree, spend time in some club, and maybe do some research. It definitely aligned with my goals to develop my knowledge and prepare myself for law school.

Rhianna: During my time at CC, it became clear that I needed to realize my own ambitions and passions for myself instead of relying on validation from school or my parents. I wasn’t exactly sure about what I wanted (and I’m still not), but I knew I wanted to pursue a career involved in biology and/or the environment, in some way. I established my strengths to evaluate what alternative career options I could consider and kind of moved forward from there. For the most part though, I’m just figuring things out as I go along.

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