Does UC Berkeley need a counselor recommendation for admission?
I'm looking at applying to UC Berkeley this fall and I'm a bit confused about the counselor recommendation part. For some schools, it's mandatory to send in a letter from your school counselor, but I can't figure out if that's required for UC Berkeley.
My school counselor is really busy and has a lot of students, so I just want to be sure before I bother her for another letter. If anyone who applied recently or knows about the process could clarify if the recommendation is necessary, that would be super helpful. I'm kind of stressing because every application seems to have its own rules!
My school counselor is really busy and has a lot of students, so I just want to be sure before I bother her for another letter. If anyone who applied recently or knows about the process could clarify if the recommendation is necessary, that would be super helpful. I'm kind of stressing because every application seems to have its own rules!
1 week ago
•
32 views
Kathy Jayanth
• 1 week ago
Advisor
UC Berkeley, along with the other University of California campuses, does not require or even accept counselor or teacher recommendation letters as part of the standard freshman application. When you apply through the UC application system, the focus is on your academic record, activities, and responses to the Personal Insight Questions.
The only exception would be if the university specifically requests a letter after you’ve submitted your application. This is pretty rare and usually happens if they want more context about your academic background or personal circumstances. Unless you get a direct follow-up request from UC Berkeley asking for a recommendation, you do not need to submit one, and there's no section on the application to upload or send a counselor letter by default.
For example, a student applying to UC Berkeley last year was confused because the Common App (used by many private schools) does require counselor recommendations, but the University of California application is a separate system and does not. Just focus on providing accurate academic information, well-written PIQs, and a strong activities list for your application.
So, you won’t need to ask your counselor for a recommendation for UC Berkeley. You can let her know she gets a break on this one, at least!
The only exception would be if the university specifically requests a letter after you’ve submitted your application. This is pretty rare and usually happens if they want more context about your academic background or personal circumstances. Unless you get a direct follow-up request from UC Berkeley asking for a recommendation, you do not need to submit one, and there's no section on the application to upload or send a counselor letter by default.
For example, a student applying to UC Berkeley last year was confused because the Common App (used by many private schools) does require counselor recommendations, but the University of California application is a separate system and does not. Just focus on providing accurate academic information, well-written PIQs, and a strong activities list for your application.
So, you won’t need to ask your counselor for a recommendation for UC Berkeley. You can let her know she gets a break on this one, at least!
Kathy Jayanth
Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley | Economics & Slavic Studies
Experience
5 years