Have you been wondering what it REALLY takes to get into the world's #1 public university?

Are you a current college-bound high school student or an aspiring community college transfer student going to all the online forums and getting "chanced" to see if you have a shot at getting into the University of California at Berkeley?

Or maybe you're a parent of an ambitious (or maybe you think not so ambitious child) who would love for their child to attend UC Berkeley, but just don't know HOW your child CAN get in?

This is a book that will reveal everything to you.

My name is Li and I'm a UC Berkeley graduate from the class of 2012 (Go Bears!)

I was a first-generation college student who had absolutely no idea what it took to get into ANY college in the US, let alone UC Berkeley.

But this is the book I wish I had when I was 17, because I had so many questions before I got in, questions like:

+What does it take to get into Berkeley?
+What AP/IB classes do I need to take in order to increase my chances of admissions?
+How different are classes at Berkeley vs. my high school?
+How can I make my admissions essay stand out?
+What should I do as a high school freshman/sophomore/junior/senior/transfer?
+and the all-important: Do I stand a chance of getting in?

And even WHEN I got in, I had even more questions:

+Which dorm room should I choose?
+Am I in the right major?
+Which classes should I take?
+What clubs should I join?
+Who do I need to know in order to expand my career
+What should I focus on during each of my four years?

And I had more questions I had to work out on my own after I graduated, all of which I will share with you in this book.

No matter where you are in the world, we all wonder if we have what it takes to get into the top institutions in the US and in the world.

No matter what you've been taught about how hard it is to get into a school, the truth is that if you understand the system and know how to present yourself as a unique and outstanding candidate that will contribute to the university.

How do I know?

Because I've been through it all.

From not knowing the English language at age 10 to hustling my buns off studying for every single class in order to get the high GPA and SAT's necessary to get into UC Berkeley, I learned it the hard way myself.

There was no way that my immigrant family knew what to do so they placed a lot of hopes and dreams on me that I would get into an elite college in the US to pave the way for the rest of my life and my future.

In the book I will share with you things that absolutely helped my chances of getting into Berkeley, things that didn't, and everything in between.

I wasn't a valedictorian--I was ranked 11 in my entire high school, had an SAT score of 1920, an ACT score of 27, and an above 4.0 GPA, 2 strange application essays, and declared a non-impacted major (more on that in my book), and I got in in March of 2008.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist (although it helps) to get into Berkeley.

You just have to know the system.

With an admit rate of 18%, admittedly Berkeley is one of the tougher schools to get into, but because it is an in-state school, for many Californians it is affordable.

For many community college students, it is one of the easier schools to get into because most of your credits can transfer and you also get to save on 2 years of tuition.

For international students, Berkeley is a great place because you can't beat the reputation of Berkeley as a place where many world leaders came of age and there are so many student groups here from different countries, cultures, and ethnicities that you are almost always able to find something that can fit your needs.

That said, Berkeley is not a place for everyone--and that's okay, and in this book my aim is to help you give a glimpse of the #1 public university in the world and what it takes to get in.