Experience Berkeley Program

for High School Students (EBHS)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Decisions for the 2023 cycle were released on May 3rd, 2023 please check the email you used to apply or your spam folder.

The Experience Berkeley Program for High School Students (EBHS) is a free 10-month program that provides Black, Latinx, & Native American rising high school seniors with mentors, tools, and resources to complete a competitive UC college application and the opportunity to get a close, personal look at UC Berkeley.

The application for the 2023 Experience Berkeley program is now CLOSED any applications received past March 31st, 2023 will not be considered.

CLOSED
Application is due march 31, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Experience Berkeley program, please contact us at Itcelia@stileshall.org. 

What will I do in the 2023 Program?Program QualificationsProgram Goals
Program Participants are paired with a UC Berkeley student, who will be their program mentor throughout their time in the program. Program mentors will guide program participants through each step of the program. During the program, participants will be expected to do the following:

  • Attend 1-on-1 and group check-ins hosted by your program mentor. Individual and group interactions will take place on a monthly basis, virtually via Google Meet and Zoom, and are scheduled around the availability of the program participants.
  • Attend a 90-minute virtual workshop, one Saturday a month from June 2023 – November 2023. Workshops typically take place on the 2nd Saturday from 10am-11:30am.
  • Participants will receive 1-on-1 support with their entire UC Application, including their UC PIQs (Personal Statements), from June 2023-December 2023. 
  • Program participants will receive 1-on-1 support throughout their college acceptance and admissions decisions process. (Jan. 2024 – May 2024)
The Experience Berkeley program receives private funding to specifically support students who meet the following criteria:

  • Must self-identify as Black, Latinx, and/or Native/Indigenous
  • Must be a rising senior (a high school junior who will be entering their senior year in Fall 2024)
  • Must currently a high school in California
  • Must consider UC Berkeley among your top 3 college choices
  • An unweighted GPA of 3.5 is competitive, but not required.
  • Priority is shown to students who identify as 1st generation and/or low-income
Our goals for each student in our program to:

  1. Understand How to Choose an Undergraduate Major, How to Write Strong Personal Statements, How to Secure Financial Aid for College, How to Submit a Competitive UC Application, and How to Create Opportunities for Themselves
  1. Attend the College/University that is the right fit for them. Fit is determined by several factors, including campus location and climate, financial aid package, the level of academic and professional development the institution offers
  1. Successfully graduates from college with the least amount of debt as possible
  1. Graduate college is in a better position than when they first enrolled AND is able to create opportunities for themselves in their desired career field.