Because of the volume of mail we receive, we are unable to answer your inquiries individually. Admission at Berkeley is highly competitive. We are eager to accept the best, most intellectually exciting students. If this is you, I highly encourage you to apply. I highly recommend stressing this in your application.
Most faculty receive a large amount of e-mail regarding admissions.
An e-mail contact will not persuade a faculty member to pursue an application. Applications are handled by an admissions committee that evaluates all applications. Normally, I only try to recruit students once they have already been admitted by Berkeley. Normally, I must know by Fall of the preceding year to consider someone for a postdoc in the next year. For masters students, the situation depends on the circumstances of the student, and Berkeley will discuss this with you after you have been accepted.