On Chem 1A

I have a lot of respect for Chem 1A. Why? Because it gave me a run for my money. Here's a little bit about the class for all you potential pre-meds coming to berkeley:
Berkeley has one of the best chemistry departments in the US- our chem is top notch. Thus, it's only fair to say that berkeley's chem class (even general chemistry) is harder than some chem classes in other schools. Chem 1A has four midterms and one final. They've been changing the system around, but this year, our grade was solely based on our exam points- midterm 1 = 75 points, midterm 2 = 100 pts, midterm 3 = 100 pts, and midterm 4 = 75 points. Depending on how you do on non-exam points (which consists of homework, lab, quizes, iClicker, etc), points are added or deducted from your exam points (calculated from an equation). The final is worth 250 points, so about 40% of your grade- which is huge...
Also, the class is curved, so up to 85% is an A, and up to 70% is a B, and so on.

When I calculated my grades before my final, I determined that I would need a D on my final in order to get a B in the class (with non-exam points added and a slight further curve at the end of the semester- it's complicated). So, I studied all week  during dead week/RRR (a week of no school to study for finals) and went in to take the chem final semi-confident. Mind you, I read that the final usually drops peoples' grades by 10%, so I was freaking out before and after the final. 16 pages and 3 hours later, I was ready to blow my brains out. I have never taken a test that hard before. The next day, short answer scores were up and what do you know? I got a C! But I couldn't psyche myself out just yet because the multiple choice scores would really mess me up. So, the next day, I check my grades online and see that I got a C on my multiple choice! Resulting in a B overall in the class!! Whoo!!! I didn't fail gen chem! I was literally ready to cry, I was so relieved and happy. After the final, I was prepared to accept a C in the class.
I know this may be a random post, but I posted this for all the future premed Chem 1A-ers who are worried about chem. I wasn't so worried in the beginning of the semester because I did ok in AP chem in  high school. Let me tell you, don't let AP chem fool you about berkeley's chem.
So, Good luck to you all and let me know if you have any questions!

-K

On My College App Story

Congratulations to those of you who have completed and submitted your UC applications (which I believe was a while ago)!

In all honesty, I felt the UC applications were easier than the common apps, mostly because the common apps have so many restrictions as to the word limit and topic.

But now that the UC apps are done, you can focus all your time and energy on the common apps. ; )

Here's my college app story:

I started writing my stanford application towards the end of August (that's how badly I wanted to get in- needless to say, that didn't happen), but it was one of the last applications that I finished because I wanted it to be perfect. I also worked hard on my Ivy League applications but not nearly as much as I should have. I revised each essay (every college that I applied to had 2-3 essays) about 4-5 times because I was never satisfied with it. When winter break began, my family decided they were going to go to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Unfortunately, they were leaving during the time apps were due, so naturally I couldn't go. They were gone for three days and for those three days, I sat in front of the computer madly trying to tie loose ends in my essays, surviving off of oranges and water the entire time- literally. We also got a puppy a few months before so I had to tend to him constantly. January 1st came and went and by that time, my entire computer screen was filled with word document icons for my essays (I applied to a ton of colleges).

And then, the only thing left to do was wait....

The wait was even worse than actually writing the applications (not to scare you or anything ; ). I'm not quite sure when the UC admission decisions came out, but when they did, my parents were so thrilled that I got into all of them, especially Berkeley and UCLA. I, on the other hand, had eyes only for Stanford (sad, I know). A month or so later, the common app schools began releasing their admission decisions. I got rejected from most of the schools, accepted by a few, and waitlisted by others. I was crushed by my rejections and even planned to make a dart board out of them...

I chose to go to berkeley for a number of reasons. First off, if it wasn't a highly prestigious school, I didn't feel like going to the east coast was worth it. So, I decided to stay in California for at least my undergrad. Second, Berkeley offered nice financial aid, which is always a bonus. Third, USC and UCLA (which were the other schools I was considering) had that air of superficiality about them that I didn't like so much. So, Berkeley it was. (Sad to say, I had anxiety attacks all throughout my decision making process)...

I thought 'I'm going to try to transfer to a different school as soon as I get the chance.' Since Berkeley wasn't my first choice, or second, or third, it was hard for me to accept the fact that i'll be having to go there. Then, when I attended orientation and got more situated, Berkeley slowly started to warm up on me. I'm not saying I love Berkeley 100%, but I think I'm getting there- one failed midterm at a time. : )

So my advice to seniors who are freaking out about college and this game we call College Admissions: work hard - really hard- these next few weeks on getting your applications just the way you want them, and then, throw down your pencil, take a deep breath, kick something (preferably not anything living), and then take a nap. You deserve it : ) Second semester of senior year, go crazy. As long as you don't fail your classes or drop significantly in grades, the colleges won't rescind your acceptance. Senioritis - bring it on!

Have fun with your friends, spend lots of time with your family, and just relax, because this is the only time when you can. Trust me, you'll thank me later for it. : )

-K

On Saying Farewell

Today was the last day of my very first semester in college and my first real pursuit of being a pre-med at UC Berkeley.

Man, was it hard.

But it's not over since I still have to take my finals.

So, here is some info about the classes that I took this semester, which I hope will help you in picking classes (should you come to UC Berkeley):

- Chem 1A (general chemistry): Hard, very hard. If you're not premed, I advise you to take this class in the spring with an easier teacher. However, if you are premed, then taking chem 1A in the fall might help you on the MCATs. I'm not completely sure since I haven't taken the MCATs yet, but that's what I hear.

-Math 16A: Easy, very easy. I believe i've only gone to two lectures during the whole semester (in the beginning) and I've managed to get very high grades on both my midterms. I can't say the same thing about the final just yet. If you're planning on being an IB major, then I'd advise you to take the 16 series. However, if you're planning to be a MCB major, then you have to take math 1A, which I hear is quite difficult, even if you scored well on the AP test.

-Anthro 2AC: Decent class. The professor (Lightfoot) is very enthusiastic about the subject. The tests are fair and the discussions are pretty easy. It's a great class to fulfill a breadth requirement.

-Psych 2: easy class. The GSI who teaches the course (Rosner) is somewhat monotonous but can be funny at times. The exams are fairly easy and your lowest out of 3 is dropped.

Getting a good GPA in college, and especially at UC Berkeley, is very hard. I didn't realize this until I calculated my possible gpa. In high school, getting an A or A- doesn't affect your GPA. However in college, it does.

In all, I think my first semester in college was a success, regardless of grades and gpa. How, you ask? Well, for one thing, I made a successful transition from home to college. I had so much fun this semester with my roommates and the new friends I made. I was able to see professors who truly cared about their subject matter and was excited to share their knowledge with their students. Too bad my gpa will be abysmal.. hahaha ; )

-K