Dear Reader 54

Hi K,
I read in a previous post about how you needed to get a chickenpox vaccination to volunteer for Alta Bates.

But from what I understand, since we were born in the era of "getting chickenpox once is enough immunity" (i.e. before the varicella vaccine was standardized) do I still need to have proof of vaccination to volunteer? Or can I just get a blood titer for chickenpox antibodies and save myself some money?

Thanks in advance!

Dear Anonymous,

Yes, you can just get a blood titer :) 

-K

P.S Here's the link for the health clearance requirements: 
http://www.altabatessummit.org/how/volunteer-health-clearance.html#Chickenpox%20(Varicella)

Dear Reader 53

Anonymous said...

Hi! I really love how informative your blog is. I'm a FPF student so I plan to take Chem 3A and 3AL in the summer. However, there's only N3AL (online lecture). Would some medical schools not approve of this? 

Also my second question is what do you think about double majoring in MCB and Public Health? Would that be too much to handle?

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you! That's a tough question to answer, and I would suggest asking a premed advisor about this one. I've heard that medical schools do accept online premed courses but I'm not sure if it's frowned upon or not :/ If the premed advisor can't give you a sure answer, you could try emailing some medical schools and see what they say. Sorry I can't be more helpful on this subject! :( As for your second question, I would say that depends on you haha. MCB is a tough major to do well in. If you've been doing well in your prereqs so far (plus upper div biochem) then upper divs shouldn't be that bad. However, if you've struggled a bit, I would suggest focusing on one major and do as well as you can in it. If you still want to double major, try taking one or two upper divs first and see how you do and see if it's manageable. Also, public health is a capped major so it's tough to get in already :/ Once again, I believe an advisor (MCB) would be helpful with this question, since he/she will be able to look at your grades and track and give you the best advice accordingly :) 

Best of luck! 

-K 

On an End-of-Semester Update- MCB 102

I am so glad that this semester is finally over because it means that all my difficult classes are behind me (for the most part)! I have finally finished all my pre-reqs and will move on to upper divs come spring :)  When I did a mid semester update, I wasn't able to make it too detailed since I was in the midst of taking exams and working. But now that classes are over, i'll hopefully shed more light on both MCB 102 and Bio 1B.

MCB 102: Final grades came out a few days ago and I ended up with a B in the class, which I consider an accomplishment haha. I wasn't sure how this class was going to turn out. Like I mentioned in a previous post, the class is separated into three sections. The first section is taught by Thorner who, out of the three, is the most engaging lecturer. His section was on proteins and enzymes. Beware, his lectures are deceptively simple. He goes over the concepts in class but not the finer details that he tests on. For that, make sure to read the book. I got a 48% on his midterm, with an average of around 55% (each midterm is 100 points, with discussion being 33 points, so 333 points total for the class). I was really depressed about my score and started getting nervous about whether or not I would get a C in this class (since each midterm is weighted the same, with the "final" being the third midterm). The second section of the course was taught by Krantz, and his section focused on metabolism. His section is purely memorization. He packs so much information into his lecture slides that he has to go super fast in order to cover them all. Even so, he ends up just reading the lecture slides with a few added comments here and there. I didn't find going to his lectures very useful, but I went anyway. In the end, I ended up just going over the slides again and again as well as drawing the cycles over and over again. No need to read the book. I got a 65% on his midterm, with the average being around 54% I believe. So better than the first one, but still not good enough for me to get out of the danger zone, being so close to the B/C edge. The third section was taught by Zusman, who focused on DNA replication, transcription, translation, and all that stuff you learned in Bio 1A. It's difficult to hear him because he speaks so softly so sit near the front if you want to take notes. He's the only one of the three that provides you with a reader of the lecture slides, although he also posts the slides up on bspace (however, i recommend getting the reader since it has a practice exam in the back and all the notes are bound together). I kind of have mixed feelings about his lectures. Most of the time, he just reads over his lecture slides but sometimes he adds comments that help to clarify some of the concepts. His lectures can be interesting though because he shows videos in class of the news that relates to the lecture topic. His exam was very experiment-based, so I think working in a lab gave me a slight (very slight) advantage. For instance, some questions asked you to design an experiment that would allow you to determine this or that. Other questions gave you a scenario and asked why it didn't work, etc. I don't know how well I did on that midterm or what the average was, but I'm guessing I did ok seeing as how it pulled my grade up quite a bit. For discussion, we had two pop quizzes for each section, with one quiz grade dropped in the end (6 points each). The extra three points were for participation.. I averaged a B- on my quizzes I think..
Overall, MCB 102 was difficult, but not the most difficult prereq in my opinion. Personally, I had a harder time in physics 8B haha. However, the grading for this class was the toughest I've encountered at cal since there was no 'final' worth more points than the midterms to give you an extra boost at the end. Having three equally weighted exams making up most of your grade meant that it would have been hard to recover from one bad midterm... Luckily, there was no cumulative exam :)
I hope that by posting my scores, future MCB 102 takers can see where they stand as far as final grades go :D  (a post about Bio 1B will be up shortly!)

I hope this helps! Have a fantastic winter break and happy Holidays!!

-K 

Dear Reader 52

Anonymous said...

Hi K!
I'm not trying to sound too demanding but
Can you kind of make a list of classes you took since Freshman all the way to the present day?
Maybe have like a professors and GSI's names next to each class well?
Thank you!

Dear Anonymous,

Sorry for getting back so late! 

I don't quite have time at the moment to make a detailed list, but I will make one (hopefully) this winter break for you :) 

If you need to know right now, take a look at my previous posts where I've talked about some of my teachers and GSIs and overall experiences in those classes. 

I'll get back to you soon! :) 

-K 

Dear Reader 51

J said...

Do you have any tips on how to study for the Bio 1AL practical? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks K!

Dear J,

Thanks for stopping by! 

Unfortunately, they changed the format of the class since i've taken it, and I don't think the practical is the same as last year. When I took the practical, I wasn't prepared at all. But from my experience, I would say know analogous structures/functions, pathways, etc, know the cladograms (is that what they are? the trees haha), know what structures belong in what species and what doesn't, i.e gall bladder, know the structures of a sheep pluck (I don't know if you'll have one for your practical, but it was on my practical and it was never part of our labs..), and know the organisms in the marine tank. For me, these were the trouble areas (which is basically everything haha), especially the first two. I'm sorry I can't be more precise and detailed- it's been a while since i've taken the class, and I don't want to lead you astray since your practical will be formatted differently than mine  :/ 

Good luck!

-K 

On a Very Late Semester Eval.

I know this is long overdue!

This semester, my main classes are MCB 102 and Bio 1b.
-MCB 102: structured like many of the bio classes here with three sections, each taught by a different professor. The first professor was Thorner, who, as a lecturer, was great (focused largely on proteins and purification techniques)- very clear voice and explained concepts well. However, I tried asking him some questions and found him to be slightly unapproachable. He was a bit vague when answering my questions and was not very comfortable to talk with. Class was three times a week, discussion once a week- two quizzes per section and one midterm per section. Exam was difficult- average was 54.8% I believe. His lectures are simpler than what he tests on- highly conceptually questions. The second portion of this class is metabolism, which is taught by Krantz. I start out each class determined to take good notes, but for some reason, I always find myself drifting off- which never happened in Thorner's section. I think that's because Krantz packs his lecture slides with so much material, it's hard to follow everything he's saying. So I make sure to record every lecture on my phone so I can go back and review. I thought this section would be easier than Thorner's because it's memorization- boy was I wrong. There is so much to memorize, it's ridiculous- not just the steps in each reaction, but the mechanisms, and each little detail that follows as well. Maybe the third section will be better? Fingers crossed :)

-Bio 1B is also divided into three sections: Evolution taught by Huelsenbeck, Ecology taught by Shabel, and Plants (not sure who teaches this section..). Huelsenbeck was a good lecturer, albeit somewhat monotone. But he tried to engage his students and make the material interesting, which it was. Concepts were simple, but for some reason, I didn't do so well on the exam- 33 questions, one hour.  The exam consisted of some genetics problems and cladistic problems, the latter screwing me up haha, among general evolution questions. Shabel, who is teaching right now, is more monotone than Huelsenbeck, in my opinion, and the material isn't as interesting either. He shows really good videos in class, which is a plus. I heard his exam was really hard/tricky, so we'll see how that goes.. Lab for bio 1b is a bit tedious for me and I don't enjoy them all that much. I think lab does a good job of explaining the concepts learned in lecture, but I don't think it's necessary whatsoever.. I really like my group and enjoy working with them, but the lab reports we have to do and the small assignments here and there get on my nerves at the best of times (if that makes sense haha).

I have midterms coming up next week and the week after so I'll be living in my room for the next two weeks haha. If you have any questions, please leave a comment! (although I can't promise to get back quickly, for which I apologize!) Also, sorry if this post is shorter than my previous semester evaluations- I don't have time to make it as detailed as they used to be. When I have time, I'll try to go back and add the minor details that I skipped out on today. :)

Like always, best of luck!

-K 

Dear Reader 50

Anonymous said...

Hi K!
I'm a freshmeat at Cal and I feel like Chem1A is slowly devouring me into pieces until I die. Okay, I'm just kidding but in all seriousness, we just had our first midterm and I felt like I wanted to cry after seeing my first midterm grade. I know it's hard to judge but what do you think would be a good grade for the midterms? I've also heard that the first midterm is the easiest out of the others...Is that true? Thank you so much! Love your blog! <3

Dear Anonymous,

Thanks for stopping by! You're not the only one feeling that way about chem 1A- trust me haha. After my first midterm, I was depressed for three days straight, so I know exactly how you're feeling. Chem 1A is structured slightly differently than when I took it (lab is separate now) so I'm not sure how the grade distribution works, but as far as a good grade for midterms go, it depends on what you're shooting for. If you want an A in the class, then you should try to shoot for at least one SD above the average. If your goal is to get at least a B in the class, try shooting for average or slightly above average (professors base grades on a standard curve so average should be around a B-). The midterm difficulties vary by person. For me, i think content wise, the first midterm was easiest out of the...4 that we had.. But it was also the midterm that I got the lowest score on mainly because I wasn't prepared for the difficulty. That first midterm score scared me into studying really hard for the next midterms, and my grade started improving slowly (although I did terribly on my second and third midterms too I think..). What saved me in the end was my final- I ended up doing pretty well on it (not great- but not bad either haha). For your next midterms, try to find studying strategies that will help you learn the material better- do practice tests early and go to GSI office hours to ask questions, rent out different chem books and see if they explain concepts better, get a study group together, go to SLC stuy groups, etc. I know this sounds tedious but if you put in enough effort, it will be well worth it in the end! :) 

Best of luck! 

-K 

On Delayed Posts

Once again, I must apologize!- I realize I've been lacking in blog posts these past few..months.. (and I think I mentioned this is a previous post as well haha) but every time I go on to write something, I end up responding to comments instead. For future blog posts, the topics I plan to touch upon include Beginning-of-Semester Update, Shadowing, Research (continued), future plans, Berkeley libraries, and a few tangents here and there :) If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to ask and/or comment! In the meantime, please enjoy a picture of a glass butterfly! :D 

-K

Dear Reader 49

Anonymous said...

I plan on taking Chem 3b, Chem 3AL and Physics 8A along with a easy r5b in spring 2013. Does this sound like a heavy load?

Dear Anonymous,

I apologize for the extremely late reply! 

In my opinion, chem 3B (without lab) and physics 8A will take up the majority of your time since both classes require a lot of attention. I'm not sure about r5b, but if it's like most english classes, I don't think it would take up too much time, and chem 3AL certainly won't. So overall, I think the load will be quite manageable (I also took chem 3B/L, physics 8A, and comp. lit at the same time and it turned out fine :) 

Best of luck! 

-K 

Dear Reader 48

Jaclyn said...

No problem =]

I have another question.
I know in a previous dear reader post that someone asked you about taking bio1a with lab and chem 3b in the spring, and then taking physics 8a and chem3bl in the summer, and that you said it's doable.

Would bio1a with lab and chem3b with lab also be doable in the spring? and then just physics 8a over the summer. Or is it better to just focus on one lab because bio1a I heard was super difficult?

Thanks K!

Dear Jaclyn,

My friend took both bio 1A + lab and chem 3b + lab in the fall last year, and he said if he had to do it over again, he wouldn't do them together. This is coming from a person who is very good at both ochem and bio haha. So while it is certainly doable, it won't be easy and you'll need to have great time management skills because both classes take up so much time to prepare for. If it were me, I would do them separately. You could take chem 3b lab with bio 1a/lab but I think you'll need to have taken chem 3b lecture first.. 8a over summer shouldn't be too bad since the material itself isn't too tough :) 

Best of luck! 

-K 

On A Guide to Help You Along the Way~

Dear Jaclyn,
Thank you for the recommendation! I hope you don't mind me posting this publicly on my blog! :) 
-K 

Jaclyn said...

Hi K!

I've been going through your blog, which is amazing by the way. It's so great of you to take the time to answer questions and give insight in the life at Berkeley. =D

To reciprocate your generosity I wanted to let you know of this book that could be helpful to all the premeds including yourself, because you are still also an undergrad student and must still have alot of questions as to what med school actually is.

The book is called "Med School Confidential, A Complete Guide to the Medical School Experience: By students, for Students" (Bissell DM M.D., Miller RH)
It's pretty much what it says, a guide. It has everything.

It helps with deciding whether or not to be premed as an undergrad, and for the late-comers as a postbac (because there are people who decide to premed after college; I didn't know that but now it seems obvious haha).

It gives some info on the MCAT, med school apps process, choosing a med school, how to handle acceptance/rejection, things to do before going to med school (once accepted), funding for med school, preclinical years, med school courses, actual clinical years, problems in the ward, clinical rotations, applying for residence... it goes on and on... just like the life of a med student haha.

It even has a section where it gives advice for spouses, partners, families, and significant others of med students so that should be helpful.

I haven't read the whole book since I'm just an undergrad sophomore here but the pages I've read were really helpful and helped me get a better sense as to what the career path actually entails.

If you've heard bad things about the book then feel free to bash on it. Haha =D

Thanks and your blog is much appreciated,
Jaclyn

Dear Reader 47

Jaclyn said...

Umm... I don't know if you got an answer to this already but here goes.

From what I've been reading in articles/books, non-traditional med school applicants are becoming more common. I heard that some students can't handle 4 years of med school right after college; many end up regretting not taking a gap year. Also I read that med schools actually prefer applicants who spend the gap year volunteering and gaining a better view of the real world outside college as opposed to an applicant fresh out of college.

Though I'm a bit confused about this subject from your post. I heard that when students take a year off they usually go volunteer (to organizations related to medicine/health) to get some experience and a better idea of how world and the people that inhabits it work. Some students even go abroad and volunteer for the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders or a similar organization.

What I'm confused about is that you said that if they wait til their senior year to apply then during their gap year is when they go on interviews, but then interviews wouldn't be possible for the applicants who decide to volunteer abroad. (What are secondaries?) So if the applicant wants to go volunteer abroad during the gap year would he/she still have to apply to med school during the junior year?

Thanks K! =]

Dear Jaclyn,

The medical school application process takes about a year- from sending in your primary application to matriculation. So, if you want to start medical school in the fall 2012 (for example) then you'll want to apply the summer of 2011 (a year before). The earlier the better, so I would say June is the best time to apply (in my opinion). Once you send in your primary applications, then the medical schools will decide whether or not to send you their secondary applications (applications unique to each school). If and when you send in your secondaries, they will decide to offer you an interview or not. Then if you get through all of those, and they accept you, you're ready to go! I'm not sure about the spacing between each step of the application process but I know it'll take about a year. For those who decide to volunteer abroad, they shouldn't apply until a year before they want to matriculate.   For example, if someone wants to volunteer with the Peace Corps (which is 2 years I think..) then he/she should not apply until he/she is finished with the program since he/she will need to be available for the year doing their secondaries and interviews. So Peace Corps + year for application process = 3 "gap years". However, let's say you want to work for two years instead of going abroad. Then you can apply after a year of working so you can start medical school right after working for two years. As to your final question, if the applicant wants to go volunteer abroad for a year (there would be no gap year in this case), then the applicant should fill out the application once he/she comes back. If you apply in your junior year, you will spend senior year doing your secondaries and going to interviews and will start medical school the fall after graduation. 

This seems like a complicated answer to a simple question haha. Sorry! Hope it helps somewhat! 

-K 

Dear Reader 46

Anonymous said...

Hi K! I had a couple questions:
1. How do I get a letter of rec? A lot of programs ask for one from my professors but I don't think they know me that well. I have no idea where to start because office hours are always jam-packed.
2. Since you're premed, have you taken classes that medical schools require such as psychology, etc? I have no idea what classes I'm supposed to take other than the basic science courses.
Thanks so much!

Dear Anonymous,

1. Truth be told, I'm not sure myself. For lower div classes, I think the best way to get a letter of rec would be through your GSI. Then your GSI can guide the professor on how to write the letter. That's how it is with Bio 1A/1B I  believe.. It should be better once you start upper divs since the classes are so much smaller and you can actually get to know your professors :) 

2. Do you mean "not required"- psychology is not a required class for med school :) But yes, I have taken classes that are not required for medical school. If you're L&S you're required to take 7 breadth classes and those are not part of the required medical school classes. I've taken a whole range of classes, from psychology to Asian American studies and anthropology. My humanity classes were fantastic and I learned a lot from them. As far as which classes to take, look at the L&S website for the required breadth classes and pick from there. A great thing about breadth classes is that you can take any that interests you while not being restricted to only science-based courses for (in this case) medical school! Take advantage of them! :) 

Have a great semester! 

-K 

On Physics 8B (summer)

First, I must apologize for my incredibly late blog posts. It was completely unintentional- I've just been caught up in other things for some time. But now, (hopefully) I'll find enough time to give you updated posts on a regular basis :)

These past few months, I've been focused on one thing: Physics 8B. For quite some time, I was debating whether to take Physics 8B or MCB 102 over the summer. Ultimately I chose to go with physics because I didn't want to have it looming over my head during the semester. Class started mid-August, mondays through thursdays, 4 hours a day- 1.5 hrs lecture and 2 hours lab/discussion. Discussion wasn't mandatory but the GSI's were great and going only helped me in the end. Labs (unlike 8A) were actually graded on your work and not on completion and there were quizzes at the beginning of each lab. You have to do 10 labs ( I think..) and one is dropped. Mastering Physics was assigned twice a week and made up about 17% of your grade while labs made up 8%. Each midterm made up around 24% with your worst midterm making up 12%- the final was around 15% (I hope the math is right..haha). Buehler (who taught physics 8B over the summer) gave 3 midterms/1 final- although the third "midterm" was just the first part of the final so it was given a day before the actual final (45 multiple choice questions). I thought Buehler was a great professor as far as lectures went. He was very clear, gave great lecture notes, and simplified the material so it was easy to understand. However, his simplicity was misleading when it came to taking the exams. Boy, his exams were tough.. The midterms usually consisted of about 5 questions with multiple parts (parts a, b, c, etc.) as well as a few multiple choice questions that corresponded to each short-response question (very conceptual). It would have been fine except that each question incorporated multiple concepts that we learned in class, so I think that screwed me up the most. I would lose track of what I was doing half-way through and completely overthink the problems.. Anyway, it was tough. Would I take physics 8B over the summer again?... Nope.. hahaha and I'm glad I never have to make the choice again. Although I don't think MCB 102 would have been much better.. However, looking back, I feel like I have a good grasp on E&M and I have Buehler to thank for that :) If I could do it all over again, I would choose to go abroad since I won't have the time to go abroad from here on out :(

This semester, my main classes are Bio 1B and MCB 102.. Wish me luck! And good luck to you guys as well! Have a fantastic semester!

-K

Dear Reader 45

Anonymous said...

Hi K,
so I had a rough first semester, with an extremely low grade in a class that tanked my gpa. First semester: 2.98 GPA Second semester: 3.71 GPA, CUM: 3.35
I know I may have 2 more years before I want to apply, but it seems unrealistic that I will get 4.0's every semester to reach 3.6+, though it is the goal I am striving toward. Do you think, realistically, I still have a chance at a top tier med school? Or even any med school. Also, any advice for contacting professors and finding research for the school year? I'm currently interning at a biotech company, but I don't think I have enough classes under my belt to be of use in a professor's lab.

Dear Anonymous,

Of course you still have a chance at medical school! :) Just keep in mind that med schools take into account science gpa as well as cum. gpa. Also, if you're still worried about your gpa after 2 years, you can always stick around for another year and take a year off (which the majority of students are doing now anyway) or do a post bacc. Getting around a 3.5 might be slightly tough for top tier schools but should be fine for mid/low tier schools (btw, all med schools are top schools in my opinion hahaha). As for finding research for the school year, I would suggest emailing professors early on and let them know you have background experience in research. I think they care more for that than having taken relevant classes at berkeley, but that's just my opinion. :) 

Best of luck!

-K 

Dear Reader 44

Hey K!
What's your opinion on P/NP classes? To be in my theme program I need to register P/NP seminar and ther is this one Freshman seminar that interests me (public health) that's two P/NP classes that I'm taking this semester. I heard that med school does not like P/ Np classes. Should I just give one up? Please let me know!

Dear Anonymous,

Thanks for stopping by! Sorry for the late reply :( 
I don't think taking a 2 unit P/NP class will make any difference to med schools. As long as you're not taking too many P/NP classes every year (and as long as they're not core science courses), you'll be fine :) 

Best of luck!

-K 

Dear Reader 43

guacamole xP said...

Hello K,

Based off of your experience, does BIO 1B Lab normally take up the whole 3 hours? Due to scheduling problems, I have my CHEM 3B Lab right after, so I have to run from VLSB 2nd floor to Latimer 3rd floor in 10 minutes. x.x

Thanks,

SC

Dear SC,

I'm actually taking bio 1B this semester (I know, very late!) so I'm not sure if it will take the whole 3 hours or not.. :( 

During my freshman year, I had to go from Dwinelle to Latimer in 10 minutes and because I was so scared about being late, I walked really fast and I got there in around 5-7 minutes all the time. So it's possible to go from VLSB to latimer in 10 minutes but you're going to have to move quickly haha :) 

Best of luck!

-K 

Dear Reader 42

Hello K! Can you list some easy 3-4 units filler classes so I can meet the 13 unit minimum? I have heard MCB c62 was quite interesting/easy. Is that true? How about EPS C12? I would take Decals but they're at night and night classes are not for me. Thanks! :) 

Dear Anonymous,

I am so sorry about the late reply! I hope it's not too late to help you with your classes. I haven't taken too many filter classes, but from the ones I've taken, I know psych 2 (3 units- no discussion) is incredibly easy and interesting too. Also, Asian American studies (4 units) was easy as well but the class is slightly boring (although I did learn a lot). I've also taken Anthro 3ac (2ac?) and Classics 10B- anthro did not interest me in the slightest but tests were fair so overall it was an ok class- i wouldn't call it an easy A however, and Classics was very interesting and taught by an amazing professor but it was hard to pull off a good grade so I changed it to P/NP and ended up enjoying it a lot more afterwards haha. I haven't taken MCB c62 myself, but my roommate took it last year and said it would be fairly easy for someone with a biology background and should be an easy A. I'm not sure about EPS- I hear different things, some are easy yet extremely boring and some are hard but extremely interesting- be careful when signing up for those classes haha. Also, a lot of students say that nutrisci 10 might seem easy but it's actually pretty difficult to get an A so beware haha. Oh! I almost forgot- soc 3 is supposed to be easy as well (4 units?- no discussion). :) 

Hope this helps!! 

-K 

Dear Reader 41

Anonymous said...

Hi K, I am thinking of becoming a late pre-med at UCB. My problem is that I will only have 2 semesters and 1 summer to take all my pre-med classes except English and Chem 1A. This means three science classes with lab each semester, and one or two classes in the summer.

Is this schedule too rigorous? I do not want to spend money on post-bacc courses, but my ultimate goal is to get admitted to medical school, which entails doing well in my pre-reqs.

Dear Anonymous,

Yikes, that schedule sounds really tough.. I don't think it's impossible to do as long as you manage your time extremely well but you might go a bit insane in the process. Taking, let's say, Chem 3B/3BL, Bio 1A/L and physics 8A sounds like a schedule from hell hahaha. But if you were to be smart about your scheduling, then it might be possible.. such as taking Chem 3B/L, Bio 1B/L, and physics 8A/L should be doable since bio 1B and physics 8A aren't that bad (Chem 3B/L and Bio 1A/L take up a lot of time however so don't put those two together with a third science class). At the same time, it depends on how well you do in science classes in general. A lot of people might think taking three science classes is really difficult, but if you're naturally good at physics and ochem, then it shouldn't be that bad :) Also, instead of going to a post-bacc, you could stay an extra year at berkeley to spread your science classes a bit more over the course of 2 years instead of 1. You also want to keep in mind all the extra currics that are "required" of premeds, such as lab work, volunteering, etc. so make sure to have some time for those :) 

Hope this helps! :) 

Best of luck, 

K 

Dear Ready 40

Anonymous said...

Hi K, would you recommend taking English R1A or Comp Lit R1A? Also, does Comp Lit count for the Med School English requirement or were you taking it just to fulfill the R&C requirement at Berkeley? I just want to make sure if I take Comp Lit R1A that it counts for Med School. Thanks.

Dear Anonymous,

Sorry for the late reply! Personally, I would recommend taking R1A, but that's because I had a better experience in R1A. There's not much difference between the two however. Yes, Comp lit counts for the english requirement for medical school, and that's the reason I took it at berkeley :) 

Best of luck!

-K 

On an End-of-Semester Evaluation

Sorry for the late End-of-Semester Eval!  (Thanks Anon for reminding me!)
Whenever I planned to write it, I ended up answering comments instead (as can be seen by the numerous Dear Readers these past few weeks).

End-of-Semester Evaluation:

This semester, I took Chem 3B (Pedersen), Chem 3BL, Physics 8A (Heinemann/Charman), Comp Lit R1A (Ruth/Julia), and lab..
I'm not sure why, but this semester was easier for me than last semester. Maybe it was due to a better sense of time management, maybe I'm finally starting to learn how to handle things at berkeley, OR maybe it's just because I'm on summer break and all the pain is behind me (I hope it isn't that...). Anyway, to all the viewers who are curious about taking chem 3B and physics 8A together, I can finally say: Yes, it is possible :)

Chem 3B: I was really intimidated going into 3B with Pedersen because he seemed like such an unrelenting professor.. And it turns out, he is.. He's very picky about how you answer questions on the exams. For instance, every wrong answer cancels out a correct one, redundant answers cancel out correct ones (stereochemistry), etc. In all, his exams were fair and up to the standards which he taught his class. Pedersen was/is a great professor. He was very clear when teaching the material and constantly reminded students what was and was not going to be on the test. However, like chem 3A, I did most of my learning in SLC. Even though I never skipped Pedersen's lecture, Pedersen goes over the material very quickly so it's hard to take notes and listen to everything he's saying. SLC helped to reinforce all the material, and luckily, I had Neil as a group leader. I must say, if you find out which section Neil is teaching, take it with him! He is the best SLC leader I have ever had and he saved my grade more than once. His notes are fantastic and he's a great lecturer, making ochem super clear and easy to understand. I should send him a box of chocolates...

Chem3BL: I did not enjoy chem 3bl, almost as much as I didn't enjoy bio 1AL... In chem 3BL, all the labs are done alone- no more partners, which sucks because the labs are incredibly long. It took us the whole 4 hours to finish up almost every week, and we were rushed more than once.. There's a ton of TLC and recrystallization- practically all the labs require you to do those two, some more than once. My GSI wasn't all that great either, which made my lab experience all the worse. He kept making me repeat my recrsystallizations because it recrystallized too quickly.... Also, there are no lab reports for 3BL (at least for Pedersen). Instead, there are two in-lab lab reports. You get to choose one lab out of two choices which are based off of four labs and write that report during your lab. For instance, let's say you did labs 16, 17, 18, and 19. Your GSI will choose two labs (17 & 19) for you to pick from but you don't know which two labs ahead of time.. You find out the day of the in-lab lab report and can choose which of the two to write your lab report on. The lab final was not that bad, but there were some tricky questions on it as well as some questions from the 3A lab final. Your final grade is based on your lab observations, NMR (which you have weekly), your 2 in-lab lab reports, and your lab final. It's strictly points (no curve) but the grade cut-offs are very low.

Physics 8A: Like I mentioned in the Start-of-Semester eval, we had Heinemann at first, but she was later diagnosed with breast cancer so Charmann took her place. Both Heinemann and Charman based their lectures on deriving equations, which I found unhelpful.. Thus, going to lecture felt like a waste of time, and whenever I did skip lecture, I didn't feel like it hurt my learning of physics (or lack thereof).. So I had to find other ways to learn physics and basically teach myself.. Heinemann's exam was not that bad but Charmanns' exams were really conceptual and the averages were very low (lower than Bordel's which is unheard of..). So if you can, take physics in the fall with Deweese, who I heard was a great professor (and easy ;). Just a note, discussions are not mandatory although labs are, and the labs are really easy and easily graded (and some are even enjoyable!). Mastering Physics was really annoying but if you can, try to actually do the problems. I think attempting mastering physics was one of the reasons I did well on my first midterm and not attempting them caused my grade to drop on the second one (albeit not the entire reason)...

Comp Lit R1A: English is english- never liked writing papers, never will... Although one note, Ruth/Julia (Becoming Unbalanced) are tough graders so beware..

Lab: I am now working on two projects simultaneously so I get confused on what i'm doing half the time i'm there.. But I think i'm starting to enjoy it little by little :)

This summer: Physics 8B, Music 128, lab, Alta Bates, small side job as a student mentor.

Overall, it was a hard semester and I am extremely glad my pre-reqs are almost done!

If you have any questions or would like to me to elaborate more on a subject, just leave a comment!

-K 

Dear Reader 39

Anonymous said...

Maybe you can answer this before I call them in a week or so!
I go to a community college and I'm turning into a junior coming this Fall, so I'm wondering if you think I could apply to that collegiate program as well? I finish up prerequisites in fall, and apply for the RN program for a community college in spring... Haha sorry for the long post but I'm just curious to see if I'm applicable..

Dear Anonymous,

I believe you can apply to the collegiate program. I don't think they're very strict with their age requirement. When I went to orientation, there were all sorts of people there, from freshmen, to out of state students, to people applying for nursing programs. In any case, the whole application takes about 3 minutes so it won't hurt to try! :) 

Best of luck! 

-K 

Dear Reader 38

Anonymous said...

the Alta Bates website says that "Collegiate is defined as those who are Juniors or Seniors in college or in graduate programs." Is there another type of volunteers for freshmen and sophomores? What are other good places to do volunteering near berkeley? Also, what are some good things to keep in mind when choosing what extra curriculars to do? What kind of stuff are med schools looking for?

Dear Anonymous,

Thanks for stopping by! For alta bates, there is no other type of volunteer program for freshmen and sophomores unfortunately (but if you're a sophomore, it won't hurt to apply- I don't recall them asking me about my age or school year.. It might be riskier if you're a freshman though). For other volunteer programs near Berkeley, you could look into the Berkeley Free clinic, Tang Center, Suitcase clinic, Children's Hospital in Oakland and a ton more hospitals/clinics in Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Richmond, and SF. When choosing what extra currics to do, keep in mind the time commitment. Devoting 15 hours a week to a program might sound good on paper, but in practice, it ends up draining a lot more time and energy than you'd expect (I had to learn that the hard way). Also, be cautious of extra currics that you might not stick with in the long run. You don't want to spend unnecessary time and energy on an activity and then quit a few months later. When searching for clinical experience, keep an open mind and test all the waters- don't limit yourself to one area of medicine- you may be surprised at what catches your interest :) Lastly, if you have a unique quirk/hobby, then devote time to it- it'll help you stand out in the long run :) 

Hope this helps! 

All the best,

-K 

Dear Reader 37

jay said...

Hey I have some quick questions for the interview process..
Did you have to list references in the application?
Are the first 30 basically hired?
Did you finish the application really fast when it opened at 9AM?
aaaaaaand I'm a guy, pretty clueless at interviews, so how would you say I should dress? Formally with collared shirt/khakis or casually with a tshirt/jeans?
Thanks in advance!

Dear Jay,

- No, we do not need to list references in the application

-Yes, to my knowledge, the first 30 (or however many apply) are pretty much accepted to the program

- I tried logging in at 9AM sharp but for some reason the page wouldn't open for me, so I had to wait a few minutes before being able to fill out my application (which I had no trouble doing).

-When in doubt, always dress up rather than down. No t-shirt and jeans. I would suggest a collared shirt (polo would be ok- doesn't have to be button down), and khakis would be perfect :) 

Hope this helps and good luck! :) 

-K 

Dear Reader 36

Anonymous said...

Hi! I have some few questions about clubs.
1. How do I join one
2. Is there a day where one gets to sign- up for clubs he/she is interested in?
3. How's Cal sorority/fraternity ?

Dear Anonymous,

1. There will be booths you can go to to sign up for the club you want to join. All you need to put down is your name and email address (I think...) and then go to their meetings when they email you :) 

2. Yes, there is a day when all the clubs have their booths out, but I'm not sure what day that is... Last year, it was on lower Sproul and every inch of the place was covered with club booths. If you can't make it, some clubs will continue setting up booths throughout the semester. Also, there's a website with all the clubs and their presidents' emails so you can always contact them if need be. 

3. I don't know much of cal's sorority/fraternity scene. I know they give out flyers like crazy though lol. But if you're interested in medical school, then I would suggest the pre-med frat/sor. I heard you get a ton of great networks, help build your resume, help with applications, and help you get great recommendations. But I also heard it's extremely time consuming as well. 

Sorry I can't be much help on this one! 

All the best! :) 

-K 

Dear Reader 35

Jason Chen said...

Hi,
Your blog is amazing! It really helped me out a lot when I was choosing classes. Anyway, I was wondering if you had any tips for Physics 8A. I have Deweese next fall, who I heard was pretty easy. But then again, I was terrible at AP Physics in high school haha.

Thanks,
Jason

Dear Jason,

Sorry about the late reply! Glad I can help! :D 

You're really lucky to be taking physics with Deweese. I took some of his tests for practice for my midterms and they were pretty easy- very straightforward. If you had Charman or Bordel, it would be a different story. I heard Deweese is also a very good teacher so I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as learning the material goes.. Tips for Physics 8A: As far as Deweese goes, you need to get the concepts down since his questions are simple and they test straight forward concepts- not highly theoretical/conceptual like Charman and Bordel, so actually doing the problems on mastering physics might be a good idea, instead of getting the answers off the internet like everyone else does (including myself! haha). I attempted mastering physics up until the first midterm and then slacked off for the rest of the semester. Although a lot of people view it as a waste of time, I regret not taking mastering physics seriously.. I think it helped me do well on the first midterm since I was so determined to get the mastering physics problems down, and thus, the concepts down. If Deweese's lectures aren't helping you learn the material, then find another way to learn it ASAP. That's what I had to do with Charman and it helped tremendously! Lastly, the class can go pretty fast, especially the second half of the course, so make sure you attend lecture or else you can fall behind. If you need extra help, remember that there's SLC and BioEHS study groups (BioEHS is better in my opinion- SLC problems are too easy). I hope this helps! And don't worry- I didn't do so well in AP physics either but I did alright in physics 8A :) 

Best of Luck! 

-K 

Dear Reader 34

YOLO said...

Do you have any specific tips for Bio 1A/L?
I feel like I'm going to die in those two classes (figuratively, of course). ;___; *shudders*

Dear Yolo (haha love the name),

Most premed/science majors dread taking bio1A/L. Personally, I'm glad it's done and over with. The lecture wasn't that bad- it was like AP bio, but more in depth. The lab portion, however, i hated.. The lab grade is broken down into three components: midterm, practical (which will be different for you guys- I heard they're changing the format), and quizzes. The prelab and postlab for each lab doesn't count towards your grade so I wouldn't worry too much about those. The midterm is worth more than the practical so make sure you do well on it (not that I have to tell you haha). The worst part of lab for me were the quizzes. The quizzes are based mostly on your lab manual, but my gsi added a lot of questions from lab lecture. As far as tips go, for bio 1A lecture, focus on the lecture slides and not so much the book- use the book for reinforcement but from my experience, the lecture slides are more important. For lab, memorize the damn lab manual, do as many practice problems as you can for the genetics portion on the midterm (it's pretty difficult, but once you get it, it's not that bad), start memorizing everything from the dissections in advance (take pictures!!) as well as the analogous parts/functions from various animals, and don't fall behind!! In all, it's not so bad haha. 

Best of luck! 

-K 

Dear Reader 33

Anonymous said...

I read it on the internet and some of my friends recommend taking summer classes so that I can make some space in my schedule for other classes that I want to take. But others say don't and I'm confused whether if it's okay to take science class during summer for pre-med student or not :(

Dear Anonymous,

Personally, I see no harm in taking science courses during the summer :) Many of my friends are taking/have taken premed prereqs over the summer, and in fact, I'll be taking physics 8B this summer as well! I'm not so worried about the summer class looking bad as much as I am worried about trying to fit all my necessary classes into my schedule haha. 

All the best! 

-K 

Dear Reader 32

Anonymous said...

I was planning on taking science class/ pre-med required classes at University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) which is like Study Abroad but during summer that are connected to University of California. Credits are transferable to any UC universities. But some rumors say that med schools don't like students taking science courses during summer since its much easier. Is this a good idea?

Dear Anonymous,

I know many people who are taking/have taken their premed prereqs during summer, but it's usually at their university. I don't think it's a terrible idea to do your prereqs abroad but it might be slightly risky. Most people tend to take all of their premed prereqs at their own school since taking them elsewhere might look like a red flag to admissions. Taking the classes over the summer might be slightly easier than taking them over the semester but, once again, it should be fine as long as you take it at your college (which is Berkeley I'm assuming : ). Study abroad, i'm not sure about... If it were me, I would try to take my prereqs at Berkeley and take some other core/breadth classes abroad just in case... but that's me. To be super safe, you can even call admissions at the school you're most interested in and ask if taking the prereqs abroad would hurt your chances. Chances are, the response that med school gives you will be applicable to other med schools. At the end of the day, if you really want to take the prereqs abroad, then you should go for it (as long as it's not a community college abroad haha). It shouldn't hurt your chances all that much :) 

Best of luck!

-K