Monday, December 30, 2013
On an End of Semester Update Fall 2013
 |
| Happy New Year! |
This semester was not as bad as last semester for me, as far as classes went. I took three academic classes and took lab for a letter grade for honors.
Astro C13: Overall, this was a very good class. I've never taken an astronomy class before and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take it since it combines paleobio as well (a subject I did well in last semester). Like I mentioned before in my mid-semester update, this class is a non-majors course so everything was very generalized and focused on main, broad ideas of both astronomy and paleobio. The paleobio portion was a simplified version of IB113L, but the concepts were the same- just fewer graphs and data. Even though I have nothing to compare to for Astro, I think the lectures covered the overall ideas of astronomy, such as planet formation, supernovas, dark matter, probability of life elsewhere in our universe, etc- simple calculations, unlike actual astronomy classes where they teach astrophysics. The lectures don't have much information in them, with few words, so going to lecture is important, since the topics can get confusing at times. Both the midterm and final covered the big concepts in lecture- no calculations, but dates were important! Also, if you take this class, try to do well on the homework since it's a big chunk of your grade. This course isn't offered next semester but it should be offered again in the fall- final grade: A
IB117: Now I know what it means to take a typical 'Carlson' class haha. This class was pure memorization, and luckily he provides you with a reader. However, it wasn't as easy as I anticipated it was going to be- mostly because I procrastinated, so I had to memorize hundreds of slides for the final during dead week..not a very fun experience :/ The final was harder than the midterm since so many plants/compounds were used for various diseases/symptoms. I started out making a list and color-coordinating it, then I realized half-way through dead week that it didn't help me at all when I tried doing the practice questions Carlson posted, so I had to re-memorize everything a different way… Luckily I ended up doing well on the final, and my final grade came out to be an A+ (my first at cal!)
Soc180i: This was the class I was most afraid about ironically. Ivester does not curve and she sets an A at 95%. With a total of 100 points in the class, that meant I could only miss 5 points to get an A, which made me really nervous. The first midterm, I missed 2 points and the second midterm I missed none, so I only had a 3 point leeway. Fortunately, I did well on the final so I ended up with an A :)
Lab: lab is lab, as always
I closed this semester with all A's again, which I am extremely thankful for- not only for the grade boost and Dean's list, but also because it shows an upwards trend on my transcript- since my first two and a half years weren't the best haha
Next semester (my last at Cal!) will probably be my most busy yet- i'm volunteering at two places and finishing up my thesis project, not to mention having to start my med school apps (yikes!)
Anyway, like always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Happy holidays!
-K
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Dear Reader 63
Hey K!
I have a question regarding about Physics 8A. So I did not do so well in the class (barely passed) is it better to retake the class and boost the grade? I heard from my friend that if I retake the class it will not count toward my gpa.
Please let me know thank you!
I have a question regarding about Physics 8A. So I did not do so well in the class (barely passed) is it better to retake the class and boost the grade? I heard from my friend that if I retake the class it will not count toward my gpa.
Please let me know thank you!
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by! (I'm assuming barely passing is a D? If it's a C, then I would say it depends on how many C's you have so far :) I believe taking it again would be a good (and necessary if it's a D) idea (I know it's hard!), especially since it's a 'fundamental' prereq, and you want to show the adcoms that you have a decent grasp on the basic sciences. As for whether or not it'll count towards your gpa- i've heard different takes on it. On one hand, I've heard that the re-take grade does not count towards your overall gpa, but it still appears on your transcript. On the other hand, I've heard that some schools average your pre-and-post grades, and that's what they include in your overall gpa and BCPM gpa. However, it seems like it varies with each school, so I can't say which is correct for sure :/ I wish I could have been more helpful-sorry!
Best of luck! :)
-K
Monday, October 28, 2013
On a Mid-Semester Evaluation Fall '13
This semester (my last fall semester at cal!) I'm taking Astro C13 (cross-listed with IB), IB 117, Soc 180i, and H196A
Astro C13: This is one of the first 'Big Ideas' courses that got started this year I believe. It's a combination of astro and biology, studying the time between the big bang to the emergence of humans. It's taught by Elliot Quataert and Charles Marshall. It's a course for non-majors, which is pretty evident in the lectures. I'm not sure about astro (since I've never taken an astro course before), but for the bio section, Marshall keeps it very simple and broad, making sure not to go too in-depth with the material. On the other hand, I'm glad I took IB 113L beforehand because he does go over a lot of the same topics and ideas. I'm pretty sure the astro section is the same way. And because the material doesn't go too deep, you're able to learn astro on a broad and conceptual scale- planet formation, dark matter, etc. There's a lab/section once a week that accompanies this class, and while it's an unnecessarily long two hours, it's not bad (as in, no quizzes haha). The one downside to this class is the weekly homework. Maybe it's because I haven't had homework in a while, but the weekly assignments are a bit annoying, especially because the questions are very vague and I have to go to office hours a lot to fully answer the questions... This class has one midterm and one final, non-cumulative. The midterm was ok- nothing surprising, all short answer and lecture/concept based. Also, there aren't too many words on the lecture slides, so if you're going to take this class, make sure to attend class and take notes :) Class grade breakdown: 10% participation, 40% hw, 20% MT1, and 30% final.
IB 117 (medical ethnobotany): I'm taking this class for a major requirement. I would say it's a typical Carlson class, except this is my first class with him... So i'll say that it's what people call a 'typical Carlson class' haha. The class is about various plants, their medicinal uses, and how it affects us physiologically. He lectures twice a week for an hour and lecture slides are all in the reader. There's one midterm (45%) and one final (55%). The exams are all multiple choice and come from the reader. I was scared that we would need to memorize every small detail, but for the first midterm at least, it was more general detail that was tested. I'm not sure how it'll be for the final though... So far, I enjoy this class- the reader is filled with pictures of places that Carlson has been to and people he's worked with, so it's nice to hear stories like that from time to time.
Soc 180i (Inequality): I took this class because I really like Ivester's classes haha. If you recall from last semester, I took global elites with her (I highly recommend that class!) and wanted to take another class from her this semester. There are two midterms and one final for this class, although the final is just like another midterm since it's weighted the same. It's on a straight point system (40 points for participation via iclicker + 60 points for the 3 exams)- same format as global elites. And she gives you the possible exam questions beforehand so you can prepare; she gives you an hour for the essay. In all, her classes are fun and interesting :)
H196A: I'm doing an honors thesis so I have to take this class haha
I've had my telebears last week (last telebears!) and so far have signed up for IB169, ESPM144, PH116 (all required for me to graduate).
Best of luck during MTs!
-K
Sunday, October 20, 2013
On Post-Grad Options
 |
| Supposed to represent the future... :/ |
2. SMP (Special Master's Program): like the name implies, this is a master's program of 1 or 2 years, depending on where you go. Unlike the postbacc where you take prereqs, a master's program gives you a masters degree in an area, such as physiology (man that was worded poorly haha). It's pretty expensive, but might be a better investment than a postbacc if you have borderline competitive grades/mcat. Some programs give you residency for the state you're doing the program in and they're also tied to their med schools. You also take the same classes that med students take for that year (whereas in post bacc programs, you take the same classes that undergrads do). This means that if you do well in those classes + have residency + linkage to their med school = a much better chance of gaining acceptance to their MD program. However, like I said before, it's pricey and still a gamble. If gpa is the only thing holding you back, it might be worth it to take a look into this program. But if it's mcat or ECs, perhaps not so much since you could raise your mcat or build up your ECs by taking a gap year (or two, in the case of taking a gap year to redo the mcat or build up your ECs and then applying the next cycle...does that make sense? haha) Which brings me to point 3...
3. Take a gap year (or two): like I mentioned in point 2, if it's the mcat or extra currics that are mainly holding you back, it might be cheaper to take a year off before you apply and re-take the mcat or do more extra currics. But be careful, since the mcat changes in 2015, you probably will want to take the mcat before then haha.
Hope this helps! And if anyone else has more or better information than what I have posted, please leave a comment below!
Best,
-K
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Dear Reader 62
Hey K, I know that you've been busy, but can you make a post soon about how your MCAT went, as well as options for after undergrad, such as post-bacc programs? Love your blog btw, and I'm also a fellow IB pre-med! : )
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by and your kind words :)
The mcat... was horrific for me- I'll do a full post on it when I find the courage to write about my experience haha. For now, I'll just say that I have to retake it- there goes my winter break...
Post-undergrad plans have been on my mind a lot lately as well since I'll be graduating in the spring. As far as I know, there are a few options:
1. Post-bacc: this could be your own "program" where you take the science classes you need/more upper div science courses at your school or at another college. Or, you could go the formal route and actually do a program, which is about 2 years I believe. There are pros and cons to each route. For the informal route, you can just take the classes that you require to get into med school (prereqs). This should be less expensive than enrolling in an actual program and more time efficient. Enrolling in a formal program requires that you take all the courses that come with the program, and it's expensive. Although, by doing the program, I think you get access to all the premed advisors and counselors (although I don't see why you couldn't get access to them while doing an informal program...). Also, I believe some (most?) premed post bacc programs are tied with med schools, so doing well in the program might give you a better chance of matriculating to their medical school. I believe this program is geared towards people who want a change in their careers and need to fulfill the med school prereqs or for those who have done poorly in their prereqs and want to show med schools that they can do well in those classes.
2. SMP (Special Master's Program): like the name implies, this is a master's program of 1 or 2 years, depending on where you go. Unlike the postbacc where you take prereqs, a master's program gives you a masters degree in an area, such as physiology (man that was worded poorly haha). It's pretty expensive, but might be a better investment than a postbacc if you have borderline competitive grades/mcat. Some programs give you residency for the state you're doing the program in and they're also tied to their med schools. You also take the same classes that med students take for that year (whereas in post bacc programs, you take the same classes that undergrads do). This means that if you do well in those classes + have residency + linkage to their med school = a much better chance of gaining acceptance to their MD program. However, like I said before, it's pricey and still a gamble. If gpa is the only thing holding you back, it might be worth it to take a look into this program. But if it's mcat or ECs, perhaps not so much since you could raise your mcat or build up your ECs by taking a gap year (or two, in the case of taking a gap year to redo the mcat or build up your ECs and then applying the next cycle...does that make sense? haha) Which brings me to point 3...
3. Take a gap year (or two): like I mentioned in point 2, if it's the mcat or extra currics that are mainly holding you back, it might be cheaper to take a year off before you apply and re-take the mcat or do more extra currics. But be careful, since the mcat changes in 2015, you probably will want to take the mcat before then haha.
Hope this helps! And if anyone else has more or better information than what I have posted, please leave a comment below!
Best,
-K
2. SMP (Special Master's Program): like the name implies, this is a master's program of 1 or 2 years, depending on where you go. Unlike the postbacc where you take prereqs, a master's program gives you a masters degree in an area, such as physiology (man that was worded poorly haha). It's pretty expensive, but might be a better investment than a postbacc if you have borderline competitive grades/mcat. Some programs give you residency for the state you're doing the program in and they're also tied to their med schools. You also take the same classes that med students take for that year (whereas in post bacc programs, you take the same classes that undergrads do). This means that if you do well in those classes + have residency + linkage to their med school = a much better chance of gaining acceptance to their MD program. However, like I said before, it's pricey and still a gamble. If gpa is the only thing holding you back, it might be worth it to take a look into this program. But if it's mcat or ECs, perhaps not so much since you could raise your mcat or build up your ECs by taking a gap year (or two, in the case of taking a gap year to redo the mcat or build up your ECs and then applying the next cycle...does that make sense? haha) Which brings me to point 3...
3. Take a gap year (or two): like I mentioned in point 2, if it's the mcat or extra currics that are mainly holding you back, it might be cheaper to take a year off before you apply and re-take the mcat or do more extra currics. But be careful, since the mcat changes in 2015, you probably will want to take the mcat before then haha.
Hope this helps! And if anyone else has more or better information than what I have posted, please leave a comment below!
Best,
-K
Thursday, September 19, 2013
On a Tangent: TV Shows
I finally figured out why my computer wasn't letting me log in- so now that that's done, I'll try to be better about posting :P
This past summer, my stress level has been off the charts, so I thought watching TV shows would be a good way to de-stress. Turns out, not such a good idea since I immediately got hooked on these shows and couldn't stop watching haha. But it did help to get my mind off some things. So if you're looking for a quick way to de-stress, here are some shows I recommend (recent ones):
1. Game of Thrones: Yes, admittedly I got on that bandwagon. However, in my defense, I started reading the books long before the show got popular :D In my opinion, the show has a little bit of everything- war, romance, backstabbing, scheming, humor, tragedy, etc. and all the elements are woven very well so that you don't get tired of one element as another one quickly takes its place. The show isn't rushed, like a lot of war/battle shows are and the plot is so convoluted and intricate that the viewers don't have a chance to get bored with it.
2. American Horror Story: for all the horror lovers out there, wow, this show is absolutely amazing. Not just the story lines (for each season has a different story line), but the actors are some of the best I've seen. Luckily, the actors get recycled for each season so they're used over and over again. This is a show that I cannot watch by myself at night, or else I'd get nightmares- the cinematography makes this show extremely creepy. But that's the appeal, right? Each season manages to weave a bunch of elements together such as Nazis, zombies, ghosts, alien abductions- elements that you would think were impossible to put together...but they do it in a way that makes the plot work, if that makes any sense. In other words, they're incorporated very subtly, and most times, I wasn't conscious of an "alien abduction" or "zombies". Hands down, the best show I've ever seen haha.
3. Bates Motel: This is also a creepy one- a prequel series leading up to the Psycho movies (which i haven't seen). This show also seems sort of American Horror Story-esque but not so creepy and not with such implausible story lines. It follows Norman Bates and his mother, Norma Bates, who've bought a motel after an incident forces them to move from their old place. A lot of things happen during the episodes, but what seems to be the main focus of the show is how Norman changes throughout these episodes- his mental stability seems to be slipping more and more and that's what's scary to me- his instability. This is a show that I just started watching and it's in it's first season, so we'll see how it goes- but so far, it's very good!
4. Lost Girl: A canadian show that's on the Syfy channel I believe- tells a story of a woman who discovers that she's a succubus (a mythological creature that appears in dreams and kills people by feeding off their sexual energy). It's not as big-budget as the previous three shows are, but it has interesting plots and incorporates a lot of myth, which is always fun to watch :)
5. The Walking Dead: I was skeptical about this one and put it off for a long time- I wasn't sure how they could pull off a zombie show, especially when the 1hr 30min time block for the movies seemed long enough to start and finish a zombie apocalypse.. But I was surprised at how good this show was, although it got slow at times. As one might expect, the show follows a group of people who are fighting to stay alive day by day and find some refuge anywhere they can.. Not too many plot twists, but the group dynamic is very interesting and intense- and you don't know who's going to die off the next day.
So these are the most recent/best shows I've watched during the past semester and summer, and ones that I highly recommend to anyone looking for shows to watch. I know I've missed many good ones, Breaking Bad, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, etc. but I feel like a lot of people already watch those shows, and the ones listed here are not as well known (minus Game of Thrones haha). If you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to comment!
-K
This past summer, my stress level has been off the charts, so I thought watching TV shows would be a good way to de-stress. Turns out, not such a good idea since I immediately got hooked on these shows and couldn't stop watching haha. But it did help to get my mind off some things. So if you're looking for a quick way to de-stress, here are some shows I recommend (recent ones):
1. Game of Thrones: Yes, admittedly I got on that bandwagon. However, in my defense, I started reading the books long before the show got popular :D In my opinion, the show has a little bit of everything- war, romance, backstabbing, scheming, humor, tragedy, etc. and all the elements are woven very well so that you don't get tired of one element as another one quickly takes its place. The show isn't rushed, like a lot of war/battle shows are and the plot is so convoluted and intricate that the viewers don't have a chance to get bored with it.
2. American Horror Story: for all the horror lovers out there, wow, this show is absolutely amazing. Not just the story lines (for each season has a different story line), but the actors are some of the best I've seen. Luckily, the actors get recycled for each season so they're used over and over again. This is a show that I cannot watch by myself at night, or else I'd get nightmares- the cinematography makes this show extremely creepy. But that's the appeal, right? Each season manages to weave a bunch of elements together such as Nazis, zombies, ghosts, alien abductions- elements that you would think were impossible to put together...but they do it in a way that makes the plot work, if that makes any sense. In other words, they're incorporated very subtly, and most times, I wasn't conscious of an "alien abduction" or "zombies". Hands down, the best show I've ever seen haha.
3. Bates Motel: This is also a creepy one- a prequel series leading up to the Psycho movies (which i haven't seen). This show also seems sort of American Horror Story-esque but not so creepy and not with such implausible story lines. It follows Norman Bates and his mother, Norma Bates, who've bought a motel after an incident forces them to move from their old place. A lot of things happen during the episodes, but what seems to be the main focus of the show is how Norman changes throughout these episodes- his mental stability seems to be slipping more and more and that's what's scary to me- his instability. This is a show that I just started watching and it's in it's first season, so we'll see how it goes- but so far, it's very good!
4. Lost Girl: A canadian show that's on the Syfy channel I believe- tells a story of a woman who discovers that she's a succubus (a mythological creature that appears in dreams and kills people by feeding off their sexual energy). It's not as big-budget as the previous three shows are, but it has interesting plots and incorporates a lot of myth, which is always fun to watch :)
5. The Walking Dead: I was skeptical about this one and put it off for a long time- I wasn't sure how they could pull off a zombie show, especially when the 1hr 30min time block for the movies seemed long enough to start and finish a zombie apocalypse.. But I was surprised at how good this show was, although it got slow at times. As one might expect, the show follows a group of people who are fighting to stay alive day by day and find some refuge anywhere they can.. Not too many plot twists, but the group dynamic is very interesting and intense- and you don't know who's going to die off the next day.
So these are the most recent/best shows I've watched during the past semester and summer, and ones that I highly recommend to anyone looking for shows to watch. I know I've missed many good ones, Breaking Bad, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, etc. but I feel like a lot of people already watch those shows, and the ones listed here are not as well known (minus Game of Thrones haha). If you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to comment!
-K
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Dear Reader 60
Oh my goodness I just realized that this post never got posted! I wrote this a while ago, but for some reason, it got saved as a draft! I am soo sorry s.k- I hope this still helps in some way :(
Hi K!
First of all, I want to thank you for being so informative and helpful by making posts about like in berkeley!!:D
I just finished a 10th grade in high school, and I have decided to go to a community college next year. I want to major in MCB, hopefully in UCB for my junior and senior year.
While looking through your posts, I realized that taking MCB lower division prereqs in community college reflects badly when I apply to a Medical School. (I was planning on finishing all of my prereqs in community college, so that I can take upper division courses for my junior and senior year).
My question is: Is there anything I can do to show that I have learned as much as others (Berkeley students who have taken prereqs at BERKELEY) did? I was thinking about watching the webcast lectures and signing up for the bspace guest account while taking prereq courses at CC.IDK, I feel like having a good score on MCAT and doing well with upper division courses will show that I have learned well when I was at CC. (even though it will be hard for a premed CC student to do well).
Thanks for the infos! I love your blog:))
-S.K.
Dear S.K,
Thanks for stopping by and you're welcome! :D
That's a hard question to answer haha
Taking all of your lower division prereqs at a CC might raise a red flag to med schools, since usually, lower division classes are the "foundation" classes for upper divs. A lot of people consider lower div classes to be more important than upper div classes, even though both classes get counted toward your BCPM gpa. Although I'm not completely sure if it'll help, if you absolutely have to take all of your prereqs at a CC, than make sure you explain why in your app (and make sure it's an extremely good reason!). And yes, you might need a high MCAT score and do well in your upper divs to supplement the CC lower divs. Nonetheless, it's not unheard of for students to take lower divs at a CC (although I'm not sure about all of them haha) and get into great med schools, as long as everything else in your application is up to par :). Actually, I talked with someone yesterday who is kind of in the same boat you are. She's looking to transfer to berkeley or UCLA as a junior from a CC, and she said they still require you to take some lower div/intermediate classes at berkeley concurrently with upper divs.. (or at least, that's what I think she said- i couldn't hear that clearly though the phone haha). So make sure to look into that before deciding on your classes :)
Hi K!
First of all, I want to thank you for being so informative and helpful by making posts about like in berkeley!!:D
I just finished a 10th grade in high school, and I have decided to go to a community college next year. I want to major in MCB, hopefully in UCB for my junior and senior year.
While looking through your posts, I realized that taking MCB lower division prereqs in community college reflects badly when I apply to a Medical School. (I was planning on finishing all of my prereqs in community college, so that I can take upper division courses for my junior and senior year).
My question is: Is there anything I can do to show that I have learned as much as others (Berkeley students who have taken prereqs at BERKELEY) did? I was thinking about watching the webcast lectures and signing up for the bspace guest account while taking prereq courses at CC.IDK, I feel like having a good score on MCAT and doing well with upper division courses will show that I have learned well when I was at CC. (even though it will be hard for a premed CC student to do well).
Thanks for the infos! I love your blog:))
-S.K.
Dear S.K,
Thanks for stopping by and you're welcome! :D
That's a hard question to answer haha
Taking all of your lower division prereqs at a CC might raise a red flag to med schools, since usually, lower division classes are the "foundation" classes for upper divs. A lot of people consider lower div classes to be more important than upper div classes, even though both classes get counted toward your BCPM gpa. Although I'm not completely sure if it'll help, if you absolutely have to take all of your prereqs at a CC, than make sure you explain why in your app (and make sure it's an extremely good reason!). And yes, you might need a high MCAT score and do well in your upper divs to supplement the CC lower divs. Nonetheless, it's not unheard of for students to take lower divs at a CC (although I'm not sure about all of them haha) and get into great med schools, as long as everything else in your application is up to par :). Actually, I talked with someone yesterday who is kind of in the same boat you are. She's looking to transfer to berkeley or UCLA as a junior from a CC, and she said they still require you to take some lower div/intermediate classes at berkeley concurrently with upper divs.. (or at least, that's what I think she said- i couldn't hear that clearly though the phone haha). So make sure to look into that before deciding on your classes :)
On Tehnical Difficulties
Hey Guys, sorry for not posting/updating for a long time- this summer I've been swamped with mcat studies and now, I'm having some technical difficulties with my computer- for some reason, I'm not able to log in to my account here so this is being written on my phone :P
But a quick update on this semester, I decided to drop music 128A becuase it was too intimidating :( so my classes for the fall are: IB 131 (anatomy), IB 117 (medical ethnobotony), astro C13, and soc180i .
Ill post more thoroughly once I can log in with my computer, but for now, please excuse the abruptness and any spelling/grammatical errors you may see here ;)
But a quick update on this semester, I decided to drop music 128A becuase it was too intimidating :( so my classes for the fall are: IB 131 (anatomy), IB 117 (medical ethnobotony), astro C13, and soc180i .
Ill post more thoroughly once I can log in with my computer, but for now, please excuse the abruptness and any spelling/grammatical errors you may see here ;)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Dear Reader 61
Love the blog and your advice. Do you have any recommendations on whether I should take Bio 1A/1AL or 1B in Fall 2013?
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you and thanks for stopping by!
I believe I took both Bio 1A/L and 1B in the fall. At the time, i don't think there was any debate about which semester was easier for the two classes- those debates usually fell around chem1A/3A. The best thing to do would be to look up the professors on courserank and ratemyprof. If that doesn't help, then the general consensus seems to be that science courses are easier in the spring- so perhaps look at taking bio 1A/L (the harder of the two) in the spring. But please take my advice with a grain of salt- It really depends on the professors. If it helps, I don't think there was a big difference between spring/fall bio 1B since no one seemed too worried about that class haha.
All the best,
K
Saturday, June 15, 2013
On an End-of-Semester Eval Spring '13
I've been wrapped up in mcat studying so I apologize for this incredibly late post!
This past semester I took IB 113L, IB 132, IB 132L, Soc 189, and IB 191
IB 113L- Paleobiological Perspectives on Ecology and Evolution taught by Professor Charles Marshall. This class was great, albeit very dense. The professor lectured through a packet of material each day (no need for books/readers) that he posted online the night before. Each packet contained around 50-60 slides and it was PACKED with material/charts/graphs/data/etc. I think this scared off a lot of students from taking this class because not only was there a lot of foreign/new material, but it was somewhat difficult to grasp as well. However, the professor did a great job of explaining the concepts and applying the concepts to real life examples. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Professor Marshall was one of the best professors I've had at Cal- he was extremely enthusiastic about teaching the material, and did a great job of bringing the concepts to the students' levels (a lot of the lectures were from his publications and his peers' publications, so you can imagine the level of detail and difficulty). But don't be scared if you want to take this class! His midterm + final tested the broad concepts, the overall idea of what the slides were talking about, and he was very approachable in OH so go to those right from the start! There's no need to memorize the small details, but make sure, if you take this class, that you understand the graphs/charts/data tables. This class also came with a 3hr lab - which was a rotation of stations and a packet of questions (worked in groups of 3-4), which, since no one knew how to answer anything, the GSI was in extremely high demand. I believe most people got close to 100% on the lab packets. On the other hand, I thought the lab practical was difficult (~15% of your grade I think...). If you've taken the bio 1AL lab practical before they changed it, that's what it was like- a rotation of stations and questions for each station that you had to answer in 1min 30sec... But other than that, I highly recommend taking this class!
IB 132- Physiology taught by Professors Lehman & Kaufer- typical physiology class with 2 midterms and 1 final. The professors didn't go too far from the lecture slides (compared to Marshall, who really explained his slides in detail instead of reading off them). I think the best way to study for these is to just read the book to get a better grasp on all the details, pathways, and how everything is connected. Also, there were some questions on the exams where knowing fine details was required so look through the lecture slides carefully. The exams were not too incredibly conceptual- I think they were more memorization/fact based- but these were for Lehman and Kaufer specifically.
IB 132L- Physiology Lab taught by various GSIs. I really enjoyed lab- my GSI was great and the experiments were interesting and fun to do. With that said however, be warned, this class is not that as easy as it seems to get an A in (or at least not to me and the other members in my group). We worked in groups of 4-5 and did questions separately to be turned in at the beginning of the next lab period. The work gets more and more lab report based as the semester goes on, whereas in the beginning, it's mostly answering a set of questions pertaining to the lab. In the end, we ended up writing 2 formal lab reports on 2 independent investigations + a presentation for each independent lab. All the work seemed to be graded pretty harshly, and not just for my GSI- I've talked with people from other labs and they agreed- the GSIs took off points for very small details/mistakes/wording error/etc. So that's the reason why I say it's hard to get an A in the class (it's not curved)- not because the lab itself is difficult, but because the GSIs are picky with their grading (especially for the lab reports!). Nonetheless, I'm a big fan of physiology, so I enjoyed the chance to see how it all applied outside the text. :)
Soc189- Global Elites taught by Professor Ivester- this was a great class- 2 midterms + 1 final. The professor gave us a set of questions beforehand (essay questions) where she picked one for the exam. This was the first time that Global Elites was taught at Cal, so I'm not sure if it'll be here again next year or not. But if you get a chance to take a class from Ivester, I highly recommend that you do- she's a fantastic teacher- very witty, funny, and laid back. There were a few times where she cancelled class because the weather was so great haha. There's iclickers for this class, but it's just based on attendance- more like opinion polls to foster discussion. The 3 exams were all weighted the same (20points each) and 40 points for attendance (iclickers), making up the 100 points for the class (no curve).
IB 191- Lab for a letter grade- for the final grade for 191, we had to do a "final project", which was anything you wanted to count for as a final project- I decided to do a powerpoint. Word of advice- don't procrastinate on this! I thought I had a lot of time to do a powerpoint so I put it off until about 3 weeks before it was due. I ran into a lot of problems, not only with trying to finish collecting data, but having my postdoc revise my powerpoint was a pain.. so start early!
I know I left out a lot of information still about these classes, but these were the most important points I thought to include! On a side note, I ended up getting all A's in these classes and got on the Dean's Honors List! (first time at Cal!- very proud! :)
If you have any questions about any of the classes or anything else in general, please don't hesitate to comment below!
Next blog post topics: mcat prep, 2015 mcat changes, plans for senior year~
Have a great summer!
-K
This past semester I took IB 113L, IB 132, IB 132L, Soc 189, and IB 191
IB 113L- Paleobiological Perspectives on Ecology and Evolution taught by Professor Charles Marshall. This class was great, albeit very dense. The professor lectured through a packet of material each day (no need for books/readers) that he posted online the night before. Each packet contained around 50-60 slides and it was PACKED with material/charts/graphs/data/etc. I think this scared off a lot of students from taking this class because not only was there a lot of foreign/new material, but it was somewhat difficult to grasp as well. However, the professor did a great job of explaining the concepts and applying the concepts to real life examples. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Professor Marshall was one of the best professors I've had at Cal- he was extremely enthusiastic about teaching the material, and did a great job of bringing the concepts to the students' levels (a lot of the lectures were from his publications and his peers' publications, so you can imagine the level of detail and difficulty). But don't be scared if you want to take this class! His midterm + final tested the broad concepts, the overall idea of what the slides were talking about, and he was very approachable in OH so go to those right from the start! There's no need to memorize the small details, but make sure, if you take this class, that you understand the graphs/charts/data tables. This class also came with a 3hr lab - which was a rotation of stations and a packet of questions (worked in groups of 3-4), which, since no one knew how to answer anything, the GSI was in extremely high demand. I believe most people got close to 100% on the lab packets. On the other hand, I thought the lab practical was difficult (~15% of your grade I think...). If you've taken the bio 1AL lab practical before they changed it, that's what it was like- a rotation of stations and questions for each station that you had to answer in 1min 30sec... But other than that, I highly recommend taking this class!
IB 132- Physiology taught by Professors Lehman & Kaufer- typical physiology class with 2 midterms and 1 final. The professors didn't go too far from the lecture slides (compared to Marshall, who really explained his slides in detail instead of reading off them). I think the best way to study for these is to just read the book to get a better grasp on all the details, pathways, and how everything is connected. Also, there were some questions on the exams where knowing fine details was required so look through the lecture slides carefully. The exams were not too incredibly conceptual- I think they were more memorization/fact based- but these were for Lehman and Kaufer specifically.
IB 132L- Physiology Lab taught by various GSIs. I really enjoyed lab- my GSI was great and the experiments were interesting and fun to do. With that said however, be warned, this class is not that as easy as it seems to get an A in (or at least not to me and the other members in my group). We worked in groups of 4-5 and did questions separately to be turned in at the beginning of the next lab period. The work gets more and more lab report based as the semester goes on, whereas in the beginning, it's mostly answering a set of questions pertaining to the lab. In the end, we ended up writing 2 formal lab reports on 2 independent investigations + a presentation for each independent lab. All the work seemed to be graded pretty harshly, and not just for my GSI- I've talked with people from other labs and they agreed- the GSIs took off points for very small details/mistakes/wording error/etc. So that's the reason why I say it's hard to get an A in the class (it's not curved)- not because the lab itself is difficult, but because the GSIs are picky with their grading (especially for the lab reports!). Nonetheless, I'm a big fan of physiology, so I enjoyed the chance to see how it all applied outside the text. :)
Soc189- Global Elites taught by Professor Ivester- this was a great class- 2 midterms + 1 final. The professor gave us a set of questions beforehand (essay questions) where she picked one for the exam. This was the first time that Global Elites was taught at Cal, so I'm not sure if it'll be here again next year or not. But if you get a chance to take a class from Ivester, I highly recommend that you do- she's a fantastic teacher- very witty, funny, and laid back. There were a few times where she cancelled class because the weather was so great haha. There's iclickers for this class, but it's just based on attendance- more like opinion polls to foster discussion. The 3 exams were all weighted the same (20points each) and 40 points for attendance (iclickers), making up the 100 points for the class (no curve).
IB 191- Lab for a letter grade- for the final grade for 191, we had to do a "final project", which was anything you wanted to count for as a final project- I decided to do a powerpoint. Word of advice- don't procrastinate on this! I thought I had a lot of time to do a powerpoint so I put it off until about 3 weeks before it was due. I ran into a lot of problems, not only with trying to finish collecting data, but having my postdoc revise my powerpoint was a pain.. so start early!
I know I left out a lot of information still about these classes, but these were the most important points I thought to include! On a side note, I ended up getting all A's in these classes and got on the Dean's Honors List! (first time at Cal!- very proud! :)
If you have any questions about any of the classes or anything else in general, please don't hesitate to comment below!
Next blog post topics: mcat prep, 2015 mcat changes, plans for senior year~
Have a great summer!
-K
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Dear Reader 59
Hi! I'm currently a freshman intended IB major on the pre-med track and was wondering what you think about double majoring in IB and psych? I did some research on the classes and was surprised to see there were a few classes that overlapped between the two majors. However, I am still a bit wary about double majoring even though I think I have somewhat worked out a four year plan. I heard the psych upper divs are not too bad but I don't want to underestimate the workload I will have to face and I know IB on its own is tough enough. Let me know what you think!
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by! :) How are you doing in your classes so far? If you find that the prereqs are easy and you're not having any trouble with them, then i would say go for it, since i don't think psych would be too hard. However, if the lower div courses are a bit challenging, then I would hold off on the double major for now, since the classes are going to get harder for a few semesters before they get easier. Also, keep in mind that GPA is very important (as i'm sure you already know haha) so it might be well worth it to just focus on IB. However, with that being said, if you really love psychology and you really want to double major in it, try taking a class or two each semester. That way, by the time you're done with your IB lower divs, and you decide to pursue a double major in psych, you'll have the prereqs done and you can focus on upper divs along with IB upper divs (which aren't too many). Just make sure to get your scheduling down, and be wary of fluctuations (classes may overlap, not offered that semester, etc). Hope this helps and good luck! :D
-K
Sunday, April 7, 2013
On Taking the Next Steps
It feels like it's been a while since I've written anything 'pre-med life' related, besides semester evaluations and answering questions :)
So now it's my spring semester of junior year at UC Berkeley and a few months ago, I suddenly realized that I should be prepping for my MCAT! Like more and more people are doing nowadays, I've decided to take a gap year after I graduate so I can take some time to relax and travel a bit, and do some of the things that I haven't had time to do during my years at berkeley (I'll write a post on that when the time comes haha). However, that means that I'll have to apply to med school at the end of my senior year.. which means this is the last summer I have to study and prep for the mcat (gives me a headache just thinking about it haha). I decided to stay in berkeley over the summer for a few reasons: 1) I need to continue doing research (I didn't think my postdoc would let me take 3-4 months off), 2) I need to enroll in a mcat prep course, 3) I didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a subletter for my apartment, and 4) my hometown (in central California) is unbearably hot during the summer with absolutely nothing to do :)
I had a tough time deciding which mcat prep course I wanted to take. There are 4 main prep courses at berkeley: The Berkeley Review (TBR), the Princeton Review, Kaplan Test Prep, and Examkrackers. From high school AP prep books, I knew that Kaplan didn't fit me very well, and I haven't heard much about Examkrackers (for the MCAT), so I was stuck debating between TBR and Princeton Review. I've heard people say that Princeton Review was really helpful for verbal, but TBR was more helpful in the other sections. Another friend told me not to take any prep course at all, but that's a different story haha. In the end, I went with TBR because they hold review sessions almost everyday (except Sundays), which I thought would help guide and structure my studying, and they were cheaper (by a few hundred dollars, but still expensive!). I also signed up to take the MCAT in August, which was more nerve-wrecking that I thought it would be. I realized right then that this would be the test that would make or break it for me (I know, overdramatic) and my anxiety nearly doubled haha.
I'll update again when I start and let you know how things are going and my opinions about the course. Also, during the summer, I plan to just focus on mcat and continue working in lab part-time :)
P.S. I really should do a separate post on this, but I'm not sure when I'll think about it again, so i'll mention it briefly here- For those of you who are considering studying abroad- Do it, and don't lose your window of opportunity!! Make sure to look at your schedule in advance and see if you can fit in a summer or even a semester abroad. One of the biggest regrets I have so far is taking physics 8B over the summer, when I could have studied abroad :(
Best,
K :)
On a Mid-Semester Update (Spring 2013)
 |
| Anyone remember this movie? :) |
IB 132: This is an upper div physiology class, and it's taught by two professors: Professor Kaufer and Professor Lehman. There's reading assigned for every lecture (usually one chapter, sometimes two, sometimes a section of a chapter) and there's an i-clicker quiz at the beginning of each lecture from the assigned reading. The final class grade is made up of two midterms (~50 questions each), a final, i-clicker scores, and Mastering Physiology (online homework). Overall, the class isn't that bad as far as difficulty goes- they seem to test on main concepts so I think the best strategy for this class is to focus on their lectures and do the readings to supplement the lecture material (since questions on lecture and reading are fair game for the exams). With that being said, personally, I feel like it'll be a bit difficult to pull off an A in the course, unless you do extremely well on the midterms since there doesn't really seem to be a curve. The grading scale is slightly lowered so that an 87% is the cutoff for an A-, which isn't leaving too much room for error. I enjoy professor Lehman's lecture style more because he's more laid back, funny, and gives personal examples and demos whereas Kaufer more or less sticks to the powerpoint and doesn't digress much.
IB 132L: I was really fortunate to have gotten in this class as a 3rd year (at the same time, I feel slightly guilty since I'm taking up potential space for a senior...). So far, I enjoy it- far more than the other labs I've had to take at Cal so far. This lab meets once a week for three hours, and focuses largely on writing lab reports. They start you off slow, with writing just the intro or methods first, and then gradually you work up to writing a full on lab-report, which is not too bad i suppose. The labs themselves are interesting and fun -one lab was on dissecting a frog, another was on stimulating motor units by sending voltages through your arm, etc. There are also two independent investigations in this course, where you work with your group to create your own question and experiment using the techniques we learned in lab, followed by a presentation and lab report. Like most labs, grading in this course is strictly based on your GSI, and there doesn't seem to be a curve here either (it didn't say on the syllabus anyway haha).
IB 113L: There doesn't seem to be too much info about this class on either courserank and/or ratemyprof, so I was really glad to be able to give you a more in-depth look into this class. This is a paleobiology course taught by Professor Charles Marshall. As far as the class goes, it's very dense. The professor goes through a lot of slides, which are packed with information. And it wasn't the kind of information I was expecting (albeit, I had little prior knowledge about what a paleontology class entailed..). To put it broadly, this class focuses on the processes of evolution and fossilization, the concepts that go into compiling the fossil record, and what that fossil record can tell us about the past... basically, it's a lot of graphs, charts, and diagrams hahaha. However (and this is a big 'however'), the professor knows the student's don't have a paleontology background so he doesn't expect us to know the specific details of the lecture- just the main concepts. His midterm was roughly 25 questions, all short-response, and they asked about the concepts we learned in class (albeit, they weren't easy concepts and there were a lot of them..). The class also has a lab component to it, which meets once a week for three hours. It's set up so that there are stations around the room, and we're given a packet with questions for us to answer at each of the stations. There's no quiz at the beginning or homework at the end, and the GSI is constantly in high demand throughout the lab since no one really knows how to answer the questions hahaha. The overall class is made up of one midterm (25%), one final (35%), lab (25%) and a lab midterm (15%). One last thing, the professor is probably one of the best professors I've had at Cal. He's extremely passionate and enthusiastic about the subject and it seems to rub off on the students, including myself. He does a great job of relaying the concepts to the students and bringing in real-world examples when the concepts get too difficult. He's a terrific professor and I'm even planning on taking a class next semester just because he will be teaching it! (By the way, this class counts for both a 'Group' major requirement and a lab requirement!)
Soc 189: I believe the topic for this class varies with each semester and who's teaching it, but this semester, it's on The Global Elite, taught by Professor Szonja Ivester. This is my first time taking a soc class (for international breadth), and I really enjoy it. The class is 40% participation (i-clicker) and 60% exams. I'm not sure if each exam is worth 20% or if the final is worth more- it doesn't specify on the syllabus... Anyway, the professor is absolutely great- if you get a chance to take a class from her, take it! She's very funny (and swears a lot haha), laid back, and really gets you thinking about the material. The course focuses on what makes the elite, elite (does that phrasing make sense?), and it brought up points that I've never really considered before. We're not talking about how the rich and powerful get their money and how they spend it (well.. not all of it anyway haha..). It's more focused on distinguishing characteristics of leaders/followers, reproduction of elites, social closure, upbringing, culture, etc. Overall, it's a very fun and interesting class, and gives me a much-needed break from science classes :)
I'll give another update after final grades are out! Hope everyone is having a good semester so far and like always, leave comments or questions below and I'll try to respond as soon as possible!
Best,
K
IB 132L: I was really fortunate to have gotten in this class as a 3rd year (at the same time, I feel slightly guilty since I'm taking up potential space for a senior...). So far, I enjoy it- far more than the other labs I've had to take at Cal so far. This lab meets once a week for three hours, and focuses largely on writing lab reports. They start you off slow, with writing just the intro or methods first, and then gradually you work up to writing a full on lab-report, which is not too bad i suppose. The labs themselves are interesting and fun -one lab was on dissecting a frog, another was on stimulating motor units by sending voltages through your arm, etc. There are also two independent investigations in this course, where you work with your group to create your own question and experiment using the techniques we learned in lab, followed by a presentation and lab report. Like most labs, grading in this course is strictly based on your GSI, and there doesn't seem to be a curve here either (it didn't say on the syllabus anyway haha).
IB 113L: There doesn't seem to be too much info about this class on either courserank and/or ratemyprof, so I was really glad to be able to give you a more in-depth look into this class. This is a paleobiology course taught by Professor Charles Marshall. As far as the class goes, it's very dense. The professor goes through a lot of slides, which are packed with information. And it wasn't the kind of information I was expecting (albeit, I had little prior knowledge about what a paleontology class entailed..). To put it broadly, this class focuses on the processes of evolution and fossilization, the concepts that go into compiling the fossil record, and what that fossil record can tell us about the past... basically, it's a lot of graphs, charts, and diagrams hahaha. However (and this is a big 'however'), the professor knows the student's don't have a paleontology background so he doesn't expect us to know the specific details of the lecture- just the main concepts. His midterm was roughly 25 questions, all short-response, and they asked about the concepts we learned in class (albeit, they weren't easy concepts and there were a lot of them..). The class also has a lab component to it, which meets once a week for three hours. It's set up so that there are stations around the room, and we're given a packet with questions for us to answer at each of the stations. There's no quiz at the beginning or homework at the end, and the GSI is constantly in high demand throughout the lab since no one really knows how to answer the questions hahaha. The overall class is made up of one midterm (25%), one final (35%), lab (25%) and a lab midterm (15%). One last thing, the professor is probably one of the best professors I've had at Cal. He's extremely passionate and enthusiastic about the subject and it seems to rub off on the students, including myself. He does a great job of relaying the concepts to the students and bringing in real-world examples when the concepts get too difficult. He's a terrific professor and I'm even planning on taking a class next semester just because he will be teaching it! (By the way, this class counts for both a 'Group' major requirement and a lab requirement!)
Soc 189: I believe the topic for this class varies with each semester and who's teaching it, but this semester, it's on The Global Elite, taught by Professor Szonja Ivester. This is my first time taking a soc class (for international breadth), and I really enjoy it. The class is 40% participation (i-clicker) and 60% exams. I'm not sure if each exam is worth 20% or if the final is worth more- it doesn't specify on the syllabus... Anyway, the professor is absolutely great- if you get a chance to take a class from her, take it! She's very funny (and swears a lot haha), laid back, and really gets you thinking about the material. The course focuses on what makes the elite, elite (does that phrasing make sense?), and it brought up points that I've never really considered before. We're not talking about how the rich and powerful get their money and how they spend it (well.. not all of it anyway haha..). It's more focused on distinguishing characteristics of leaders/followers, reproduction of elites, social closure, upbringing, culture, etc. Overall, it's a very fun and interesting class, and gives me a much-needed break from science classes :)
I'll give another update after final grades are out! Hope everyone is having a good semester so far and like always, leave comments or questions below and I'll try to respond as soon as possible!
Best,
K
Friday, March 15, 2013
Dear Reader 58
Hi K,
I currently have Shabel for Bio 1B (Evolution) this semester. Do you have any tips on how to study for his midterms? Are the assigned readings from the book important or does he usually focus just on lecture material? Thanks in advance!
I currently have Shabel for Bio 1B (Evolution) this semester. Do you have any tips on how to study for his midterms? Are the assigned readings from the book important or does he usually focus just on lecture material? Thanks in advance!
Dear Anonymous,
I hope I'm not too late :)
When I had Shabel for bio 1B, he taught ecology, so I'm not sure how he'll test with evolution. However, for his ecology midterm, he focused more on lecture material, if I remember correctly.. Pay close attention to his graphs and charts because one of our questions focused on one of them. Also, he asked questions on examples he gave during lecture. If you have time, I would read the book to supplement the lectures because If he assigned the readings, then it might be fair game for the midterm :/ One more thing, he tends to focus on small details so look through the lectures thoroughly. But once again, I had him for ecology so please take my advice with a grain of salt!
Best of luck on the midterm! :D
-K
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Dear Reader 57
I really love your blog and especially this entry about being a pre-med student in Cal. I do really want to get into a good pre-med school and since I'm living here in NorCal, UC Berkeley is my first choice. Been reading a lot of threads about how hard to be a pre-med student in Cal etc. etc. However, I really want to pursue my pre-med in Berkeley despite of how hard it would be. I already have my Bachelor's degree, major in Nursing but I finished it in a foreign school so I think I have to study more courses in Biology and Chemistry.
I'm goin' to apply this start of the year because I'm really decided that this is the track that I want to walk into. I am a nurse already but still, I want to pursue my first love --- MD. :)
Thanks for your wonderful blog! :)
I'm goin' to apply this start of the year because I'm really decided that this is the track that I want to walk into. I am a nurse already but still, I want to pursue my first love --- MD. :)
Thanks for your wonderful blog! :)
Dear Jan,
Thank you so much for your kind words! When I was deciding on which school to go to, I also got stuck reading the threads about the difficulties of being premed at Cal. I think, ultimately, the experience is entirely yours to make. It's not easy (for most) to get good grades or to find research positions, or volunteer positions, but that depends on how hard you're willing to work for it. And it seems you have a great, positive outlook and a real passion to go all the way, so I say go for it! Also, you already went through undergrad so the transition to Berkeley shouldn't be as difficult as for those coming straight from high school :) Please let me know how things go!
-K
Dear Reader 56
Hi K,
I wasn't able to get into a Chem 3AL lab this semester and I won't be able to take summer classes this year. Is it feasible to take Bio 1A/L and Physics 8A as well as Chem 3AL in the fall? This is really messing up my plans, since I wanted to take Chem 3B/L next spring and I heard you need 3AL to take 3BL.
Thanks!
I wasn't able to get into a Chem 3AL lab this semester and I won't be able to take summer classes this year. Is it feasible to take Bio 1A/L and Physics 8A as well as Chem 3AL in the fall? This is really messing up my plans, since I wanted to take Chem 3B/L next spring and I heard you need 3AL to take 3BL.
Thanks!
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by! It depends on whether or not you can manage your time and work load well- really well. I took chem 3B/L and physics 8A together and it was fine, mostly because physics 8A wasn't too difficult and not too demanding. Bio 1A (lecture) wasn't too bad, but studying for the labs were terrible (and I think most people would agree), especially since the lab has both a midterm and a final. Chem 3AL wasn't bad either, but I think it was largely due to the GSI that I had. Overall, I would say yes, it is feasible but you'll have a tough work load, since bio 1AL and chem 3AL take a lot of time to prep and study for. You could try it out for a week or two and if you feel like it's too much to handle (look ahead on the syllabus!) or you might not do as well in one of the classes, drop one of them asap- it's not worth damaging your gpa haha :) Sorry I couldn't offer better advice!
Have a great first week of classes!
-K
Dear Reader 55
can you post about the classes you're taking this next semester?
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for stopping by! Luckily, i've finished all my prereqs for my major (as well as premed rereqs) so now I can focus on upper divs :) This semester, I'm taking human physio (IB 132/L), Paleobiology (IB 113L), and music 139 (for breadth requirement). Also, i'm continuing lab, so I wanted to keep my units low. I don't know anything about these classes except that they are required for my major. I'll do a beginning-of-semester review a few weeks into classes so be sure to stop by then!
Good luck with your first week of classes! :)
-K
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)