Dear Reader 57

Jan Isaiah Garcia said...

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! :)

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

Anonymous said...

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!

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

Anonymous said...

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