Dear Reader 65

AnonymousJanuary 22, 2014 at 5:13 PM

Hi K! Just commenting because I didn't know where else to.

I'm in my third year now here, MCB major. I started off strong my freshman year actually - 3.9 GPA. But last semester, my grades dropped quite a bit (only got one A). And on top of it all, I've started to waver in my convictions in being pre-med. But when I looked at other requirements for other paths (like pre-opt, PA) I started to panicking because I would have to take a lot more extra courses (hard ones too) on top of my MCB upperdivs for my major with only one year of college left! I typically only take 3 courses (two core and one breadth) each semester and a decal. What to do?

Sidenote: What are your thoughts on taking IB 132 separately from IB 132L?

Dear Anonymous

Thanks for stopping by! I completely, 100%, know how you feel-I was in the same boat thoughout most of my sophomore and junior year (one semester, I had no A's at all). My grades plummeted so low that, for a while, I seriously questioned my will to keep going, and I too, started looking at other options in healthcare.. :( However, I am here to tell you that it is possible to bring your grades up, and the important thing is to keep going and don't lose hope (easier said than done, I know :). My grades only started going up once I started upper divs for my major, so don't throw in the towel just yet ;)
Whenever I got panicked about my grades, I calculated my projected gpa for future semesters to see what I needed to get to bring my gpa up to what I wanted/needed it to be, and that helped shape the number and kind of classes I signed up for (both for overall gpa and science gpa), and it helped motivate me to give it my all so I could achieve my goals~
Also, I think it's important to realize that you don't need a 3.8 or 3.9 to get into med school (well...that depends on what school you're aiming for I suppose haha), and that if your GPA is falling behind a little by the time you apply, then try to make up for it with ECs, mcat, or LORs. If, by the time you graduate, you still feel like your application is sub-par, then you can always postpone for a year or so and do a postbacc or  SMP, which will increase your chances of getting accepted the next cycle. In other words, there are many paths to medical school and, hopefully, a low gpa will not deter you away from your dreams, even if it may take a bit longer to get there :) But like I said before, when you're anxious and stressed, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep the hope alive, so I guess I'll help you with it haha: Don't lose hope, you still have time to bring your grades up, and if not, there are still other ways to get into med school- stay strong-you can do it! :)

With regards to IB132, I took it with lab but it's not necessary- they start off together but diverge after a few weeks. But with that said, if you're planning on doing them separately, it might be easier to take the lecture portion first because lab is more conceptual and application based :)

I hope everything works out and if you need more encouragement, I'll be more than happy to provide it!

-K 

Dear Reader 64

AnonymousJanuary 11, 2014 at 9:34 PM

Hi K!

I read somewhere online that Cal allows students to skip Chem 1A if they did well on the AP Chem exam. Having scored a 4, should I skip it or take it? (I know Chem 1A has a notorious reputation :P )

Dear Anonymous,

Thanks for stopping by! If you're pre-med, then skipping it would not be a good idea :( 

Medical schools require students to take two semesters of chem (for berkeley, it's chem 1A and mcb 102) and those classes cannot be replaced with AP scores. HOWEVER, you might be able to get away with skipping chem 1A and substituting it with a different chem class. On the other hand, many upper div classes require chem 1A as a prerequisite (if you still want to skip chem 1A, you might want to ask a counselor about the chem 1A prerequisites for those classes and see if you can get away without doing it). Overall, I think it would be more of a hassle to not take chem 1A than taking it. Many people have said that if you've done well in AP chem, then chem 1A shouldn't be too difficult. I, on the other hand, did not do as well in AP chem haha

Best of luck! 

-K 

On Looking Back: Insight & Advice for Freshman Year

I found the most perfect dandelion today- you know the drill: make a wish and blow~

Hey Guys! Hope you had a fantastic holiday and (much needed I'm sure) rest!
Now that it's my last semester at Cal, I've been looking back at my time here quite a bit and I've decided to share some insights and advice with you :)

My Freshman Year:

For me, freshman year was an emotional roller-coaster. It was very hard to leave the comfort of home and immerse myself in a completely new setting, around completely new people. And the scariest thing was the realization that I was truly getting older, that my childhood was essentially over- it was a very solemn feeling. And I think being afraid of leaving home made me worry even more about succeeding in college and getting into medical school.

So that summer after high school passes by, and I finally enter college. Turns out, not as scary as I thought it would be haha. I think going into the dorms helped immensely with that, since I was constantly surrounded by friends and I loved my roommates, which made the dorm experience exciting and fun, allowing me to forget my fears and homesickness for a little bit.
As for classes, I was used to pushing myself in high school so most of the class transitions weren't too difficult. However, I remember chem 1A being the stuff of nightmares for me. I wish I could show you my journal entries during my first year at cal, but it would be too depressing- all because of chem 1A. I remember thinking that no matter how hard I try, I was not going to do well in that class, and that's when my fears for medical school started. After all, if I can't even get passed a lower div science class, how was I going to survive the rest of my years at Cal? (that was the over arching theme in my journal entries haha). However, as you can see, I'm not doing too bad now- just needed to get over those bumps (more like hills..) in the beginning :)

So if I can give myself some advice for my freshman year, I would say:

-Have fun- really. Looking back, freshman year was the only year that I had the excuse of being a freshman to ignore commitments for the time being (i.e volunteering, research, clubs, etc.). Don't get me wrong- I've gone to a few parties and hung out with my friends, but I feel like I should have done more.  When you're a freshman (assuming you don't know your college and surrounding area extensively), everything is new and shiny and unexperienced- so go out and do stuff (however, not to the extent where it'll hurt your grades!).
-Don't freak out over a failed exam- I did this way too many times to count. However in my defense, I didn't fully appreciate the role of a curve back then and thought that curves were the worst abominations imaginable haha. Now I realize that curves can be your best friends, since it can turn a failing grade into an average grade, and not the other way around :) Most of my anxieties from freshman year came from chem 1A (as i've mentioned before) and they were due to the fact that I scored so poorly on my exams (and perhaps the fact that we had four midterms and a final...). My life would have been much easier had I known that curves would help my grades be more tolerable ;)
-Don't worry about future classes- upper divs are not as difficult as lower divs (for IB majors, unfortunately I believe MCB upper divs are pretty difficult as well :( If/when you're struggling, just take it day by day- call your family, friends, eat some ice cream, take a break- but don't let the stress break you 
-Go to office hours/study hall lectures/rent books- don't be afraid to get the help you need! When I was struggling with chem, my mom gave me an invaluable piece of advice: if what you're doing is not working for you, then do it a different way! After she told me that, I checked out one chemistry textbook after another to try and learn the material a different way- a more conceptual way. I don't know if it helped me in the class, but it's a strategy that I employ to this day :) Also, if you're struggling with a concept/lecture/homework, go to office hours and study hall! I rarely went during freshman year, and now I wish I would have. I go often now that I know better haha And even when i don't need help with the material, I go to get a grasp of what the teacher is trying to emphasize in class so I know what to focus on when I study.
-Take advantage of all the libraries and cafes at Cal- studying in the dorms can be very difficult so try studying at the library or a quiet cafe. If those places don't work out, try finding a place where you can optimize your studying! During my freshman year, I would always try to force myself to study in the dorms due to my laziness, and the rare times I would go to the library to study, I ended up getting much more work done.
-Start studying at the beginning of dead week- many people I know (including myself at the time) chill/relax the first few days of dead week. And I know it's extremely tempting to since an entire week sounds like a lot of time to study...at the beginning.. wait till it's wednesday haha. Now, I study right when dead week starts and that allows me to optimize dead week and not put so much pressure in cramming a semester's worth of material in a few days!

This post is getting ridiculously long, so I'll end it there. For those of you who are still in your freshman year or entering your freshman year at Cal, I hope this post helps! For those of you who are past your freshman year and have any advice to add, please do not hesitate to comment!

I'll do a sophomore year advice soon!

Until then, best regards
-K