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

On an End of Semester Update Fall 2013

Happy New Year! 

Hey Guys, hope your semester went well and I hope you're enjoying your break :)

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 

Dear Reader 63

Anonymous said...

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!

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 

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