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701

<p>chumphree: IGETC doesn't clear you from finishing American Cultures. You may have already satisfied it (check with L&S to see if it transferred as having done so if you believe this is the case), but it's fairly likely you'll have to take it on campus. Aside from that, it should be nothing but English. :)</p>

<p>As far as English department requirements go: you do have to take Shakespeare. You don't need to satisfy any of your prerequisites prior to taking whatever upper division courses you like EXCEPT for those for which it is required to declare the major in English. Those you want to get out of the way ASAP. If you have taken 45A or B and one Shakespeare, 45A, 45B or 45C (so 45A and Shakespeare will satisfy it, or 45A and 45B, etc.), then you're fine to take things in whatever order you'd like. You NEED to declare the major ASAP, so you should spend this summer doing what's necessary to make that happen. If you've met the requirements? Carry on as you will.</p>

<p>I don't know how helpful the department office will be, or the L&S deans, at this time in the school year, but you could try emailing either one of them. The best contact for these kinds of questions in the department office is the Undergraduate Adviser, Ken Mahru (<a href="mailto:kenmahru@berkeley.edu">kenmahru@berkeley.edu</a>). Worry about talking to someone at L&S only if he can't answer your questions or direct you to someone who can.</p>

<hr>

<p>I can answer questions about the English major at Cal (transferred here in Spring 2007, and my boyfriend who is also an English major has been here since freshman year 2004), but I know more about the content and instructors as it relates to the medieval stuff. </p>

<p>That said:</p>

<hr>

<p>mslouise: Discounting the Comp Lit department (which is very useful for getting stuff the English department doesn't offer itself!), the English department has a large selection of classes with those things in mind. Thing is, they're often seminar-type classes like 100, 150 and other variable topic courses. Because the content varies from semester to semester, the General Catalogue will say nothing except "Topic varies" or something like it. You can check the Course Offerings (Berkeley</a> English: Courses: Announcement of Classes) for Fall 2008 and previous semesters to get an idea of how often that kind of stuff is offered and whether it's enough for you.</p>

702

<p>


</p>

<p>It can.</p>

<p>I had a mix-up with transfer credits that resulted in a terrifying email midway through my first semester on campus: Your admission will be rescinded in 10 days.</p>

<p>After a visit to the L&S Deans, I figured out it was because I had taken Music 8 in the winter quarter (before I started at Cal) and failed it, and chose to take it again spring quarter (while I was at Cal). Because of the fail and desire to repeat, I had called to ask if I could hold on sending my transcripts until the end of the semester. Apparently the "sure" I got didn't mean anything, resulting in that email. </p>

<p>I met with the L&S deans AGAIN and got a retroactive approval for dual-enrollment and a stay on my penalty. So it took 2 visits to the L&S office and a visit to Admissions to get that sorted out, which sucked but was entirely my fault.</p>

<p>You'll find the system can be kind of... arbitrary... sometimes as well. The approval of my English classes for transfer as English department credit required meeting with a professor and justifying why the course I took matched the same at Berkeley. Had I had a less strict professor reviewing my case ("You only wrote one substantive paper? I think three would have been more appropriate."), I might not have had to take Shakespeare AGAIN.</p>

703

<p>
[quote]
It can.</p>

<p>I had a mix-up with transfer credits that resulted in a terrifying email midway through my first semester on campus: Your admission will be rescinded in 10 days.</p>

<p>After a visit to the L&S Deans, I figured out it was because I had taken Music 8 in the winter quarter (before I started at Cal) and failed it, and chose to take it again spring quarter (while I was at Cal). Because of the fail and desire to repeat, I had called to ask if I could hold on sending my transcripts until the end of the semester. Apparently the "sure" I got didn't mean anything, resulting in that email.</p>

<p>I met with the L&S deans AGAIN and got a retroactive approval for dual-enrollment and a stay on my penalty. So it took 2 visits to the L&S office and a visit to Admissions to get that sorted out, which sucked but was entirely my fault.</p>

<p>You'll find the system can be kind of... arbitrary... sometimes as well. The approval of my English classes for transfer as English department credit required meeting with a professor and justifying why the course I took matched the same at Berkeley. Had I had a less strict professor reviewing my case ("You only wrote one substantive paper? I think three would have been more appropriate."), I might not have had to take Shakespeare AGAIN.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This is EXACTLY what I'm worried about because I'm a newly transfer admit as well. Cal's "if any little trivial thing doesn't work out well, we'll rescind your admission" mentality really has me on my tippy toes even though I don't have any mistakes on my application, but still, stuff happens and it's scary.</p>

<p>Wait, you had to go through all that to get your English course certified?! Was the course not a transferable course or something? Did it have the CCCT tag when you put it in your application? Because if it's not a course that's already under agreement, then it's understandable that you'd have to get it certified, even though the process is still unnecessarily gruesome. But if that was a transferable course, then that is wrong beyond belief and that's exactly the kind of mix-up I'm worried about.</p>

704

<p>Yeah, well, it was quite annoying. But aside from the heart-stopping "NO YOU" email, it got straightened out. And at least they did bother to notify me. Just ... be sure to frequently check all your emails? It's not a problem for 99% of people, I just cause problems all over the place with the administration.</p>

<p>The English credit was, again, a thing I had to do because I'm just a special little snowflake about my education. Despite transferring from a CC, I actually spent my first year of college at UCSC (and managed to take a couple English classes in that year, including an upper division course), so I needed to get credit articulated for courses outside the assist.org agreements. If that's not the case for you, you're fine.</p>

705

<p>How do you find out beforehand if you are graduating with honors?</p>

706

<p>How many units per semester should I opt for if I intend to double major in Computer Science + OR&M/Mathematics? (CL&S)</p>

707

<p>Do any AP courses satisfy the American Cultures requirement?</p>

708

<p>APs will not waive the American Cultures requirement.</p>

709

<p>does the average person at cal have much time to work out?</p>

710

<p>Must all breadth courses be taken at Cal for CNR? CNR web site doesn't say yes or no whereas L&S specifically says yes.</p>

711

<p>gokitty4: the gym can often be full so i guess that would be a yes</p>

712

<p>awesome. thanks!</p>

713

<p>Are there cooking areas in the Units? (I'm in Unit 3, Spens-Black I think). Also, if yes, what facilities do they have?</p>

714

<p>Since the EECS experience at call is hellish/brutal/murderous, let's say 10.0/10.0 in terms of difficulty. On a scale of 1 - 10 how difficult is the MechE major compared to EECS?</p>

<p>Where can I find the ME curriculum?</p>

715

<p>I sent this as a PM to another member, but I thought it would be helpful if I put it out there for the masses. Here goes...</p>

<p>Mike here, and I'm transferring over in the Fall from College of Marin as an English Lit major. I apologize for this "out of nowhere" question, but I'm doing some schedule planning for this fall, and I wondered how many English Lit courses is too many? As of right now, I plan to take 45A and B at the same time, as well as a Junior Seminar that looks fascinating. This is, of course, assuming I can get in to any of these classes. The Junior seminar is already full AND waitlisted as of this moment, and I don't get my advisor code and phase 1 appt till mid july - I'll be in Manhattan all summer for an internship, barring me from any available CalSO dates. I was also looking at an American Lit 1900-45 class as well in case I don't make it into one or more of the above.</p>

<p>It's a lot, I know. I also know that I'm quite capable and hard working, as well as a voracious reader. Am I nuts?</p>

716

<p>should I take skip math 1a and start math 1b at fall, or take math 1a at fall and math 1b in spring (AP Calc AB only)? </p>

<p>Btw, the major's astrophysics</p>

717

<p>NoAssumptions: A more detailed answer was PM'd, but the basic answer consisted of: Yes, you're nuts. Yes, it's doable.</p>

<p>45A and B classes have a lot of reading in terms of breadth, but not quite so much in depth. You'll be reading a majority of the Norton Anthology for the period each class covers, plus probably some outside reading assignments. The classes are big, so you can often get away with not reading everything, but it's always in your best interests not to -depend- on the large lecture size because discussions certainly aren't so relaxed. </p>

<p>Upper division English courses often pack on the depth: you'll read several novels. You'll write at least one "large" paper, and it might involve reading additional scholarly sources on the side. Sometimes you will also have additional papers AND exams. This past semester, 1 of my upper div English classes assigned 1 major essay (13-17 page research) with a 5 page rough draft and precis preceding it, as well as a midterm and a final exam. Another of my upper div English classes had 1 small essay (3+ pages), 1 larger essay (5-7 pages), a 15 minute presentation, a midterm and a final.</p>

<p>A junior seminar is a little different in that the entire focus of the course is on developing a cohesive research paper based on the topic of the seminar. It will involve lots of reading and discussing, and also a good deal of independent work on the research (and reading scholarly articles). I think most papers are ~10-15 pages.</p>

<p>You can do these courses at the same time. It will require a GOOD deal of organization and discipline. The benefit of taking different kinds of courses at the same time is the ability to take a mental "break" from one kind of work in order to refocus on another. With classes like this? You'll ALWAYS be reading and writing. For some people, this is fine. For others, it's nothing but torture. It doesn't matter if you love reading or writing -- sometimes the variety is really necessary in order to really enjoy and excel. </p>

<p>hiall: Obviously my experience is in other areas, but I feel the need to ask a couple pointed questions.</p>

<ol>
<li>What's the rush?</li>
<li>If there really is a reason to get it done ASAP, do you feel you're really strong in the topics covered in Math 1A? If you have your doubts, don't tank your GPA and your confidence by throwing yourself into the next level of math if you aren't 100% sure about your abilities. Classes at Cal are harder than what most students come in expecting. Don't overdo it just to prove something to yourself or your family or friends or whoever. Do what works for you.</li>
</ol>

718

<p>Undecided, thanks for all the great advice. </p>

<p>You're right - I don't want to burn myself out, no matter how much I love literature. I'll break it up.</p>

719

<p>If we take math 1A, how can we take physics 7B on the second semester, since physics 7B have a math 53 prereq and we're still stuck with math 1B on the second semester?</p>

720

<p>So I'm doing some preliminary class scheduling right now, and some of my
things I have set up so that they're back to back. Is that problematic, per se? </p>

<p>Ex./ </p>

<p>Class A (Lecture or Discussion) goes from 4-5.
Class B (Lecture or Discussion) goes from 3-4.</p>

<p>Do I need to worry about running from class to class across campus?
Do I need some spacing out?</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch in advance.</p>