<p>Hello all
I will be attending UC Berkeley this Fall 14 as a transfer student from Community College. I was accepted into the College of Letters and Science and was planning to declare after my first semester to the MCB with a biochemistry emphasis. </p>
<p>After doing some research and attending orientation I have been reconsidering this option because of the possible gpa deflation I may experience. A friend of mine suggested the Nutritional Science with Metabolic Physiology major in CNR, and after talking to an adviser in CNR I have found that it is possible to make this switch. I have also been considering IB.</p>
<p>I want to major in a biological science that is small scale oriented in study, but it is very important that I maintain a high gpa either for medical school or for graduate school in bioengineering (still thinking about this).</p>
<p>Any advice/experience would be greatly appreciated. I am basically stuck between the MCB major vs the Nutritional Science Major.</p>
<p>There is no “best pre med major” anywhere. The general consensus is do what you want as long as you fulfill pre-reqs. As an MCB major at Cal, I can tell you the upperdiv classes don’t have nearly as much grade deflation and it’s not exceptionally difficult to get an A-. </p>
<p>IB is a good option because there is a fair amount of flexibility, do some exploring, pick some upper div bio classes, take the senior ones, find a prof and subject your love and take a graduate level class from them, get to know them better. Is Marion Diamond still teaching anatomy? </p>
<p>I am enrolled in IB 131 the anatomy with a lab
Carlson is teaching it </p>
<p>I didn’t know you could even take a graduate course if you wanted? (I am an undergrad). My principal concern is preserving my gpa as much as possible, this is the only reason mcb scared me a bit.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley is the most represented UG in D’s Medical school class. Unfortunately, I do not know their major. Apparently many pre-meds from CA are applying to Med. Schools in Midwest though, D. met many at various palces during her interviews. </p>
<p>McB Major at cal here.</p>
<p>The biggest GPA killers are usually the lower division courses for MCB. The upper division courses, except for MCB 102, are not exceptionally difficult, as Dina said.</p>
<p>You might take a look at McB vs. IB and the upper division course offerings, this is your chance to explore other science topics. Which things offered interest you just for the fun of it? Maybe pursue the major that allows you to complete your pre-med requirements and have the most fun and enjoyment in terms of interesting classes (to you) along the way.</p>
<p>^^I agree with somemom, the two majors are very different, in terms of their approach to biology.</p>
<p>Hmmm my mcb track does not require 102 but it does need 100a and 100b in place of 102 I think…
For me I want to study the Biochemistry track of mcb the most, I think the specific classes will be the most interesting to me. But my end goal is to get into medical school and I am willing to sacrifice and take an ‘easier’ path if I think it will help me more in satisfying my ultimate goal. </p>
<p>I am just torn in this decision, because for me it is not a question of what I want to study, I know this, but I am just uncertain if this is really a poor decision and opting for a more forgiving path is the smarter path (this is why I am considering nutrition and ib)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input!</p>
<p>I guess some of my uncertainty is stemming from the fact that med schools don’t care what your undergrad major is, and why would one choose a more difficult path (in terms of major) if this may ultimately hurt their chances?</p>
<p>1) because there is a better than a 50-50 chance you won’t end up attending med school and whatever you major in could end up being what you do for the rest of your life. </p>
<p>2) because there is substantive research that shows that students who enjoy and are intellectually engaged by their undergrad majors tend to do better academically</p>
<p>3) because undergrad may be the last time you have the freedom to choose what you want to study</p>
<p>You really need to look closely at the required classes for each track. Which of these classes do you really want to take? Personally, some mcb tracks seem less stressful than the IB human track with all those lab classes. </p>
<p>Thanks for all of the insight guys. I have decided to go the mcb route specifically in the biochem track. All of the comments have been super helpful and allowed me to think about this from many different perspectives.
Cheers!</p>
<p>@feelgood </p>
<p>I just thought to mention that Randy Schekman, the 2013 Nobel Laureate for physiology and medicine teaches one of the upper div biochemistry classes, will be a real treat for you! :)</p>
<p>@Jweinst1
Ahhh thank you for mentioning! I see he teaches a segment in the mcb 110 class.
Just looked at his wikipedia page and after reading found it inspirational that he is donating all of his winnings to cancer research.</p>
<p>@Jweinst1
Are there quizzes or exams or any thing like a quiz given in the mcb 100a discussion sections? Also are there any particular GSIs that you would recommend?</p>
<p>Omg!
@Jweinst1
I love you.</p>