<p>hey, so im planning to major in bioengineering for premed. after being curious about what the major entails, i noticed this:</p>
<p>Pre-Med</a> Concentration</p>
<p>it seems kinda cookie-cutter to me. is it a must to take these specific classes as listed? for example, since i got a 5 on ap calc bc, can i ditch math 1a & 1b and do something like math 16a (for the easier A) for example? as a premed, would there be any advantage to taking the more advanced courses (math 53, 54) that outweighs the negatives of a much harder freshman year?</p>
<p>also, can anyone, specially those currently in bioengineering, suggest any course combos to avoid? for instance, i know that chem 3b and bio 1a at the same time is...quite fun lol.</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>No, you cannot take Math 16A and 16B for the bioengineering major. Since you have a 5 on AP Calculus BC, you can [skip</a> Math 1A and 1B](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/courses_AP.html]skip”>http://math.berkeley.edu/courses_AP.html) and complete the major’s math requirements by taking Math 53 and 54. This effectively gives you schedule space for two free electives.</p>
<p>If you are just interested in GPA boosting for medical school application purposes, you would look for the major with the most grade inflation and the least competitive students (probably some humanities major, since there is usually more [grade</a> inflation](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com%5Dgrade”>http://www.gradeinflation.com) in humanities than there is in social studies, engineering, and science) and take just enough pre-med courses to fulfill requirements and learn the MCAT material. But then you may not have much of a backup plan if you do not get into medical school.</p>