<p>how tough is the competition at cal in the pre-med/ sciences fields? ive heard its cutthroat, and im kind of nervous about being able to maintain a high gpa there... any input?</p>
<p>if you are scared of competition, CAL is not for you.</p>
<p>Maintaining a high GPA as a pre-med is definitely not a walk in the park. Students generally do one of two things: work very hard and sacrifice a lot to get that high GPA, or realize that the high GPA isn't worth it and there are better things worth their time.</p>
<p>mmm...I was worried about competition too when I came here, but honestly, it's not that bad at all. I'm pre med, and I'm an economics, mcb double major and I've found that most people (probably not counting engineers) are of average intelligence and drive. So if you're motivated and you're willing to study for your classes and not fall behind, I'd say you can do well. I think the real competition is with yourself in that there are going to be A LOT of interesting distractions when you come to college, so you need to learn how to manage your time. I'm still learning that, clearly :) But ya, I've never encountered any cutthroat, out to get you people...except...there are some major brown-nosers who are really, really annoying...but besides them ya, don't worry too much :)</p>
<p>Does anyone have any comments on the competitiveness of engineering at Cal?</p>
<p>Which engineering major?</p>
<p>MechE. </p>
<p>(10 char)</p>
<p>any input about EECS?</p>
<p>mathematics?</p>
<p><strong><em>bump</em></strong></p>
<p>EECS is a crapload of work and it is extremely difficult, and it is competitive in the sense that classes are curved, but it is <em>not</em> competitive in the sense that students try to one-up each other. Most EECS courses involve <em>a lot</em> of collaboration among students in the form of group projects. Even when that is not the case, EECS students will form study groups and help each other out.</p>
<p>"if you are scared of competition, CAL is not for you"</p>
<p>Polite: Do you currently attend Cal and say this because you KNOW this, or ??</p>
<p>The world is full of competition... get used to it.</p>
<p>Some things at Cal are very competitive (just ask people about engineering), and some things are...not-so-competitive. No one school has a monopoly on competition. Cal is a school with high standards, but you can also see the fact that posters on this board have plenty of time to enjoy Cal's other strengths.</p>
<p>Pre-med coursework will not be significantly easier anywhere else. Just do your best and enjoy the ride.</p>