<p>officially, got a letter from a professor saying i might not pass one of my prereqs and honestly, i can't really declare the major without having 70 units for L&S, and I won't meet it WITH all the prereqs completed. I have priority registration so i can till get the classes I need and I'm also going to repeat courses in community, but i just effing wanted a degree in biology. that's all. </p>
<p>1) is there another major like IB that's easier? I don't want to change really at this point with almost all prereqs done but idk..</p>
<p>2) I can also take the summer off and go back home to do some prereqs at community...and just continue on the bio track. </p>
<p>this is so stupid. i dont even care about learning anymore aafter coming here. i used to love going to school.</p>
<p>w...t.f.</p>
<p>it’s not the major that’s easy. most science majors require the same pre-reqs. i certainly didn’t enjoy the prereqs either and it really turned me off from studying for them. but if you aren’t able to hit the 70 points needed to declare IB, then it sounds like you might to repeat some courses? I’m not entirely sure.
i’m just taking a break from studying right now, so blunt response. good luck.</p>
<ol>
<li>Another major…Try something in CNR? There’s a bunch of biology related majors in there (maybe you’ll find something interesting) environmental science, plant bio, microbial biology, molecular environmental biology, molecular toxicology, nutritional science…public health maybe(L&S)?</li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah I guess I can related, any biology major related class here just tries to weed you out till the very end (especially OChem). Just hang in there!! I have faith in you (: there’s always times that we’re going to like or dislike classes and we have our good and bad moments. Berkeley is just a toughie and it’s a dog eat dog world but just hang in there and I know you’ll make it. I’m sure you’ll find a class that you will thoroughly enjoy ;)</p>
<p>Thanks guys! PH is capped though right? I dont think my gpa is high enough to try to get in. </p>
<p>Batman…what do you mean your taking a break? like semester off or just from studying for finals or something? do you think I SHOULD retake courses…all I would have to do is physics 8A/8B < which i just failed and am not going to the final lol, and bio 1b. I could do the ochems in the future but it might work without doing it yet. I don’t mind doing stuff after i graduate in community but i would need to have prereqs retaken to declare.</p>
<p>my life is over. i got a C- in a class not related to my major…for the SECOND time (second time getting a C in a class not related to my major). wow lol maybe i should just drop out.</p>
<p>i meant I was taking a break from studying for finals. again, it doesn’t matter which science major you choose, (I’m pretty sure) most of the pre-reqs end up being the same lower div classes. (I guess for PH, you can sub in MCB lower divs for Bio 1A/B…but nevertheless)</p>
<p>You can only retake so many courses here – don’t remember the limit and if you get a C-, your grade is averaged or something like that with your second grade. D or lower = new grade replaces old. I mean, rethink why you are not doing well in your courses. Sounds cliche, but take this winter break to think about what is going on. Are you just not interested in the material? Are you procrastinating and going out every weekend? Or maybe you’re just struggling with the material and not getting the help. I don’t know. Only you do. And you should still go to the IB/MCB office to talk to them about declaring, even if you can’t hit the 70 points. </p>
<p>And if you know you’re not doing well in a class unrelated to your major, always switch to P/NP. Why’d you end up taking it for a letter grade? :</p>
<p>I thought the f.cknig gsi would give me a better grade than that. i had him before…and i really didn’t put much effort into it before (it was a continuation) and i got an A. woah that sounds weird coming from me lol. “i got an A” and me saying that…doesn’t sound right. </p>
<p>buut i def didn’t think he’d give me C-. I thought a B for sure. < that was for the class A. now class B > well it sounds stupid but I just wanted a C- in the class that this teacher said i wasn’t going to pass and i thought i would pull that off so i could move on with my life. anyway, im not retaking anything here. i’m going to take classes in community at some point as well. </p>
<p>im not sure. right now i dont give a crap about learning anything because i hate the way everything has turned out. i dont know if i ever thought the sciences were THAT interesting but it was just something i narrowed it down to. i think im just going to go after my other passion, but i dont know whether i should still major in bio or not. i really want to…mainly cus i’ve already done a lot of prereqs and i want a degree in bio since it IS considered a noble major in a way as opposed to art for example (that’s not my other passion). but then again my gpa sucks because of it. i can’t join some things that i want to because of it but im not dwelling over that too much.</p>
<p>oh and yes! i am definitely doing that. taking this whole freakin month to think about what i really want to do. and thank jesus im going on a real vacation.</p>
<p>It’s going to be okay, don’t stress out too much over the C-! Life goes on, and you’ll take plenty of other courses to overshadow the few C’s you have. Welcome to Cal, where you get slammed back to earth just when you start feeling confident for being here. But anyway, as everyone mentioned, the prereq’s are weeder classes anyway and have little sympathy for grades. </p>
<p>But really, you should also be thinking about why you’re majoring in IB in the first place… It sounds like you’re doing it as it sounds like a “smarter” major, or to make someone else happy. What’s your goal after graduating - med school or grad school? If so, just take the required classes, but major in a different field… This is really overstated, but you should ideally major in something that BOTH interests you and is achievable (doesn’t burn you out). Don’t let grades bring down your interest in learning and growing. Even if you pick a non-science major, you’re going to be mixing your interests of science with something else, and that’ll show. Doing a non-science major may even make you stand out among the crowd of bio students, depending on what field you’re thinking of going into. Anyway, try to keep an open perspective, and don’t narrow your options down too much since that’ll discourage your spirit.</p>
<p>I was doing MCB, but the prereqs turned me off. Don’t get me wrong, I still love biology but I feel you don’t need a f*kin degree in it. It is just pure memorization, and I have done a lot of biological research in labs without a degree…</p>
<p>Maybe try for something more practical? I’m not sure. Good luck. O-chem is a b*tch.</p>
<p>Thanks both of you! Neurobear…yeah you’re right about everything. I was thinking of that…and I remember reading about this girl who is an asian celeb, and it says she was pre-med at first and then she ended up majoring in opera. and the first thought that came to my mind was …hmm that’s interesting and kind of cool i guess. it’s different…i just get so hung up on what other people are going to think sometimes but i guess no one really cares as much as you think they do. plus, nobody in my family has made it as far as i have. for instance, my mom told me that my cousin who’s a year younger is going to…art school…soo…? it really doesn’t matter it’s just hard for me to convince myself of that. lol but i had some photos taken of me and it’s so obvious through my eyes that i’m not happy with what’s in my life right now, and i’ve made it to a point where i CAN do my other passion (as long as i keep realizing that it’s not impossible). </p>
<p>anyways, thanks for all the help…keep it comin if you want to lol anything at this point helps. </p>
<p>i just dont know whether i should stick to taking my IB classes now. i’m signed up for IB 132 and 115. btw, i’m not in lab for 132 cuz it’s all full…is that okay? or is it better doing them together?</p>
<p>Heh, it’s okay - you’re not alone in that, I think many people are in the same boat in that they choose the major based on the image it builds of them, to impress others, etc. But in the long run, it’s you who will need to pull out a happier/satisfying college experience from these 4 years. Most people won’t even remember your major after a few years of you telling them. So yes, if you have some other interest in mind, then definitely consider it, and I’m not saying to rule out other bio majors either. </p>
<p>I think taking one IB class (IB 132) should be enough, don’t need to overload yourself with upperdiv bio courses again and lower your gpa. Consider taking some classes in the other department you’re interested in.</p>
<p>thanks good advice. i think i might do two upper divs over the summer cus they should be easier then. as far as grading and stuff like less percentage goes to tests sometimes. but yeah you’re right. i think i’ll just do that. </p>
<p>it’s funny how berkeley people are on here even after school has ended lol…ok im coming back in january. thanks!</p>
<p>You really might want to consider some of the CNR majors. Not only are the people generally less intense (fewer pre-meds, more people who just love bio, from what I’ve experienced), the majors are really flexible and the advisers are great. It sounds like CRS might be something that you’d be interested in - it’s kind of a design-your-own-major within the biological/social sciences. You just need to take a few of the general prereqs and core classes, and you’re set to take what you want. It’s the most flexible major within CNR, but Environmental Science and MEB might also interest you. </p>
<p>This is in part speaking from experience - I used to want to switch into L&S to do IB, but I decided to stay in CNR as MEB, as the classes were just a lot more interesting to me. And then I decided that I didn’t give a damn about biochemistry, and now I’m incredibly happy in Environmental Science.</p>
<p>Thanks, what kinds of classes are you taking? I did all of the prereqs for IB almost, so do any over lap?</p>