<p>Don’t do that. That is stupid. Literally you’ll shoot yourself in the foot if you sign up for a course load you can’t manage. Instead, manage your time wisely and perhaps find more extracurriculars. Berkeley loves that - any research, internships, or jobs related to your major is gold. I think so far you’re doing okay. Just bring that GPA up to at least a 3.7 so you can be really competitive. </p>
<p>It doesn’t matter how much of a course load you take in one semester (obviously don’t take 3-6 units only). They really won’t be impressed if you got a 3.4 with 20 units over a 4.0 with 14 units, while also working or being involved in research, volunteering, ect. </p>
<p>Just do the best that you can do. Berkeley won’t scorn you if it takes you three years to transfer. Just don’t stress yourself so much in one semester with 20-22 units…that’s nonsense.</p>
<p>^ Not really. As a transfer it’s almost purely a numbers thing (With the exception of Haas Business School). The absolute best way to get into UCB Econ is to load up on 19 units a semester and get straight As. To put that into context</p>
<p>4 units Calculus
4 units Science Class w/ Lab
5 units Foreign Lang
3 units Econ
3 units elective GE courses (aka should be blow-off courses) </p>
<p>For a full-time student this isn’t THAT hard of a course load. It shows that you can manage your time well and you have a good chance of success in upper division courses. Like I said 12 units of upper div econ will be equivalent to 20+ units of CC coursework. To reiterate if a person can pull-off this course load with all As then they got a great chance of being admitted. Much HIGHER than someone who is taking 13 units, 3 yrs to transfer and has some volunteer experience.</p>
<p>At my school, units tend to be a bit inflated. Science with lab is 5 units (except geology) and all the math classes are 5 credits. So it adds up extremely fast. What is your opinion on online classes? I could rack up a lot of GE classes this way. I had one GE course online this semester and it went horribly, but then again the professor was rated like 1.6. So maybe that is why I had a bad experience.</p>
<p>It comes down to how well the teacher preps you for the tests. If they give a study guide that is identical to the test then it’s okay to take. Personally I tend to stay away from online classes.</p>
<p>Hey, I just finished my first semester at Cal after transferring as an econ major. Just to give you an idea of what I had</p>
<p>3.95 GPA
EC’s were pretty strong
I didn’t have any calculus done when I applied and only did calc 1 the summer before I started, and took calc 2 this semester. </p>
<p>As someone else said really shoot for a 3.8+… I know many transfer econ majors and I think only one had less than a 3.8 and he only got in as a spring admit… </p>
<p>My CC maxed out at 19 units as well but because of my gpa I was allowed to take 22 units my last semester. </p>
<p>The only thing that should really worry you is the fact that you are struggling in community college. I had a lot going on while in CC and even though I cut my load down to 14 units at Cal and did not work I really struggled to get a 3.0 this semester. It’s rigorous, community college does not prepare you for the difficulty or the amount of studying. If you can’t pull a near perfect in community college you probably won’t make the GPA requirement for Econ after you transfer. Not trying to scare you or be a dick but getting a 2.7+ this semester was so difficult for me and my fellow econ transfer friends. Only 50% of econ transfers actually make into the major due to the GPA req the first semester.</p>
<p>However if you are serious you can easily turn it around, show up to class every day and turn in every assignment. That on top of minimal studying and you should be able to get a 3.8+ in community college. </p>
<p>Also don’t feel bad if you don’t make into UCLA or Cal you can get into many great schools with a 3.3ish. Even with a 3.95 I was certain I would get rejected, its not an easy task that’s for sure.</p>
<p>Oh and on a final note online classes are great in my opinion! Do not take math or anything difficult online as you won’t learn the subject but its great for GE’s. As others said check rate my professor as well…</p>