Hello. I definitely know that UC Berkeley and UCLA give those who take 15 honors units an admission priority. So far, I have straight A’s with one withdrawal, and I have earned 30 units including this semester.
Fall semester (2016) -
AP Calculus I credit 3 units
Calculus II 4 units
English composition and literature 3 units
GE (introduction to music) 3 units
GE (cultural geography) 3 units
Summer semester -
Introduction to Chemistry Lecture 3
Introduction to Chem Lab 1
Fall semester -
English critical thinking and composition 3
Calculus III 4
GE (world history) 3
Physics Mechanics Withdrawn
I actually tried to major in electrical engineering, however I was really struggling with physics. I like physics, but I just suck at it… but I have been doing good on calculus III so far. I might be able to maintain 4.0 gpa by the end of the semester. I know that calculus III is not even a pre-req for biz econ, UCLA, but I am just wondering if it raises my chance to get in.
I am kinda afraid of taking honors courses, since I don’t know how hard they are…
Any advice about school activities or programs to increase my chance to get into UC B or UCLA?
From what I understand, they look at students with honors certification higher than those without. I would recommend talking to your counselor to seen if your school has any special programs with UCB or UCLA that would increase your chances of admission.
If you intend to be an economics major, having calculus 3 can be helpful if you decide that you want to take the more math-heavy version (e.g. UCB with Economics 101A/101B/141 or UCLA math/economics major) or prepare for PhD study in economics. Linear algebra and differential equations are also good to have for these purposes.
ucla has a TAP program with some CC that is supposed to give priority consideration for admission to the college of letters and science. See http://tap.ucla.edu/ I don’t know if Cal has a program like that, you can look online to see
Yeah I know this information, but I dout myself if I can maintain a good gpa with honors courses. So my dilemma is fulfilling TAP with around 3.7-3.8 gpa or maintaing a higher gpa with regular courses
If you cannot take honors classes and maintain a GPA in your current range, then it is likely that you will not be prepared to succeed in upper division econ course work at UCLA or UCB, as their upper div is extremely rigorous and an honors class course work is most comparable to the courses offered at these institutions.
Berkeley UG admissions advisor told me no, they do not particularly care for honors classes. Berkeley doesn’t have honors agreements, their requirements are fairly cut and dry.