Hello all,
I will be enrolling as a freshman at Berkeley this fall intending to major in Chemistry and Economics. The double major sounds attractive in my head, and while I will likely be overwhelmed by the work, I want to at least give it a try. Because I would also like to take as many Spanish classes as possible, I’m trying to design my schedule far in advance to make sure I’m able to meet all requirements. Currently, I’m “planning” on taking Chemistry 4A, Mathematics 1A, Spanish 100 or Physics 7A, and (possibly) Economics 1 during my first semester. However, the Berkeley planning modules explicitly recommend against taking Econ 1 as a freshman, and since I only have a semester of basic economics under my belt, I worry I should perhaps heed their advice. If I were to do so, however, I’d run the risk of not meeting the Chemistry/Economics major declaration prerequisites by my fourth semester. Knowing that I would also like to engage in campus activities during my time at Berkeley, do you think I should avoid Econ 1 my first semester? On a more general level, do you think this overarching schedule is too difficult? While I have completed two years of IB HL Chemistry and IB HL Mathematics, and consider myself fluent in Spanish, I doubt those experiences will prepare me sufficiently for equivalent college courses. Thanks in advance for any and all advice you can provide!
Danny
If it was easy to pursue double majors, a lot more people would do it. You are probably finding the rub of two rather different majors with not a massive amount of requirement overlap. If you want an active social life, I wouldn’t attempt 2 STEM classes that first semester. Isn’t there a lab for your chem class as well? Also, language classes at Cal are notoriously difficult. It can be a bit misleading to look at 4 or 5 classes and think that’s not a big deal. Remember that most STEM - and many other - classes have a lecture and separate discussions sessions, which eat up time in your week. This doesn’t include study groups you may join just to get through those STEM classes. Oh, and you will also be spending time how to “college”, which has it’s own set of challenges.
I know that sounds negative, but many a smart kid has gone into their freshman fall guns blazing, only to have their GPA’s - and egos - demolished. I know some people poo-poo recommendations, but they are usually made for a reason (i.e. they’ve seen enough kids struggle when they do it another way). If they say don’t take Econ 1 off the bat, there is probably a good reason.
The schedule may be difficult for most people, but there are always people who handle all the work like a champ and thrive. The main concern is the Econ 1 requirement states ‘Open to Sophomores Juniors and Seniors Only’, so I’m not sure if you are even able to enroll.
My choice of action would be take the first 4 classes you listed and see how well you do, and if you found it entirely manageable, then take Econ 1 in later semester.
Physics 7A has a prerequisite of Math 1A and corequisite of Math 1B, so if you are taking Math 1A, then you should wait a semester before taking Physics 7A. But if you have completed IB Math HL and did well, you probably should be in a more advanced math course. Try the old Math 1A and 1B final exams at https://tbp.berkeley.edu/courses/math/ to check your knowledge and see if you are ready for a more advanced math course (1B, 53, or 54).
Economics 1 is not generally a difficult course, but it may have a lot of grade-competition, since many of those in it are trying to get into the competitive-admission business major, or the economics major which has a GPA threshold.
@ucbalumnus Thanks for your feedback. I took a look at the Math 1A final, and I know how to do all of it. However, I’m inclined to take the class anyway so that I have four units in which I’m likely to get a decent grade that will hopefully balance out any issues I have in the more difficult courses. Since I posted this, I’ve also spoken with the Spanish department, who confirmed that I will likely be able to go directly into Spanish 100 as a (supposedly) rare exception. I’m hoping chemistry and math are tough but not impossible (given that I’ve taken their IB corollaries and done well) and economics should be alright if I commit myself to learning some of the material this summer. That just leaves Spanish, which I’m hoping isn’t too hard. I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m biting off more than I can chew and will be regretting it later on. Can you speak to that at all? Thanks!