<p>It sucks. I thought I would get an A in one of my classes and I got an 87! And then I know for sure I got a B in my R1B class because I got a B on all of my papers. ugh. Maybe I should just quit.</p>
<p>Oh dang is Berkeley that hard??
Was the actual class difficult or just the grading?
I didn’t want to do summer session because I didn’t want to get off to a bad start so quickly hahha</p>
<p>it doesnt matter how hard the class is. its about the competition. They wont give everyone A’s, you should have worked a little harder and atleast gotten B+'s
the difference is 3.0 and 3.3.</p>
<p>“Maybe I should just quit”</p>
<p>Are you that weak-minded?</p>
<p>So is everyone at Berkeley REALLY as smart as they say?? I’ve heard that there are a lot of mediocre students at Cal… I just find it hard to believe that everyone can be a genius or else they would be going to higher ranked schools</p>
<p>“maybe I should just quit” isn’t the right mindset to be in…</p>
<p>You really have to remember that college; especially Berkeley is NOT High School. Most importantly, B’s are NOT bad grades at one of the highest ranked schools in the world.</p>
<p>Remember; you are used to getting high grades (high B’s, high A’s) because you were at the top of your classes. Considering that professors know just how intelligent we are we can assume that they design their curriculum and grading scales to be a representation of how you are against other Berkeley Students.</p>
<p>Essentially, stop thinking that the grading scale of Berkeley is the same as high school. B’s are still considered an above average grade on a typical grading scale. Do NOT expect to be in the upper 10% of students at Berkeley.</p>
<p>JC7</p>
<p>C’s get degrees</p>
<p>Classes are by no means easy at Cal, especially classes for hard sciences. Welcome to the consequences of coming to the best PUBLIC school in the country where everyone feels like they are guppies in a pool infested intellectual sharks, harsh curves and difficult tests. In other words, Berkeley: Where your best is never good enough (unless you’re a genius).</p>
<p>Don’t get too hard on yourself. The first semester you’re getting used to college and all the ways it’s totally different from high school…you’ve got enough on your mind! (And certainly starting in summer sessions doesn’t make it any easier.)</p>
<p>Definitely don’t quit. You’ve got 3.5 years to take those B’s and turn them into A’s – take this as motivation to do better, use the resources available to you, and you’ll succeed. Exactly what happened to me my first semester.</p>
<p>Lol at all these soothing comments. </p>
<p>There should just be a sign that says: “Berkeley’s Grade Deflation! Screwing YOU since 1868.”</p>
<p>“Easy” is somewhat of a different meaning at Cal. Classes are “easy” if they are somewhat chill and require less work but it does not translate to mean an easy A at all.</p>
<p>Welcome to Cal. A B at Cal is actually a pretty solid grade. Be happy. Almost everyone suffers a GPA drop their first semester. There are rare people who get 4.0s the entire way through, but take a long hard look at them and realize that all but 1 or 2 of them are hopeless grinds. And yes, there are people who are absolute geniuses and others who are flat out mediocre. It’s life. Now get crackin’! Them books ain’t gonna study themselves!</p>
<p>Yeah, when you sired to berk, you shoulda knew what you were getting yourself into. Just let the grades be and move on.</p>
<p>handlebars - yes, there are mediocre students here, but those are the 15% that get the D and F grades in your classes. That leaves 85% who are likely just like you. Some smarter, some not as smart, most will work hard at the course. C means average - the average top performer from high school who got As there might be C here with the same level of work. Once you get used to what is expected and if you are willing to put in hard work, you can be comfortable you will get B type grades. Getting As may require that you are doing better on tests and assignments than 520 other students in the same large chem or bio class. A B may only require that you to outdo 320 students in the class. Do better than the lowest 90 or 100 and you are set with a C of some type.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! That helped. I just feel like if I continue to get B’s (even though that’s good for berkeley I guess) that it’d be difficult to get into grad school. Especially, since I’m considering pre-med, I don’t know if I could get in with thaat kind of transcript. Is it not better to switch to northwestern, where grades are inflated? I just hope I don’t go for 4 years and can’t go to any grad school like USC, Northwestern, or NYU. </p>
<p>What are some good resources to use besides SLC? I used the SLC for writing and the girl was pretty rude and unwilling to help. She was a 5th year doing an honor’s thesis. I wasted my time going to her…thank god i only saw her twice and accidentally forgot the third time, not that it would’ve helped.</p>
<p>Your experience highlights why so many recommend a light first semester - you are going to learn how to adjust and what it takes to do well. Everyone figures out the right strategies for themselves, what works for them and what kind of help is useful. For some, SLC might be right but for many, it doesn’t work. Might be a different way of studying, might be working in groups, might be a tutor, might be lots of visits to GSIs and Profs.</p>
<p>thank you!!</p>