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I do not know very much about the Berkeley pre-med program or whether your grades suffer because you attended Berkeley. But, there has to be some recognition of the fact that one has lived through and survived one of the most rigorous programs; which makes you work really hard for your grades.
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<p>You'd think so, but med schools are still taking students from the elite private schools averaging a lower GPA, when it's easier for them to get that GPA. Sorry to say it, but your son sounds like a lot of students at Berkeley, squeaking by pre-med pre-reqs with Bs and maybe Cs. Since averaging Bs = 3.0 and most Berkeley students need around 3.7 - 3.9 to get into med school, maybe you can understand why we say if you have the option to attend an elite private university that sends more students to med school, that you take that option.</p>
<p>It is my guess that UCSD doesn't have a strong (or any) reputation outside of the US. Even so, it's reputation would be overshadowed by Berkeley or UCLA. Perhaps this will change in time.</p>
<p>Eyeballing the figures, it seems that for those who were graduating seniors and 'first-year-outs' in 2005, those who were admitted had somewhere between a 3.6-3.8 or so. It's higher for the graduating seniors, lower for the 'first-year-outs's, probably because the first-year-outs consist largely of former graduating seniors who didn't get in anywhere the first time around, and so will probably apply to lesser-ranked med-schools in their 2nd attempt which therefore means getting in with a slightly lower average GPA.</p>
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"You'd think so, but med schools are still taking students from the elite private schools averaging a lower GPA, when it's easier for them to get that GPA. Sorry to say it, but your son sounds like a lot of students at Berkeley, squeaking by pre-med pre-reqs with Bs and maybe Cs. Since averaging Bs = 3.0 and most Berkeley students need around 3.7 - 3.9 to get into med school, maybe you can understand why we say if you have the option to attend an elite private university that sends more students to med school, that you take that option."</p>
<p>My son's overall GPA is a little over 3.5. It's the Chemistry course that he is finding challenging even though he probably puts in the most effort into it. Getting an A in Math 1A was relatively easier for him. He also did well in his English course (A-).... So, it's not so bad. </p>
<p>I have heard that your freshman year is the toughest. Things generally get better in your upper division courses. So we are still hopeful. His GPA should improve once he gets past the so-called "weeder" courses.</p>
<p>As the name suggests, "weeder" courses are meant to weed out students from a major they would have difficulty in succeeding later on in the program. For example, Chem helps to let all the aspiring pre-meds gauge themselves.... whether they have what it takes to get into a med school. I am not sure which courses should be classified under this category. Perhaps someone who has gone through the system can answer this.</p>
<p>My son's school only offered honors Chemistry. However, he took the AP Chemistry test in the junior year of HS and got a 4. I thought he liked Chemistry though his teacher in HS was not very good.</p>
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My son's overall GPA is a little over 3.5. It's the Chemistry course that he is finding challenging even though he probably puts in the most effort into it. Getting an A in Math 1A was relatively easier for him. He also did well in his English course (A-).... So, it's not so bad. </p>
<p>I have heard that your freshman year is the toughest. Things generally get better in your upper division courses. So we are still hopeful. His GPA should improve once he gets past the so-called "weeder" courses.
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<p>Yeah, Math 1A is a pretty easy course. Upper-divs do tend to grade easier, although the material is more advanced. Med schools though, put a lot more weight into the courses that are required for med school, i.e. the lower-div science courses. They tend to be almost all weeders since admission to med school is, as you might have guessed, competitive. I'm not trying to discourage you or your son; if he does well in his other courses and get a good MCAT score, there's a good chance he'll get into a med school. I just want the prospective students to know what they're getting themselves into.</p>