<p>I had planned on majoring in CS and entering Haas, but after a stressful first semester yielding a 2.7 gpa and a C in a Haas math prequisite - math 54, I am unsure about these prospects. I know that most continuing students apply in the beginning of their sophomore year, leaving, I assume, two semesters of grades. Even if I manage a 4.0 this spring, I will have an approximate 3.3 gpa to work with, unimpressive considering the prevalence of 3.6 to 3.7 applicants. Are my chances ruined?</p>
<p>There’s actually three semesters of GPA counted. Also, pre-req gpa holds a lot more weight than cumulative gpa so u might still have a chance if u do well on all the pre-reqs here on out.</p>
<p>While the C grade certainly is not ideal, I know of someone who was accepted to Haas with a C in Stats. In her case, she used the “additional comments” part of the academic section of the application to explain the grade. If you have such a reason you can give, that will go a long way. If not, all hope is certainly not lost. If you strive to get that 3.3 GPA and complement that with extracirriculars/internship, etc., your candidacy is still viable, though it does become more challenging, needless to say, given that grade.</p>
<p>can’t you just take 53, get a better grade than a C, and then when they ask you what you took for the prereq, just use 53 instead of 54?</p>
<p>@crow: I think they specifically ask you to list the first course that you took that satisfies the requirement. (Reason why I put Math 1A instead of 1B, which worked better for me). I could be wrong…</p>
<p>I don’t believe you need to list the first course you took that satisfies the requirement. However, I believe that your transcript will find its way to your application, which would make it not only futile but also would imply a lack of transparency to list a higher relevant grade. You could still, of course, try to perform better in Math 53 and list that grade anyway, or you could take Math 53 for that purpose and note your Math 54 grade on the application alongside an “additional comment” explaining the grade and/or explaining your desire to pursue a more fundamental understanding of lower-division math leading to your subsequent enrollment in Math 53.</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack this thread, but in terms of pre-req and cumulative GPA, say you take a class that is related to a pre-req class but not strictly a pre-req (ie. plan to apply to Haas, take a math class that isn’t a pre-req). Would that grade be counted in the pre-req GPA or the cumulative GPA and how would it be considered for impacted majors?</p>
<p>@ballpoint: it counts under cumulative gpa. </p>
<p>@Hello, basketball:
im not entirely sure, the only reason i mentioned it is because when listing the 7 breadths (required to be completed back when i applied) this is what i milked out of the admissions office:
say for whatever reason you take 3 classes that satisfy one breadth, say BioSci. when they tell u to list it out on your application, you INDICATE which class u are using to fulfill that prereq. then they just cross reference with your transcript to make sure you’re not a liar. they wont like say ‘oh, these other 2 classes also satisfy the prereq, lets take the lowest’ (unlike when lenders look at your credit scores… *sigh) so i feel as long as ppppppppppp1 takes 53 and lists THAT as his prereq for math, it will be all good scoobies. </p>
<p>@ppppp1, why dont you go up to haas once the semester starts (or just call) and ask them whether you need to follow a “1st class that satisfies is it” - rule or whether what i’m proposing is acceptable. let us know what you find out.</p>
<p>@ crow: Oh ok, that makes sense. In that case, it would certainly make sense to try to get a better grade for the math pre-req with Math 53. (They’d probably look down on this, but I guess theoretically you could go back and take even Math 16B for the grade boost? I know you’d get less units for 16B after 54 too, but just a thought.) I guess with a new math pre-req, the Math 54 grade would only affect the overall GPA; I’m not sure with which priority Haas considers one’s pre-req GPA over the overall GPA.</p>
<p>I talked to a haas advisor this semester who told me about the first course counting as the prereq. When I asked her about taking another course after instead, she looked at me like I was stupid and repeated the first course thing 
Maybe you’ll have better luck though (I was also talking about messing with AP credits)…but don’t count on it.</p>
<p>@meep: That confirms my post earlier. I think it would also be pretty apparent if you took a course to satisfy the requirement TWICE yet went with the second course since it had the higher grade.</p>
<p>OP your chances are over! But it’s okay cause econ is not bad to major in.</p>
<p>k thanx Investment</p>
<p>Thanks for the help, everyone - I’m pretty sure that HelloAll was correct, and am assuming that I will indeed have to list 54 as a prereq. As I look at my first semester grade breakdown (A- in CS61A, C in Physics 7A, C in 54, and B+ in a misc breadth), though, I can’t really gauge how much my physics grade ((thankfully?) not a prereq) will screw me over compared to my math grade. If I do actually perform well for the next two semesters, I might have a 3.3 to 3.4 GPA, but my first semester will always be blemished.</p>