<p>I've been talking to a Berkeley student and one thing that worries me is the mention of a set curve..meaning that there's only a set number of available A's. According to my friend, UCB is the only UC that uses this kind of curve. It basically means that if there are ten spots for A's only ten students can get A's making the competition extremely cutthroat. Once my friend got a 97/100 on a test and still received a C because a lot of his other classmates got 100s, 99s, and 98s. Is this true?? Also can anyone give any more info on Berkeley's reputation on being the GPA killer, etc...</p>
<p>It's just a myth.</p>
<p>The truth is that each professor is free to grade however he/she wants. There are no set quotas, despite what some may tell you (and those who do tend to support grade deflation themselves, a sure sign to avoid enrolling in their classes.) Even in EECS, where the departmental guideline recommends lower-division class averages of 2.7, numerous professors have gone all the way up to 3.3 or higher. No one has ever been fired for grading too generously.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give is to use this website: [url=<a href="http://cal.pickaprof.com/%5DPick-A-Prof%5B/url">http://cal.pickaprof.com/]Pick-A-Prof[/url</a>]
If only this service were available in my freshman year, I'd have a better GPA right now.</p>
<p>There is a curve for majors outside of the "humanities." For example in Econ they curve to a B- normally. For math they curve to B, B+. It depends on the class and professor. It's not as competitive as you say, but there is a curve that is determined by the professor and GSIs for a certain class.</p>
<p>The standards are high, especially in math and science classes. There is no "gentleman's B".</p>
<p>Physical sciences and engineering lower division courses can be rather difficult. Choose the right people to be friends with and study together (avoid leechers).</p>