<p>Is MCB even more difficult than Bioengineering? That's the first time I've heard that.</p>
<p>Anyways, I think most people aren't all that cutthroat (though they may be somewhat lofty). They are very willing to help if you ask them for it nicely. I've never had any difficulty getting help (sometimes I even wish my classmates can stop trying to help me because I get it) and nobody has ever tried to sabotage me. Sometimes I think it might have something to do with my gender and being in the engineering school, but I'm sure most people are more willing to be helpful than harmful.</p>
<p>I'm sure if you're looking at GPAs then BioE GPAs are nice and plump since our department chair has been trying to promote the program quiten a bit. What I'm asking about is whether or not the material is harder or easier not the grading?</p>
<p>From what I've heard from BioE upperclassmen, we need to know a little bit about mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, materials science engineering, and biology for our major, which I admit sometimes intimidates me a little bit.</p>
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Also, IB classes aren't all rote-memorization; try some IB Area 1 courses and you will see that is far from true.
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<p>I will gladly take some Area 1 courses like "California Plants" and "Diversity of Plants & Fungi" just to prove my point. I've already taken IB 131 and 132, which both turned out to rely heavily on rote-memorization. 132 less so, but not requiring much thinking nonetheless.</p>
<p>On the other hand, when are you actually going to take a MCB course before commenting on its competitive nature and how MCB majors act? You haven't even taken any MCB classes yet you comment as if you have. Your limited exposure with MCB majors in the lower division classes is just that, limited. MCB classes are not difficult because MCB majors are competitive, it's more along the lines that the material is hard and the professors give out challenging exams.</p>
<p>What do you mean by competitive? If what you mean is that it's harder to get good grades, then I would say that Cal is less competitive than all the other UCs, because the average GPA here is 3.3, whereas the other UCs are closer to 3.0 or maybe even below that. If what you mean is that the students are mean to each other, then I say puh-lease. Maybe it's bad in the premed majors, I wouldn't know, because I have no experience in that field. But many people think pre-biz is just as bad, if not worse, and I can speak to that. Pre-biz really wasn't bad at all. People are just as nice in biz prereqs as my GE classes. In my three years at Berkeley, I've met only one jerk in business. Everyone else is normal (albeit smart or hard working or both) and willing to give you a hand. Maybe there's a very small handful of people at Berkeley are *******s, but don't let that color your entire vision of Berkeley.</p>
<p>The thing is people here sabotage and are competitive in a sneaky way so that you would not know it even happened. Like maybe in chem lab the solvent you need is no where to be found...mostly likely to save the rush another group is hiding it under a sponge so as to have it at their disposal putting you just a bit behind, but hey you never knew...not saying it is rampant, but i know it happens.</p>