<p>I took a semester of Calculus and a semester of Linear Algebra in 11th grade at San Diego State University. Since I'm planning to be a premed should I take 1A and 1B at Berkeley again? Would that look better on my med school application considering if I get As?</p>
<p>It never hurts to boost your GPA at Berkeley with freebie A’s if you can find them, as they’re few and far between, so if you think you can take a class and get a GUARANTEED A, you should strongly consider taking it. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I also think most people don’t consider that an added benefit to taking a relatively “easy class” and getting an A is not only the GPA boost, but also the CONFIDENCE boost that a “solid A” gives you. Solid As in pre-med classes are a sight for sore eyes…heck, in any major they’re very delightful…so any little bit helps, you know?</p>
<p>So in that respect I would recommend taking the classes again, especially considering the fact that those classes will also count towards your “pre-med” GPA, which medical schools DO look at (although don’t quote me on that, I got a degree in Poli Sci, lol). </p>
<p>But be warned: never assume you’ll do well in a class based upon previous performance/experience. I went into college thinking I was God’s gift to Berkeley, a Harvard-caliber student who fell through the cracks and was forced to “settle” for UC-Berkeley. Boy was I wrong! Taking my first midterm and getting my behind handed to me really brought me back to reality…Berkeley isn’t SD State, and it certainly isn’t high school…everyone around you in Math 1A and 1B took AP Calc in high school, and many of them got 5s on the tests as well and are doing exactly what you’re doing- GPA boosting. So…considering the fact that those classes are most likely curved, be careful. </p>
<p>Also, Math 1B is notoriously difficult and covers topics that aren’t covered in Calc BC, so…don’t take overlook that either. </p>
<p>My last piece of advice is that however good at math you may be, both of those courses are still challenging, so you’ll be devoting time to needless classes that can otherwise go towards other classes that you might enjoy/need more. Plus, if you do what I did and over-estimate your abilities, you might end up neglecting that class altogether and show up for the midterm/final and leave with a not-so-pleasant surprise.</p>
<p>Just some food for thought. No solid recommendation, just things you should ruminate over before making a decision.</p>
<p>-Slic</p>
<p>Assuming you got A’s at SDSU, you really don’t need to repeat for med school applications – not all med schools require calculus anyway. Moreover, even earning an A in Math 1 at Cal may be discounted by adcoms since you will be repeating a college course. Better to just earn A’s in the sciences. Or take a higher level math course, but that is unnecessary.</p>
<p>Ok thanks for the insight.
I don’t actually want to take math 1AB again, I just want to know if the actual class look better for med school apps if I took 1A at Berkeley instead of multivariable calc and linear algebra at SDSU, if I get As in both?
I’m not really looking for a GPA booster taking 1A and 1B cause I know they’re not lol.</p>
<p>you are probably fine with your SDSU math</p>