<p>I heard that CS is going to be capped in the future, with a 3.0 GPA. My goal is to maintain around a 3.4 GPA just to be in the safety zone of getting in to that major. If one works and studies really hard, is a mid 3.x GPA not that hard to attain, since I know that Cal's classes are graded on a competitive curve, and I'm competing against other students who were top students in their own high schools like me. I pretty much self studied the APCS exam last year and got a 4, since the teacher never taught, so I feel pretty competent in CS, but CS at Cal is obviously much harder. In math, I have a 99 in AP Calc AB, but I know the Math 1A-1B classes are all proof based and are a very steep jump from high school. I know its hard to predict grades, but What percentage of students, after the curve, end up with B+ or higher in their classes, and do I look like I'm capable of maintaining that GPA?</p>
<p>61a has about a 3.05 average, 61b is about a 3.15 (if you get the better professor, the other one has like a 2.7 average), 61c is around a 2.9, and cs70 is a 2.9 from previous years. Math 54 has probably an average of around a 3.0 to a 3.1 as well, and ee42 is around a 2.9-3.0.</p>
<p>These are the technical requirements they consider.</p>
<p>IMO I think it’s very doable. I’ve only taken CS61AB and CS70 and am currently taking CS61C and CS188, but every class I’ve been in I’ve felt intimidated as hell but I always end up doing fine because I stay up to date (more or less) with the material.</p>
<p>[Grading</a> Guidelines for Undergraduate Courses | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Policies/ugrad.grading.shtml]Grading”>Grading Guidelines for Undergraduate Courses | EECS at UC Berkeley)</p>
<p>In theory all the lower div CS classes should average to about 2.7. Work hard and you should be fine.</p>
<p>Reality is that the policy has not really been followed for some time.</p>
<p>[Grade</a> Distributions for EECS and LSCS Students](<a href=“http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~hilfingr/report/]Grade”>Grade Distributions for EECS and LSCS Students)</p>
<p>Of course, that was back in 1999, and there has been grade inflation since then.</p>
<p>It is irresponsible to encourage people on like this when the odds are against them. Berkeley already has the statistics available to predict how someone will do in these classes based on how other similarly situated students have performed. This information, if made available, could help students like the OP decide what path to pursue. The downside is that since there is a forced curve, once students who know they will be performing at an unacceptable level (whatever that means) decline to participate in this game, the current B students will find themselves at the low end of the curve. </p>
<p>There are some very bright and capable students that are being “weeded out” unnecessarily and way too early in the process. Remember, Berkeley is the top UC school. Only the best California students get into Berkeley. Right, guys or is that no longer the case?</p>
<p>No curve grading in CS 61A:
[61A</a> Information](<a href=“http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61a/sp13/about.html]61A”>61A Information)</p>
<p>Or CS 61B:
[CS</a> 61B: Course overview](<a href=“http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~jrs/61b/overview.html]CS”>CS 61B: Course overview)</p>
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<p>As have been mentioned before, some very qualified students do not get into Berkeley. For example, if the top 800 of all CA HS graduates apply for EECS, more than half will not be admitted into Berkeley. If the same top 800 apply for L&S, most will get in.</p>
<p>I also want to add that 61C is said to be graded on a set scale but it is curved in some what the instructor indicated. It’s a bit confusing, they don’t release the exact cut offs. But for 61A and 61B it’s like ucbalumnus said, it’s uncurved. </p>
<p>Everyone here is contributing their opinion on OPs question, and I don’t think someone encouraging the OP that a 3.4 is doable is irresponsible. It already sounds like OP decided on majoring in CS and just wants some feedback so they can be less worried once they get to Cal. Yes, it is against the odds, but isn’t it already against the odds to get into Berkeley? Someone in these classes are getting A’s so why can’t it be you? If I went into all of my classes at Cal with the mindset that the average grade is a B- or what have you, I definitely would have done worse than I have. Berkeley students are hard working, that’s true, but college students will be college students. That is, college students get lazy. Not everyone at Berkeley is on top of their game. That’s not to say they aren’t smart, I’m sure they are, just academically lazy. </p>
<p>OP, once you start taking some courses, you’ll get a feel for if you feel prepared or not before exams and such. Just don’t fall behind and you can maintain a 3.4.</p>