Hey guys, I’m really looking at Berkeley recently, I really like the campus and programs it has to offer. However, I want to do pre-med. Recently, I’ve been hearing that some schools have a harder pre-med program than others. For instance, pre-med in Princeton is much easier than MIT due to the way grading works. How is Pre-Med at Berkeley? Is it extremely difficult or is it do-able? Or would it be more worth my while to go elsewhere?
I would say Pre-Med is very doable here. People tend to hype up the idea that Berkeley is cutthroat or hypercompetitive when it comes to being a pre-med, but I don’t think it’s much different compared to being a pre-med elsewhere - you have smart (and more than often, friendly!) students, you have scaled grade distributions (of which some departments give more A’s than others, e.g. physics), and you have a huge amount of resources (career center, department counselors, clubs, pre-med fraternities, etc.). Like any other school, you’re going to have to be active about finding these resources, so it essentially boils down to what you make of your undergraduate experience.
Some might argue that grading is more difficult or that there is grade-deflation, but (1) Pre-med does not require that you take a science major, and (2) As long as you study seriously and know the material, you should be more than fine. People are willing to help you, so long as you make the effort to reach out.
There is not such a thing a “Pre-Med” at Berkeley. You can apply to Med school from any major as long as you have the pre-req (a year of chemistry, O-Chem. Bio/Biochem etc`). GPA wise, MCB (considered a “pre-med” here) is the most GPA killer out of all majors intended to med school - but if you like what you study, you’ll be fine. Most of the GPA killer classes are lower dev since the classes are large (300-500 students) and they are curved (15-20% some sort of an A, 25-30% some sort of a B and so on).
Straight-A’s is nearly impossible. Some people certainly achieve it every semester, but they are truly some special people. Go to schedulebuilder.berkeley.edu which releases all the grades from the past few years and check out for classes like Bio 1A that all pre-meds have to take. It’s certainly possible to get an A, but it must be coupled with a serious intention and desire combined with flawless self-discipline to have a fighting chance. Even though ~20% are getting A’s, I have to say these 20% folks are truly something.
‘Study serious and know the material’ is really harder than it sounds. All I can say is if you happen to be out-of-state applicant, then stick with your in-state school and dominate there b/c that is definitely more cost-effective and what it matters is going to the med school, not undergrad.
Thank you all!!! Moshe1010, how is BME with pre-med track? Is that possible to get a good GPA in?
Also, is there somewhere I can see to which medical school past students have gotten into? Thanks!
Good questions. My kid is asking the same sorts of questions. Here are some topics that I’m discussing with her:
- Various colleges and universities use different grading schemes. Berkeley (like Wellesley and, until recently, Princeton) seems to resist grade inflation. Since GPA is a factor in medical school admissions, it's important to try to balance that factor (if, in fact, it is real) versus the wow factor of the school, while acknowledging that average GPAs may be higher for similarly-qualified students at some schools (um, I'm thinking Brown here) than at others. Of course, it's also reasonable to try to understand that if you're surrounded by and study with terrific students, that's also something to consider, regardless of the GPA.
- Cal may be a "sink or swim" institution--but you might be able to swim. It happens that my neighbor, who devoted most of her professional life to advising pre-med students here and to helping them reach medical school, and who has functioned as a surrogate grandmother for my daughter, has suggested that my kid seriously question whether she would have adequate premedical advising and support at Cal--and has suggested that she go elsewhere. My daughter recently interviewed for a Regents Scholarship at Cal, and has already been awarded Regents at other campuses including UCSD. We live in Davis, not far from Berkeley, but I wonder if Cal would be the best place for her.