<p>Is it really impossible to get a 4.0 at Berkeley especially in Engineering fields? What if I tried really hard and study? I'm not one of those kids in high school who got As just willy nilly, I actually tried and read the textbooks and talked to teachers. Does this put me at a disadvantage to the other kids who easily got As in high school?
I've asked as many students as I could (about 15) that attended Berkeley whenever I was there for CalSO or another program, and all the kids I asked didn't have a 4.0... they've only heard mythological stories of kids who have >.<''' I plan on going to grad school right after and I want the best possible application, but I'm worried Berkeley's supposed grade deflation (if it's real) is going to hurt my chances
(Btw I'm planning on taking Classics R44, Math 54, ChemE 40, and Chem 4A for my first semester and I'm in the college of letters and science but planning to transfer into college of chemistry; i want simultaneous degrees in applied math and chemical engineering)</p>
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<p><a href=“Berkeley News | Berkeley”>Berkeley News | Berkeley; describes a chemical engineering major finalist for the University Medal; this requires a GPA of at least 3.96 (does not mention his actual GPA).</p>
<p>There have been other engineering major medalists and finalists in the past:
<a href=“http://financialaid.berkeley.edu/prizes-and-honors-university-medal-winners”>http://financialaid.berkeley.edu/prizes-and-honors-university-medal-winners</a></p>
<p>Your chances of doing well in college are enhanced by going to class, reading the books, doing the assignments and projects, and asking the instructors for help when needed.</p>
<p>You are so knowledgeable! Thank you!!</p>
<p>@Pinkteeni </p>
<p>I think you should understand something about the grade point average system in Berkeley.</p>
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<li><p>There are no “extra point” courses at Berkeley, like where an A would be 5 grade points instead of 4. An A is a 4.0, an A- is a 3.7, etc. This means that to get an cumulative GPA of 4.0, one must NEVER get a grade of an A- or lower. This is why you probably never meet someone with a 4.0.</p></li>
<li><p>Most engineering courses have sharp curves, with about only the top 10-15% of the class getting A’s, and the next 30% of the class getting B’s. Unlike in high school this means that no matter what everyone scores, there is an absolute maximum of the proportion of students who can get an A. Also, you should be advised that many tests in Berkeley do not intend for the majority of students to score highly, e.g, 3 years ago the average on one of the physics 7A midterms was 25/100.</p></li>
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<p>:O I didn’t know that! omg all these University Medalists stories inspired me earlier but I’m super scared now :-S … Thank you for the heads up Jweinst1! </p>
<p>It is fine if they inspire you, but you should take note that these are truly exceptional people. The person mentioned in the article that was posted above took over 200 units in three years, so that is an average of 200/6= 33.3 units per semester, or about 26 units per semester if he took classes in both summers in his time here. He has a 3.96 GPA, the average gpa across all majors is roughly a 3.25.</p>
<p>You can still succeed at Berkeley without being a prodigy, and have wonderful opportunities afterwards. Just remember that dude is the #1 student at UC Berkeley, he is by no means the average student you will find. </p>
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<p>Curves are more generous than that. If that were the case, the average grade would be more like a C+, rather than the more common B or B- listed at <a href=“https://schedulebuilder.berkeley.edu/explore/department/FL/2013/27”>https://schedulebuilder.berkeley.edu/explore/department/FL/2013/27</a> .</p>
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<p>They are unlikely to target that low a test average (and such a low test average would be curved to a B or so after the fact), since it is generally desirable in curve-graded courses to have well distributed scores (probably centered around 50/100) rather than most of the scores compressed at either the top or bottom.</p>
<p>A friend of mine graduated with a 4.0 in chemical engineering at Berkeley this past year, I graduated with a 3.99 (1 A- total), and another friend graduated with a 3.97 (2 A-'s total). It is not easy, but it is doable. People always point to the fact that most of our classes are curved to a B- or B in order to say that getting a 4.0 is impossible, but the reality is that 10-20% of the people in every class end up with an A. If you are in the top 10% of your class you will end up with mostly (if not all) A’s. There are a decent number of people with a GPA around 3.9 and several of us with higher.</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that the University Medal is way way way more difficult to achieve than getting a high GPA. You do not need to be the smartest or most talented student at the university to do well in your classes. University medalists (and finalists) need to have a high GPA (3.96), but they also have to do things with a broad societal impact. For example, Sho Takatori helped “draft state regulatory policies for green chemistry and nanotechnology products.” </p>
<p>And since you’re interested in graduate school, let me tell you that Berkeley chemical engineers do extremely well in PhD admissions. Four of us were admitted to MIT this year, three to Caltech, etc. When I went to the admitted student visit weekends at the top schools, Berkeley was almost always the best-represented undergraduate school. To have a chance at the very best graduate schools (MIT, Caltech, Stanford) you need a GPA of 3.9+, but if you’re willing to consider top 20 schools then a GPA of 3.7 is actually sufficient. All of my friends that applied to graduate schools got into at least one decent choice.</p>
<p>Thank you @singh2010 ! I was hoping for a personal reply 
if you don’t mind can you tell me what classes you took ? I can’t find a good 4 year schedule anywhere! Bioengineering website lays your 4 years out for u but not the other majors…</p>
<p><a href=“http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/student_info/undergrad_info/degree_programs/cheme_major/index.php”>http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/student_info/undergrad_info/degree_programs/cheme_major/index.php</a> lists a four year schedule for chemical engineering majors. Some adjustments can be made if you have applicable AP credit (e.g. for math, physics, R&C, or breadth requirements; if you have AP credit for Math 1A and/or 1B or Physics 7A, it would be a good idea to review the old final exams for those courses at <a href=“Exam and Syllabus Database - Tau Beta Pi, California Alpha Chapter”>https://tbp.berkeley.edu/courses/</a> before skipping them).</p>
<p>Sample four year schedules for College of Engineering majors can be found at <a href=“Undergraduate Guide - Berkeley Engineering”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/guide</a> .</p>
<p>It is a bit audacious to say that 10% of the class, which is probably about 10-15 people is a “decent” number of people that get a 3.9 GPA. If a patient has melanoma and they only have a 10% chance of surviving, that would not be considered a “decent” chance. But none the less, that is an amazing achievement.</p>
<p>@Pinkteeni: I generally followed the plan described in the link ucbalumnus posted, except for the fact that I had AP credit for Math 1A/1B, Biology 1A, and all but 2 of the non-technical electives. My engineering electives were Semiconductor Processing (CBE 179, pretty easy class), Electrochemical Corrosion (MSE 112, pretty easy class), and graduate level Transport Phenomena (CBE 250). In addition, I took 5 or so upper division physics courses to supplement my research work.</p>
<p>The most important advice I have is to identify your strengths and weaknesses early on. Every student has a different opinion about which courses are the most/least difficult. I really enjoy quantum mechanics and math in general so it was pretty easy for me to take an upper division physics course alongside CBE 142 and CBE 150B in the fall of junior year, for example. But some of my friends knew they would hate quantum so they delayed taking Physics 137A/Chem 120A until the core ChemE courses were over. It really helped them in 142 and 150B to not have a 3rd homework-heavy course that semester. Personally, I found the lab and design courses (CBE 154 and 160) to be the most burdensome, and it was nice for me to take a lighter load with those courses. </p>