Is 17 units too much for an incoming freshmen?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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<p>Hi, im trying to plan out my schedule for my first semester of college at UC Berkeley and can't decide how many classes i should take. right now, i am thinking of taking these...</p>

<p>German R5A (4 units)
Chem 1A (3 units)
Chem 1A/L (1 unit)
Math 16A (3 units)
Spanish 1 (5 units)
GETH seminar (p/np, 1 unit)</p>

<p>I got a 5 on AP Calc BC but im doing a year of math to satisfy the pre-med requirement. also, I have not knowledge of spanish. will this schedule be too rigorous for me?</p>

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<p>Math 10A-10B may contain topics that are likely to be more useful for a pre-med. Note that Math 16A-16B is not accepted by either MCB or IB if you intend to major in them (you need 10A-10B or 1A-1B for these majors).</p>

<p>[Methods</a> of Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics, and Combinatorics](<a href=“http://mcb.berkeley.edu/undergrad/courses/courses/math91/]Methods”>http://mcb.berkeley.edu/undergrad/courses/courses/math91/)</p>

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<p>Note: AAMC = American Association of Medical Colleges</p>

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<p>I am in the college of natural resources and will probably major in microbial biology.</p>

<p>is math 10 new this year? how difficult will that compared to the 16 series and the 1 series? </p>

<p>I don’t want to hurt my gpa</p>

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<p>Just take math 16A. It shouldn’t be that hard for you. No need to risk your GPA on a new course. My suggestion is to consider Spanish 1. It’ll be a lot of work since you have no prior experience with the language. My suggestion is to switch Spanish 1 for a breadth that is less time consuming. </p>

<p>Are you taking Spanish 1 for mere interest? Or just 5-unit class to fill up your schedule?</p>

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<p>I agree with Pixel2012 - the schedule you proposed is pretty rigorous for an incoming freshman, especially for one looking to maintain a high GPA for med school. I agree with the Pixel2012’s suggestion since it’s the only nonessential (with respect to med school) class (excluding the seminar, which is pretty much negligible when considering rigor) among the ones you listed.</p>

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<p>im taking spanish because on the ucla medical school website, they highly recommend taking spanish. I really want to get into ucla med so i am taking it. I heard that spanish is one of easier languages to learn</p>

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<p>Hm… My suggestion is that you decide whether you want to take German R5A or Spanish 1. If you pick German R5A or Spanish 1, then just find 1 or 2 freshmen seminars, respectively. Math 16A & Chem 1A are good choices to keep. Just decide on either German or Spanish. Remember you have 8 semesters, don’t rush then ruin your GPA so early on!</p>

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<p>There is no rush to take math now, since your AP credit is sufficient prerequisite for other required courses (Physics 8A-8B, Statistics) and fulfills the Math 16A-16B microbial biology major requirement (page 8 of <a href=“http://cnr.berkeley.edu/site/forms/oisa/mb_handbook.pdf[/url]”>http://cnr.berkeley.edu/site/forms/oisa/mb_handbook.pdf&lt;/a&gt; ). You may want to ask the department if it is likely that Math 10A-10B will be accepted.</p>

<p>You can check the requirements of all of the medical schools that you are interested in to determine their actual math requirements, so that you can choose an appropriate math course or sequence of math courses for the medical schools that you are applying to, without “wasting” space in your schedule or taking unneeded courses. A table of math requirements can be found here: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/MedSchoolReqs.xlsx[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/MedSchoolReqs.xlsx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>UCLA medical school requires a year of college math (not AP credit) including calculus and statistics, according to <a href=“http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/offices/admiss/admreq.cfm[/url]”>http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/offices/admiss/admreq.cfm&lt;/a&gt; .</p>

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<p>I am taking german R5A and then another R5B course to fulfill my 1 year english requirement for med school so i’ll probably keep that. which is easier, sociology or psychology?</p>

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<p>Also note that some students have reported trouble with medical schools not believing that R&C courses from the German, South Asian, etc. departments are “English” courses (as opposed to those in the English or perhaps College Writing or Rhetoric departments). See the note about saving the syllabus and documentation from your R&C courses here: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm#table[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm#table&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Note the recommendation to take Psychology 1, or Psychology 2 and Sociology 1:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm#table[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm#table&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>However, check medical schools for any specific requirements in this area. There is no particular rush here, other than taking it before the MCAT, unless you want to take more advanced courses in these subjects.</p>

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<p>It also all depends on your ability. I don’t think that schedule is too bad if you are good at managing your time and learn efficiently. Some people told me my schedule would be tough, but it wasn’t, and I really regret listening to them and not taking more units.</p>

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<p>Same. I took so few units during my first two years because of everyone’s advice and I regret it. Now I’m taking 19-21 units every semester just to catch up because I realized I can handle more and there are a lot of classes that I’m interested in. It just completely depends on your ability.</p>