Right now I’m deciding between UCSD and UCSB. I’m majoring in biochemistry. The biggest thing keeping me away from UCSD is the horror I’ve heard regarding Revelle’s GEs. I want to get into the best phamacy school possible (Chapel Hill or UCSF) so I don’t want a poor GPA due to Revelle. Opinions?
Well, my husband went to pharmacy school from Revelle (community college transfer), many long years ago. It wasn’t the gen eds that killed his GPA, it was organic chemistry! He was accepted into two of three pharmacy schools, rejected from UCSF, and graduated from pharmacy school with honors. He was well-prepared when he got there. I also graduated from Revelle. The gen eds were no big deal. There’s just a lot of them.
The GEs as a whole aren’t as bad as they used to be, since Revelle got rid of the “area of focus” requirement (a year’s worth of classes) last year. I came in with enough AP credits that I was done by fall quarter sophomore year. The HUM sequence is definitely challenging and a lot of work, but it’s not so bad that it’ll tank your pharm school chances. As long as you make an effort on your essays and participate in discussion you’ll be okay. If you like, you can also take HUM 4 and 5 at a community college, like I did. You won’t get the full “Renaissance individual” experience, I guess, but it’s way less writing and won’t affect your GPA.