<p>I have been admitted to, and will probably attend, UC Berkeley for the spring semester of 2007. I am very confused about what to do for the fall semester. I applied to the Fall Program for Freshmen at the UC Berkeley extension, but there is a waitlist and it is unlikely that i will get in. In that case, i am deciding whether to take courses at a local JC for that semester. Would taking my fist semester courses at a JC hurt my chances of getting into med school at all? Would it be better just to skip the semester and stay out of school and start in the spring? Which option would be best?</p>
<p>Also, i am planning on taking a couple of courses this summer at a JC this summer( maybe calc or something else)...would that hurt my chances of admissions to med school? Do med schools look down upon summer school courses at a JC?</p>
<p>Well, med schools prefer to see their prerequisite classes taken at a more rigorous school, and an A in ochem at Berkeley is worth much more than an A in ochem at a podunk college. You can check with the registrar to see if you can't take any easy prerequisite classes for your major at a junior college instead of at Berkeley saving you time and money later. Many basic classes are the same anywhere, not just at Berkeley.</p>
<p>But do you think i would be at a disadvatage if i went to a comm. college? Should i just not go to school for the semester? I just worried that if i dont go to school, i will be one semester behingd all the other premeds and i would have to spend an extra semester in college because i have to apply the next academis year, right? I just dont know what to do and any advice would help. What would you guys do in my position?</p>
<p>If you did not get into the FPF then definitely go to a JC...most of the classes offered at FPF are breadth courses anyways (math and english are offered) - but not physics and chemistry.</p>
<p>One of the things I want to know is if you begin Chem1A in the spring and then Chem1B in the fall, does the break over the summer cause chaos with grades? Should they only be taken in Fall and Spring....</p>
<p>Why not take Chem1B over the summer? I don't know about your math placement, but it seems that you would want to have completed both the inorganic chem series and the calculus series prior to begining your sophomore year. That way you are able to take Chem3A and 3B as well as the required physics/english courses. If you have to take Chem 1B and Math1B/16B over the summer, it might be difficult, but you'd probably ultimately benefit from doing this. Just my opinion, though.</p>
<p>ok, i know that you have to take one year of bio, gen chem, org chem, and physics for premed, but what are those courses named at Cal? Also, would it really be possible to take chem 1A in Spring and then 1B in the summer? Would med schools not look down upon summer courses?</p>
<p>Bio: Bio 1A,1B
Chem: Chem 1A,1B (There is another sequence for chem/engineering majors)
OChem: Chem 3A,3B
Physics: Phys 8A,8B (or 7A,7B for scientists and engineers)
Math: Math 16A,16B (or 1A,1B for scientists and engineers)</p>
<p>Thanks Fourstar! Could you tell me when the typical premed takes each of these courses?</p>
<p>I have heard that the sequence generally goes:
Freshman year: one-year of general chem, one semester bio, one semester of math and english
Soph year: one-year of orgo chem, second semester of bio
Junior year: one year physics</p>
<p>Is this generally what a premed schedule looks like? How would this schedule be affected if i go to the fall program or a JC? I guess i would have to wait till the spring semester to start my science courses and do the second semester of the course in the summer, right? The Fall extension program does not offer science courses and the med schools that i have talked to dont want you to take the science courses at a JC. Would starting the science courses in the spring and completing them in the summer be a viable solution?</p>
<p>You don't take Chem 1B as a premed, unless you're a Chem major. You just go 1A to 3A, usually finish both in your first year. And I can't see why anyone would want to be a Chem major if they weren't going to become a chemist.</p>
<p>thanks aim78, so what are the course sequence i have to take as a premed at berkeley? (By the way, i am going to be a pol sci major). Also, when do you suggest that i take each of the courses?</p>