<p>I'm wondering if I have the necessary background to be successful (I need to get an A) in Physics 7A next year. I'm an incoming freshman and I've never taken a physics course (not even regular high school physics because my school doesn't offer it). However, I have a strong foundation in calculus (5 on AB, lots of self-studying of material higher than AB). I also know a TINY bit of physics because of math courses like some motion and random formulas. Do I have the necessary background to do very well in 7A?</p>
<p>You may have to study somewhat more than if you had a high school level overview of physics, but if you do that, you should be able to handle it. Be aware that most of your classmates (physics and engineering majors) will have had at least high school physics, some at the AP B or C level.</p>
<p>Why do you “need” to get an A, I think you can do well if you work hard, but you shouldn’t box yourself (mentally or otherwise) into a mindset that you “need” to get an A. Berkeley is harder than high school.</p>
<p>^don’t listen to people trying to get you down.</p>
<p>you NEED to get an A.
…
OR ELSE.</p>
<p>ok, you’re set.</p>
<p>I would say that you need to do some self-studying this summer…I didn’t learn a single new concept in Physics 7A when I took it (it was entirely review of stuff I learned in high school), so you definitely have some catching up to do if you want to guarantee an A. </p>
<p>Math won’t help you very much in 7A; it’s mostly algebra.</p>
<p>You should probably do quite a bit of self-study before Physics 7A. As the others have mentioned, most of your classmates would’ve already covered this stuff. The key to physics (in my opinion) is being able to set up the right equations to solve. I wasn’t very successful at this, and therefore my physics sucks. Trust me, it’s not the math, I have a bunch of As in math. And I had physics in high school – non-calc physics.</p>
<p>So… yeah. I would really, really love to tell you that you’re going to be fine, but you’re, well, not. An A is possible if you start now and if you put in the hours throughout the semester. It just won’t be a walk in the park 
It might be discouraging at first, but just keep at it, and above all, don’t give up, which is what I did. I settled for just passing the damn class. You, on the other hand, evidently have the motivation to do well, so press on!</p>