<p>I'm considering going to Berkeley next fall as a political economy major (I'm a transfer from a cc). I am a little considered about meeting the foreign language requirement, however. The major requires you to take the equivalent of 4 semesters of a foreign language and to demonstrate fluency. I took three years of spanish in high school but haven't taken any language classes since then. Do you think I could just go straight into spanish 3 or 4 and should I try to meet this requirement at my cc or wait until after I transfer to Cal?</p>
<p>I also saw that Berkeley recommends (but they don't require) two semesters of calculus for this major. I took one semester, so I know the basics of derivatives and integrals etc... will this suffice for the economics classes I would need to take in this major?</p>
<p>Hopefully someone here has some experience with this major and could help me make the decision as to whether I would be prepared to study at Cal next fall, thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>You said you took three years of Spanish in high school right? Do you remember any of it, and do you use it at home? </p>
<p>Spanish 2’s description states “Continuation of 1. Not open to students who have completed three years or more of high school Spanish, or native speakers.” You did take 3 years of high school spanish, so then it’s likely you will be placed into Spanish 3. The major also says “All students must demonstrate proficiency in a modern language other than English by the last semester of their senior year”. Proficiency, not fluency, which means your goal is a little less harder </p>
<p>I’m not familiar with the Spanish program at Berkeley, but I have heard that it is difficult from friends. I have also taken a language course here and the language programs are pretty rigorous. Not to scare you, but just to give you a fair warning in case you have not used your Spanish in a while. Yes, they are demanding since they are 5 unit classes, but they are rewarding because your Spanish will improve tremendously. </p>
<p>It says that “Proficiency is equivalent to the ability achieved in four college-level semesters”, so, I don’t know if you want to pretend that you never took Spanish, and then just start from Spanish 1 because it would be a lot easier…</p>
<p>I’m actually an economics major, and I did have two semesters of calculus. However, I never really had to use my calculus for my classes. The max I had to use were derivatives and integrals (maybe like 3-4 times…rarely at all), so if you are decent with those, then you should be fine. For econ classes, you can choose how much math you really want to use depending on classes you take. Some people who want a more mathematical background. for example, would take Econ 101A, and Econ 101B, which require multivariable calculus. If you’re not really planning on doing that, then you can just avoid those and take the same class known as Econ 100A/Econ 100B (there are other versions too so you might want to look into that), which require very little math. </p>
<p>EDIT: Here’s the link for more details about the language requirement
<a href=“http://general-catalog.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_view_req?p_dept_cd=POLECIS”>http://general-catalog.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_view_req?p_dept_cd=POLECIS</a></p>
Hi! I know this thread is kinda old but I was wondering-- does the foreign language requirement need to be completed before transferring to berkeley? I just recently decided I want to pursue this major but I only have two more semesters left of CC so I can’t take a foreign language class until next semester (my final semester at CC). Will this hurt my chances even though I have all the other pre-reqs completed with good grades and relevant ECs?