<p>i've been seeing lots of them, especially from you new admits. i'm an MCB physiology major and will be graduating in december 2011, thought i'd help you kids out if you had any questions. i've asked my share over the past 3-4 years and got lots of great advice from upperclassmen, so it's probably time to pay it forward.</p>
<p>yeaaaaaaaaaa MechRocket! woooo! </p>
<p>My question is about MCB 102. I’m contemplating taking it over the summer because I’ve heard its easier (open book tests?). But I’ve read that the professor (Urnov) isn’t so great…Taking it over the summer would open up that time slot for me to take a class recommended by my faculty adviser who also advised that I take MCB 102 in the fall since the “normal professors would be teaching”…thoughts? </p>
<p>Also, I haven’t taken Bio 1A and don’t really plan on it since I’m not pre-med…is MCB 102 necessary/will I struggle even if I do study my arse off? Consider if I take MCB 102 in both semesters. Thanks so much and congratulations!</p>
<p>I am applying to Berkeley as a psychology major for pre-med and I was wondering what kind of biomedical/medical research opportunities are there in Berkeley despite not having a medical center on campus. I am a transfer student and our decisions dont come till late next week. </p>
<p>I also applied to UCLA and UC Davis and both of those schools have med centers on campus to do research. Our family friend told us that doing pre-med is better in a school that has a medical center on campus, easier to get research opportunities.</p>
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<p>I’m in MCB 102 right now, it’s not bad but you need Bio 1A and 1AL to do it. 102 is a lot of work but it’s not bad. 1AL was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life but you need it for 102. I think it’s pretty stupid to take biochemistry without Bio 1A under your belt. </p>
<p>We’re doing genetics right now and we’re just glossing over PCR, the Lac Operon, and the Trp Operon…basically no background, just all new info. W/o Bio 1A, I would be royally screwed with genetics, metabolism, and proteins. Do yourself a favor and take 1A/L over the summer and 102 in the fall (you’ll also get Prof Calendar who is freaking awesome!).</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t worry about research. Going to UCSF is a hassle but there are so many places on/near campus where you can do research that it’s not really an issue.</p>
<p>I would worry about getting all of your prereqs done. I know social science majors who are killing themselves for a B in ochem or Bio 1A or Bio 1AL (Bio 1AL being the hardest of the bunch). The social science kids seem to struggle more than MCB/IB ones and judging by the fact that you’re going to be a junior, I’d say packing all of them into 2 years w/ your psych major requirements will be an issue. Berkeley gets only 40% of it’s premeds into med school so keeping your GPA up and taking UD bio classes will make things more challenging for you.</p>
<p>lol sorry i feel kinda bad answering mech :D</p>
<p>arandomhobo-I took all of the “pre-med” requirements at my community college. have a 3.8+ gpa with a 4.0 science GPA</p>
<p>what upper division mcb/ib classes do I have to take in addition to my psych upper division classes?</p>
<p>There are eight psych upper division classes that I have to take for graduation.</p>
<p>ohh…that’s better and worse.</p>
<p>Better for obvious reasons but worse b/c (as you probably know) cc classes, especially for prereqs, are not taken as seriously as university classes. But (as…again, you probably know) grades at Cal or wherever you transfer to (probably cal w/ that GPA) and the MCAT will offset any stigma of cc.</p>
<p>what upper division mcb/ib classes do I have to take in addition to my psych upper division classes?</p>
<p>102 for sure, 131, 136, genetics, 104 couldn’t hurt, shoot pick up a minor…you’ll have time if you’re done with 1 year of orgo, gchem, bio, physics</p>
<p>arandomhobo-I took care of all of that ^^^^^^^^^^ at my community college. So (eight UD psych classes) + ( 102 for sure, 131, 136, genetics, 104) = 13 ud classes for my junior and senior year.</p>
<p>I did not put in IB as my major for berkeley because I would have stayed an extra year to do engineering calculus based physics.</p>
<p>Our community college does not have calc based physics for life science majors.</p>
<p>Plus for math, I took the equivalent of 16a and 16b</p>
<p>we have only trig based physics</p>
<p>I thought you are not premed but your “friend” is.</p>
<p>@sllamas: a bunch of things in 102 involve memorization, so i’d imagine open-book tests would help a LOT. given that and the fact that i’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s much easier in the summer, i probably would recommend taking it in the summer over the regular school year. however, i do think you’re going to struggle if you haven’t taken bio 1a. before dipping your toe in the MCB upper divs, you really should have taken bio 1a and learned the material very well to do well. i’m guessing you can still do well though if that’s the only class you’re taking in the summer and you’re very motivated.</p>
<p>Yup, you sound good to go. I’m going to bet that you’re getting into Cal and UCLA w/ your 3.8. Most cc kids major in a social science and don’t even touch a real science. Just keep that GPA high and do some solid ECs and you’re going to be looking at coveted MD schools for sure.</p>
<p>btw, if you get the opportunity…I’d say go to UCLA. Berkeley sux balls (even with all this supposed “character and/or atmosphere”</p>
<p>But that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>pinoiako916 - look at the department web sites where they list the requirements for the major - for both MCB and IB, the med school pre-reqs you have taken are equivalent to all the lower division requirements. </p>
<p>Do keep in mind that with some careful hunting and good luck, you can find courses that actually count for two dissimilar majors. There are courses that are crossover topics hosted by more than one department. For example, Integrative Biology C139, The Biology of Stress, is the same class under its alias, Psychology C112. IB C143A is Psych C113. Actually several joint with Psychology, interestingly. See [General</a> Catalog - Integrative Biology Courses](<a href=“http://sis.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_list_crse_req?p_dept_name=Integrative+Biology&p_dept_cd=INTEGBI]General”>http://sis.berkeley.edu/catalog/gcc_list_crse_req?p_dept_name=Integrative+Biology&p_dept_cd=INTEGBI)</p>
<p>IB C142L is also Anthropology C103 and there are several others. Some dual with Phys Ed, some with Environmental Policy or with Public Health.</p>
<p>@Pinoiako916: your family friend is correct. although there’s a bunch of medical research opportunities in San Francisco (i’m signed up on the MCB research opportunity list-serv and I get bombarded with labs looking for volunteers and interns very frequently), i’d imagine the commute would be rough, especially if you don’t have a car. i’d go to UCLA if i were you. they also have much more pre-med support. i’ve been told there’s a pre-med advisory committee in place that’s really helpful in guiding you through your years there.</p>
<p>mechrocket-especially that I am a transfer student</p>
<p>pinoiako916 - you have it backwards - the tougher version of Calculus (1A) is required for MCB majors, while IB majors take 16A (don;t even have to take 16B, just one semester of calc). 16A does not have proofs and is lighter than the more rigorous 1A class. The IB lower division (pre-req) requirements are basically the pre-med courses you already took. </p>
<p>For UD work, you need 1 course in the list of Evolution & Genetics category classes, 1 course in Ecology,Diversity and Behavior, 1 course in Structure, Function and Human Health, plus an additional course in one of the prior two categories, plus two labs. Then, your total UD IB units must be a minimum of 24, but there are some courses that are preapproved to count even though not carrying an IB course name - MCB 102, the biochem, is one of them. You can take up to 2 courses of the 24 units outside of IB, and Psychology 110 (Biological Psychology) is pre-approved. If that is also one that can be used towards a psych major, the one course counts for both.</p>
<p>mechrocket- in fact, the family friend of ours works at uc berkeley.</p>
<p>And the med center for UCLA is right on campus. Basically, if i get accepted and go to ucla, it would be a “one stop shop” to do my UD coursework and medical research</p>