How competitive is it to get into Berkeley applying as a public health major.
I have very strong extracurriculars relating to public health.
For frosh admission, same as for other College of Letters and Science (L&S) majors, since L&S admits to undeclared, not specific majors. L&S is the largest division at UCB, so its competitiveness should be similar to general UCB admission competitiveness overall.
However, L&S students who want to declare the public health major must complete the prerequisites ( https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/admissions/undergraduate/requirements/ ) and then apply into a competitive process ( https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/admissions/undergraduate/application-instructions/ ) to be able to declare the major.
You have several threads asking about your chances at many of the UC’s.
You can use this link to see how many students at your HS were admitted into the various UC campuses to give you some perspective.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/admissions-source-school
Apply to your first choice major and then see what happens.
Which major is easier to receive an acceptance to the university, Public Health or Integrative Biology? I am currently a senior in the application process and I am perfectly fine doing either major. Please let me know which would be easier to receive an acceptance.
Both are in the College of Letters and Sciences so UCB does not admit by major to L&S so neither is an “easier” admission.
To declare Integrative Biology:
Declaration Requirements (effective fall 2017)
Declarations are only accepted during the periods of instruction for fall and spring semesters; summer declarations are not permitted. In order to declare IB as a major, students must have completed:
The calculus series: for students who enter Cal as freshmen in fall 2012, this means either Math 1A/1B or Math 10A/10B.
Chem 1A & 1AL - General Chemistry
Chem 3A - Organic Chemistry
Either Biology 1A & 1AL or Biology 1B
At the time of declaration, you must be enrolled in or have completed:
Either Chem 3B or the second biology course, and have scored an average or better on the course’s midterm exam
Either IB 77A or IB 77B (only one of the two is required to graduate)
The GPA for all major courses and for upper-division courses in the major must each be at least 2.0.
Declaring major for Public Health:
Declaring the Major
Although the major remains capped (impacted), the department encourages all qualified students to apply. To qualify, students must have completed the prerequisites in math, biology, and the social sciences. For further information regarding these prerequisites, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page.
Students should apply to the Public Health major after completion of the lower division requirements. Non-transfer students must apply to the major by the end of their fifth semester in attendance at UC Berkeley. Transfer students must apply by the end of their first semester in attendance at UC Berkeley.
After completing the prerequisites, students should submit an application, which includes the following:
A review of an applicant’s academic preparation (Coursework and GPA)
Two essays (Statement of Purpose and Personal History Statement)
Resume or CV
For more information, please see the School of Public Health website.
While completing the prerequisites for Public Health, students should also take the necessary steps to prepare themselves to declare an alternate major. While the department will do its best to bring in all qualified students, there is no guarantee that any one particular student will be admitted into the major. Therefore, students interested in the Public Health major should prepare an alternate major in case they are not admitted into the major. Public health demands everyone’s attention — there are myriad undergraduate majors at UC Berkeley that will help students prepare to work in this field. All students interested in the major, or the field of public health in general, are encouraged to consult with an academic adviser.
If you are interested in a healthcare field, be careful about majoring in Public Health. It does not include all of the courses that are required for medicine, dentistry, optometry, etc. You can take the required pre-healthcare courses on your own but many aren’t part of the Public Health major requirements.
http://guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/degree-programs/public-health/#majorrequirementstext
Check here for healthcare required courses: https://career.berkeley.edu/Health/Health