Questions about Bio 1a/1al

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Im about to take 1a for the fall, and Im wondering if for discussion sections we have quizzes? I hear we also need an iclicker for lecture... meaning we have lecture quizzes also? And for 3al, how big of a jump is it from chem 3bl lab? Trying to gauge the difficulty of bio 1al lab... How are midterms and finals like for bio 1a also? Mult choice +Short answers I assume? analyzing graphs?</p>

<p>Also, is it recommended to take physics 8A (Jacobsen) at the same time? Im planning on taking bio 1a, english 127, korean 1ax, phil 25a (if i get in). Actually looks killer after listing my classes out.. maybe even impossible lol
Thanks a bunch!</p>

<p>urd0rkk</p>

<p>Physics 8A (4 units)
Bio 1A/1AL (5 units)
English 127 (4 units)
Korean 1AX (5 units)
Phil 25A (4 units)</p>

<p>= 22 units?!?</p>

<p>You really sure you want this kinda courseload?</p>

<p>im not sure if ill get into philosophy 25a. In the case that I do, i aws thinking of dropping physics.
Anyone with experience in bio 1a/1al?</p>

<p>Bio 1A = all multiple choice</p>

<p>Bio 1AL: first MT is part MC and part short answer; second MT is all short answer.</p>

<p>I've never heard of GSIs giving quizzes in discussion. According to the syllabus (at least when I took it) your entire lecture grade comes from exams.</p>

<p>^Definitely wrong. In Bio1AL, ALL GSIs give discussion quizzes almost every week, but each GSI writes their own, so depending on who you get, your quizzes may be harder or easier.</p>

<p>We get quizzes in lecture discussion? I know we get quizzes in lab but I've never gotten a quiz in lecture discussion</p>

<p>wait, isn't the 1A grade entirely exam and the 1AL grade lab, exam and quiz?</p>

<p>Is the iClicker new to Bio 1A this semester?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Im about to take 1a for the fall, and Im wondering if for discussion sections we have quizzes?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Bio 1A discussion has no quizzes. Bio 1AL lab section has quizzes.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I hear we also need an iclicker for lecture... meaning we have lecture quizzes also?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No idea about this. I took Bio 1A/1AL last semester and I webcasted the entire course. So, I don't think there were lecture quizzes, but things may be different this semester.</p>

<p>
[quote]
And for 3al, how big of a jump is it from chem 3bl lab?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>All ochem labs are easy. They're comparable.</p>

<p>
[quote]
How are midterms and finals like for bio 1a also?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>They are composed of 25% straight forward memorization and 75% poorly-worded theoretical crap. Getting a good sleep before the midterm is essential. Pulling all-nighters will get you nowhere but extremely tired and confused by the wording on the midterm. Just be logical.</p>

<p>Bio 1A midterms are all multiple choice. Bio 1AL midterms are multiple choice, short answer, calculations, punnet squares, etc.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Is the iClicker new to Bio 1A this semester?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Possibly. I don't think clickers were used last semester but they may have been used before to encourage attendance.</p>

<p>Wow, so the iClicker is encroaching into Bio 1A...I'm sure it got a rave of negative reviews from previous semester(s?)</p>

<p>But anyways, if I can answer anything...
-your schedule is an overkill
-there are pre-lab quizzes
-bring a camera for the second half of 1AL
-the lab final is a *****, and your grade is not proportional to how much you study for it, so...
-make sure you do very well in the lab midterm. It should not be hard if you understand everything in the practice midterms. For me, a high "A" in midterm + a "C" in the final = overall "A". Yay :o</p>

<p>I just took Bio1A/1AL during the summer and Bio 1A midterms had both multiple choice and free response. Your bio 1a grade consists of 3 uncumulative midterms. Your bio 1al grade consists of midterm 1, midterm 2, and lab quizzes. You also may get graded on pre-labs and lab worksheets but I was told that they only use those grades if you're closely between grades. We had the same gsi for 1a discussion and 1al lab. They only gave quizzes before lab, not during discussion.</p>

<p>Bio 1al labs are pretty easy, and turn out the way you want most of the time if you're careful. For the second portion of lab, the animal portion, you may want to bring a digital camera but it's not necessary because there's plently of labeled pictures on the class website. You still want to pay close attention to every thing you look at because you have to be able to identify everything for midterm 2. One aspect I liked about Bio 1al/1a was that it was very organized and had many resources.</p>

<p>oops, my original post was supposed to make a comparison between bio 1al and chem 3bl, not 3al, heh.</p>

<p>Im assuming labs are not too bad judging by what everyone is saying. Its the lab final thats apparently killer? Im somewhat confused of if there is a lab final? it seems that there are definitely 2 midterms for 1al.. blah. lol</p>

<p>And does the site for 1al have pictures of everything we need to know for the lab final/mts? '</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch for the replies guys~</p>

<p>Sorry, my bad, I meant lab, not discussion. Got confused because I never went to lecture discussion.</p>

<p>1A discussion and 1AL lab are not linked right?</p>

<p>I am in Bio 1A Dis# 119 and 1AL Lab# 111</p>

<p>No, they are not linked.</p>

<p>hey Yourzer,</p>

<p>how was bio 1a in the summer? how many days per week and timings? was it okay difficulty wise?</p>

<p>is the summer course generally more rushed? how does it compare to the semester course?</p>

<p>btw...are med schools okay with a pre-req taken as a summer course?</p>

<p>^Berkeley summer session is equal to regular Berkeley in every way, so yes. The only difference is that more GSIs get away with teaching in summer</p>

<p>There were a lot of hours during the summer. You can check the summer schedule for details. I think it was around 17 hours per week if you take both 1a and 1al.</p>

<p>The summer course was pretty rushed.</p>

<p>Im wondering, how closely do they follow the textbook?</p>

<p>I didn't even have to read the text most of the time. They only test you on the lecture material. It helps to read the text when the professor doesn't go into enough detail in lecture, or if you're confused.</p>

<p>does that also apply to the 3al?
And do you recommend getting the study guide? and any other optional stuff.
Thanks!</p>