I’m a freshman going into econ, but i want to declare haas. I know that haas regards a high gpa as very important, so i’m unsure if I should skip 16a. How much harder would 16B be and could I feasibly get an A in it? I’ve taken a look at the calc 16a tests and i’ve learned most of the material (except business calc and a few other concepts). Just how much does math 16b build upon 16a and test 16a’s concepts?
On one hand, I want to take 16B in the fall since that’s one prereq fulfilled sooner and more schedule freedom later on, but I want to be sure I could succeed. I’m not really a math person–I can learn well, but I need more time than some people to do hw and to learn material. Suffice it to say math is not my strong suit, it takes more effort than normal for me.
So What’s your opinion? If you were in my situation, would you skip?
Note: (i don’t know my calc AB exam for certain, but I have a feeling it’s a 4 or 3. I know if I get a 3, I shouldn’t skip 16a)
Thank you in advance!!
According to the Econ requisites you should be able to skip Math 1A or Math 16A.
https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/prospective/freshmen
If you found some previous tests and did well in it, you should skip in my opinion. Some might argue about padding your GPA which might be legit as well.
You can try the old final exams for Math 1A or 16A to see if you know the material well enough to be ready for Math 1B or 16B.
https://tbp.berkeley.edu/courses/math/
As you know, many (if not most) math classes build on each other, so it’s really important to make sure you have a solid foundation if you plan to use an AP score to skip a class. @ucbalumnus 's advice is good - review that stuff and see if it’s all coming back to you, especially since you say you’re not really a math person. D took 1A and 1B, even thought she got 5’s on the A/B and B/C tests, because she was 1) paranoid that the Cal math would be so much harder, and 2) she wanted to make sure her math foundation was there because multivariable was the looming in the not-too-distant future. She got A’s in both, but she had to do the homework and study for the tests. It all depends upon your comfort level with the material and risk.
If you want a “easy” A, perhaps taking the 16A will get it for you to help get into Haas.
Students who repeat their AP credit for an “easy A” sometimes do not take the course seriously enough and end up with a grade worse than an A.
That link is something special. I’ll definitely be using it. Thanks!
One further question: How manageable do you think my life would be if i was taking 16 units (aiming for an A in all classes), working a work study job, and wanted a reasonable social life?
A’s are not easy to come by at Berkeley. But I guess it depends on the classes you take.
They say that in the first semester you should only do 3 classes and a DeCal. My kid didn’t follow that, he took 4 classes, but wound up taking a Philosophy class for P/NP even though he was averaging an A. To answer your questions, I guess it all depends on the individual. If you list out your classes that you intend to take, I can give you a better idea. (I can PM you if you don’t want to share in public).
16 unit workload is nominally 48 hours of work per week, but many courses require less, but some courses require more.
High workload per unit courses include:
- Labs.
- Art studio or performance.
- Big term projects.
- Courses which are in subjects you find difficult.
I would definitely not load up that first semester. You are going to college and EVERYTHING is new. You’d be surprised how much the non-academic stuff can throw you for a loop: roommates, feeding yourself, getting around, managing your time, laundry, etc.). D took 14.5 units her first semester, .5 of which were a PE class and 2.0 were a DeCal (3 classes + a lab - labs are usually 1 unit and a crap ton of work). It was plenty - since then, she has taken anywhere from 15.5 to 18.5 (including a PE class and URAP research each semester). You’ll have opportunity to bump up in units once you gage what you can handle.