Hi everyone!~ I will be an entering freshman this coming year and I am intending to major in physics through the college of Letters and Sciences. I was wondering what should my class schedule be like for my first year? I have gotten a 5 on calc bc and physics c mechanics btw. I also plan on taking the honors course of physics. Is this a good idea?
Did you attend CalSo? If you did they would give you the same advise I am going to. They told us that although if you have a 5 it is not recommended to jump ahead to Math 53 since it is a pretty challenging class. They recommended to take Math 1B or H1B again then jump to 53. As for physics I am not really sure.
5 on AP calculus BC allows you to skip Math 1A and 1B, according to the math department:
https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/ap-exams
However, it is best to try the old exams from Math 1A and 1B to be sure that you know the material by Berkeley math course standards. Also, there is some introductory differential equations material in Math 1B that may not have been in your high school calculus course that you may have to self-study before taking Math 54 if you skip Math 1B.
https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/archives/exams
The physics department does not allow skipping any physics courses with AP credit, although students with a strong physics background in high school are suggested to choose Physics H7A instead of Physics 7A.
Old physics and other exams can be found here if you want to compare your knowledge from high school AP course work to what is expected in Berkeley courses:
https://tbp.berkeley.edu/courses/
Other than math and physics courses, make a candidate list of other courses that you need for breadth requirements, and courses that you otherwise are interested in. Since most courses are 4 units each, you will probably take 4 courses to make 15-16 units.
Reading and composition: if you have a 5 on AP English literature, you have fulfilled both halves. If you have a 4 on either AP English, you have fulfilled the A part and just need a B course. Otherwise, you need an A course followed by a B course. Various departments offer them, prefixed by R. You can check the department web sites for reading lists and topics.
L&S 7-course breadth: physics major courses will automatically fulfill the physical science part. See http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu/requirement/7breadth.html for other listings. One course can fulfill any one category that it is listed in.
American cultures: generally, courses with the suffix AC fulfill this requirement (though a few courses that do fulfill it do not have the suffix). A course may fulfill both this requirement and another requirement.
For example, ESPM 50AC fulfills American cultures and any one of historical studies, philosophy and values, or social and behavioral science categories in L&S 7-course breadth.