<p>More than anything, I have my sights set on UC Berkeley with a major in Integrative Biology (not sure if it's a very competitive major or not), and I want to get there as a junior. </p>
<p>My problem is that in high school I was an average 3.2 student who, as a result, had to start this summer with Intermediate Algebra. Im pretty sure I can get all the way up to geometry and calculus by the spring of '11, But I wont be able to complete all of my chemistry courses because of this, and its required for my major.</p>
<p>My question is this: Can I still take the AP Chemistry exam or something similar, even though Im in a California CC, so I can get half of my chemistry courses out of the way? (and do I HAVE to have a 4.0...?)</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation 2 years ago. I had a 3.2 gpa and the only UC i got into as a high school senior was UCSB. i went there for a year then dropped out and went to CCC for another year and i’ll now be attending berkeley in the fall. According to assist, you can’t use AP exam scores for the chem prereqs but you can for bio even though it is highly recommended that you actually take the course instead. You’ll probably have to take an extra year to finish all the prereqs. It is possible to get accepted without finishing all the prereqs. I believe someone got in to berkeley for bio without finishing Ochem but they finished everything else. Also, aim for as close to a 4.0 as possible.</p>
<p>…Maybe Berkeley doesnt take AP credit, but my college does…if I can get AP credit for general chemistry 1&2 at my college during the summer, then I could take organic chemistry 1&2 in the fall and spring, right? And since the assist.org papers say that I should take at least 1 gen. chemistry course, I could just take that before transfer, right? Sometimes I scare myself…</p>
<p>Wait have you taken the AP chem test or not? I believe that once you’ve graduated high school you’re not eligible to take any AP exams. What exactly is preventing you from taking general chemistry? If it’s a math prerequisite, try talking to the professor or even department chair and explain to them your situation. Tell them you’ve looked over the material and feel that your adequately prepared or something along that nature. When I took general chemistry, calculations consisted of adding and subtracting numbers and solving for unknown quantities (e.g. college algebra).</p>
<p>I got into Berkeley without finishing all my prereqs for MCB, which is similar to IB, but less broad. My GPA at the time of transfer was 4.00 from my community, and 3.8 from UCSC (I was a UC-UC transfer).</p>
<p>I was taking the 1st semester of OChem during the summer before my transfer, and finished it at Berkeley. I also was finishing Physics during my first year at Berkeley as well.</p>
<p>So, that being said, if you write a convincing personal statement, you should make a pretty good case for yourself. and get good grades. can’t really walk in with a gpa below the 50th percentile and expect to get in, unless you have a very good reason.</p>
<p>I recently asked collegeboard.com about the AP thing, and they told me that a college student can, in fact, still take the AP test, though I’m pretty much at the mercy of the test coordinators at the high schools. The reason why I would want to do this is because the CLEP doesnt get as much credit as an AP test would in my college, and I would only have a few months to study (Its difficult with only test prep books!). And plus, Im not a very good/convincing writer (ie: why I didnt get accepted in the first place).</p>
<p>Out of all the sciences, chemistry gave me the most trouble, so Im wary of taking a class that could jeopardize my GPA unless I absolutely had to take it, though organic chemistry seems a lot more fun.</p>
<p>"I believe that once you’ve graduated high school you’re not eligible to take any AP exams. "</p>
<p>^^That’s not true. I retook the AP English exam my freshman year at cc, and it replaced my high school score (although I only took it to see how much I’d improved). You just need to find a high school that’s willing to let you sign up for an exam.</p>
<p>I’m also attempting a UC-to-UC transfer. I’ve heard that Berkeley wants some explanation for why you wanna transfer there. Where did you put this information if you even bothered to put it anywhere. Also, what are valid reasons for transferring. Is the fact that Berkeley is just better not a good enough reason?</p>