<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>Annoyingly, this is pretty much a chance me for getting into the bio department. </p>
<p>I have questions switched for those who switched into the bio department coming from another one. Some background, I'm a sophomore who intends on applying spring quarter. Currently declared a biochem/chem major due to having junior standing. I've already tried applying once, and was rejected this past winter quarter. </p>
<p>I've already read the information on their website (this Enrollment</a> Management Information) and have talked to a bio counselor. It seems that the primary criteria is that you finish the lowr-div credits before your second year. Winter quarter applications do not take into account what classes are taken for that quarter while spring quarter does. After weeding out students who have not finished their lower-div credits/probably will not by the end of spring quarter second year, they compare GPA's. Applying once does not deter one's chances of succeeding. I think that's all that I know lol.</p>
<p>I'll have finished chem series (ABC), phys 2A and 2B, Bild series (123), Math 20 (ABC), and chem 7L. I am also taking phys 2Cl and phys 2C right now for spring. So, by the end of the quarter I'll have finished the lower-division requirements for mostly all bio majors (except bioinformatics). Talking to the advisor, I should be able to get in based on the fact that I will have finished all requirements by the end of this spring. Also, my GPA is looking good, better last quarter though (3.7+). </p>
<p>Have any of you gotten in that did not complete all requirements by spring? Or any that did not get in while having the tentative stats required (like me)? Am I fine? Is it better for me to apply EBE (the most relaxed lower div requirements)?</p>
<p>The reason I am asking is because I'm taking math 20D and BIBC 102 right now. I really don't want to take more classes than I need to. </p>
<p>TLDR; By the end of this quarter I will have complete all of my lower-div requirements for most biology majors. Pretty high GPA (3.7+). Should I get in applying for spring?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>What was your GPA the first time when you were rejected?</p>
<p>I think once you finish phys2C/L and complete all the LD requirements you’ll have a good shot at getting in. I know friends that were rejected, but it could be because they applied when they were freshmen and didn’t complete at least 3 quarters at UCSD. It’s hard to say they didn’t get in because they didn’t finish their LDs, or to make any conclusive statement since they never tell you why you were rejected.</p>
<p>While you choose a major in the Bio department to apply to, no major is “easier to get into.” The benefits of applying to EBE is that you can apply for the major change before completing chem7l (which is what I did!). Other than that just apply to a major that interests you and that you’ve finished the LDs for (in this case, no bioinformatics). </p>
<p>What I do wonder is if the spring cycle is more competitive because there are more applicants than the winter cycle.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replys guys.
@AceAites: Very slightly lower than what it is now/what I will have when applying again this quarter lol. I’m not sure if this means anything significant because the main thing they care about is LD course completion.</p>
<p>@momosky: Yeah, hopefully I have a shot at getting in. The stats on their website actually indicates that it is easier to get in spring. Even with a lot more applicants. Did you happen to apply in winter?</p>
<p>Yes, I think they care more about LD course completion. I remember the average GPA for the winter cycle of last year was ~3.0, so I tend to think that if you have a 3.5+ you have a decent, if not better, chance of getting in. I hope they take you 
I did apply this winter into EBE, was accepted, then promptly switched to my preferred bio major 14 days later haha.</p>
<p>The secret is applying SPRING quarter! Since a lot of people graduate spring quarter, the biology department will usually waive the necessity to complete all the lower-division pre-reqs, and as long as you have a good GPA you should get in. This is how me and five other of my friends got in during Spring quarter of freshman year. Good luck!</p>
<p>^ yeah it’s true that they admit more students during the spring quarter (171/245 as opposed to 37/156). Though I am not sure if it’s because more people satisfy the LD requirements by spring quarter. But either way, can’t you send in your application both quarters?</p>
<p>Ah, so you didn’t get in because you didn’t complete LD courses? That’s a relief. Your GPA is astounding and I would be very surprised if you actually didn’t get in because of it.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as you (except I’m entering UCSD as a first year in the fall). I want to change my major (the one they gave me upon admission) from biochem/chem to a bio science major. </p>
<p>Can I AP my way out of most of the LD Req’s and just take the 1 or 2 missing courses (Physics and one quarter of Calc)? If I can and assuming I can maintain a decent GPA, do I have a shot at switching majors after 1 year at UCSD?</p>
<p>@ momosky: I also applied for EBE this past winter, but I was rejected. After peoples responses and a little bit of thinking, I feel somewhat confidant in getting in. Haha I was definitely looking to be a general biology major anyways. Thanks!</p>
<p>@ stpatricks14: Woah I didn’t know that they actually waive the requirements. I’m not sure if this makes me a better or worse candidate but cool. Thanks for giving me somewhat real internet life proof of people getting into the department. Everyone just tells me it is bottom line really hard. Spring is definitely the time to apply looking at the numbers. </p>
<p>@ distresstudent: Yeah, you can apply both quarters. I am going to have. Got rejected first quarter and looking to get in for spring. Also, I’ve been told (by a biology counselor at PAC hall) it doesn’t hurt to apply more than once. And I suppose you can technically apply all four quarters (winter and spring freshman and sophomore year) if you come in as a freshman. </p>
<p>@ AceAites: I’m pretty sure I that LDs were the cause. The biology counselor told me that I may have a slim chance of getting in winter but a good chance getting in for spring quarter because of the LD requirements. </p>
<p>I’m not sure to be honest. Unfortunately, I was only able to AP out of a couple humanities/GE classes with my APs. I don’t see why your LDs wouldn’t be considered finished if the department lets you AP out of them… Regardless, perhaps other people can shed some light on this? I’m pretty sure that stpatricks and momosky know what’s up.</p>
<p>I AP’ed out of all the LD biology and got in just fine. They just want to see them “completed” and the method you went about finishing them doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Applying during the winter cycle of your very first year will probably end up in a rejection because one of the requirements is to have spent 3-6 quarters at UCSD. I think with all the little clauses regarding completed LDs and GPA people forget about this one. But you can definitely finish your remaining handful of GEs and apply to the spring cycle of your first year. Just keep that GPA up!</p>
<p>@Momosky: Thank you so much for that insightful post. So, is there a point to apply during the winter of my first year? Will it hurt me if I do and get rejected? If there isn’t anything to lose to just apply anyways, should I?</p>
<p>And I thought you needed to be at UCSD for “3 quarters”. By the Spring quarter of my first year, I would have done only two. Is there a chance I’ll still be accepted, given that I have a satisfactory GPA?</p>
<p>The Exceptional Admissions requirement also says that people who have spent more than 6 full quarters at UCSD cannot apply. So there is a deadline to all this too, right?</p>
<p>Oh and you said that you AP’d out of all of your LD’s. In order to AP out of the physics requirement, do you need the Physics C score or will Physics B suffice?</p>
<p>Sorry for all these questions. D:</p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt you to apply, especially since the application seriously takes less than a minute. You could definitely just put your name down any time and see what happens. I didn’t bother, but that’s also because I didn’t know they took practically anyone if they still have spots open 
for spring, anyway.</p>
<p>You apply 10th week of spring quarter and the grades from spring are considered in the application. I think this implies that spring is also counted to number of quarters. They have this huge FAQ on their website: [Exceptional</a> Admission Information](<a href=“http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/emfaq.html]Exceptional”>http://biology.ucsd.edu/undergrad/emfaq.html)</p>
<p>Yes, they do have a deadline of 6 quarters.</p>
<p>I only had AP bio credit from high school and not anything else. I would consult the college AP credit sheet to see what test is required to waive what class. I would recommend waiving as many LDs as possible. My first year was very repetitive (chem, physics, math, writing GE…again…and again…)</p>
<p>I came in with a 5 on Calc BC, a 5 on Chem AP, a 5 on Bio AP, and a 5 on Physics B. Math 20A + B was waived, the whole LD gen chem and bio series were waived, but physics wasn’t. You need to take Physics C in order to waive some of the physics classes (I think you still need physics lab + physics 1C). But either case, if you took Physics B, you need to retake the whole physics series. However, that is a plus because the physics 1 series is seriously a GPA booster. MC quizzes that aren’t hard for 1A, 1B, and 1C. I ended up with A+ in those 3 classes.</p>
<p>^ I think some of us would disagree about the physics series as a GPA booster…sure the lectures had easy enough quizzes with huge curves, but the lab was frustrating. It wasn’t that it was difficult; the work was frustrating, the lab quizzes were extremely specific and not related to the concepts, etc. I ended up with A-s in 1al and 1bl despite getting raw scores of 95%+ in both classes.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all your input guys. You don’t know how much this advice means to me! =)</p>
<p>Premed, should I retake Physics 1 again ? I can AP out of it with Physics B credit right? And Momosky, do you have any advice on tackling and being successful in labs? </p>
<p>Thanks you guys so much again.</p>
<p>As I said earlier, you still have to take it because 1) your physics ap b score of either 4 or 5 does not waive you from physics 2) assuming you’re in the premed track, you need a year of physics + lab anyways but this is a moot point if you aren’t.
I ended up with an A+/A/A in labs. But I do agree that labs were not that easy. It really depends on how much effort you put in. The prelab questions are somewhat similar to the problems in the textbook, and if you ever have trouble, you can ask someone in the physics helproom or a friend for help. The quizzes were either similar to the physics prelab or testing on concepts in the introduction/physics textbook. These are worth like close to 1/3 of your lab grade, so make sure to prepare. The conclusion is simple. I also did thorough conclusions, but other students would write random bs. The TA still gave 5’s to everyone based on completeness. Some TA’s are not as lenient and would take off points for incorrect or irrelevant information. Overall, I mean I ended up with an A in 1BL and 1CL despite having 98+% in the class, so the TA’s that are easy will definitely be normalized unfavorably at the end.</p>
<p>You want to nail the quizzes. They are 7 out of 20 points for each lab and a major portion of your grade. TAs typically give you inlab points as long as you show up, do the work, and scribble down data in your manual. I’ve never been docked more than a point on the prelab despite some blatantly wrong answers sometimes. For conclusions, include exactly everything your TA tells you to, and even if your data is funky they typically don’t dock points.</p>
<p>Sometimes grades are very TA dependent. I’ve received questions on my quizzes that have no relation to the concepts. For example–“Who invented the battery?” “In what field is spectrophotometry applied?” These were real questions on my quizzes and you had to remember those little facts mentioned in the lab manual. They might also ask you about lab procedure, sometimes with questions as vague as “What is Part B about?” or “What concept are we testing in Part D?” I don’t know if this is the standard for TAs, since premed1234’s quizzes were concept based.</p>
<p>I got a 98% on 1al and a 95% on 1bl, both resulting in A-s. I know for 1al, the TA gave extra credit points to certain students. I would say it’s better to have a difficult TA than an easy one, but that’s something you can’t control. A perfectionist streak definitely helps. You don’t want to lose a single point if you can avoid it. Best of luck to you, because I’m very glad to be done with physics lab :)</p>
<p>@ momosky:</p>
<p>Did you finish all your LD classes by the end of freshmen year? Because I think I can only complete the bio LDs with my high school credits too.</p>
<p>I finished them in one year and 1 quarter. I didn’t sign up for phys1a my first quarter at SD so that last quarter was just physics :)</p>