<p>I'm currently a biology major at UCSD, but have been accepted to Cal as a transfer in the fall. I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to do.</p>
<p>I've heard Berkeley is incredibly cut-throat, as in people physically sabotaging each other to tip the curve in their favor. Other sites have lead me to believe that it's damn near impossible to get an A in science class. Is this accurate?</p>
<p>No............................</p>
<p>Far from the truth...getting As at Berkeley takes motivation and often times brute effort, but it's very doable. </p>
<p>The quality of the undergraduate education at UCSD and at Cal are the same, in my opinion.......and definitely in your area of study. If you're enjoying UCSD right now, you should stay there...if you transfer here, you're going to have to remake friends, readjust to the environment, etc etc and before you know it, you'd have graduated from Cal. </p>
<p>If you're not happy at UCSD right now, you should give Cal a shot. But if you're loving it down at SD, you should stay there. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>^^^wholeheartedly agree</p>
<p>i don't want to be nosey but i'm going to ucsd as a biochemistry major but i really really want to transfer to cal.</p>
<p>what is your gpa and is it hard to get a good gpa to transfer in cal? i heard that you need a 3.8 :X</p>
<p>I actually will be attending CAL in fall 06 and want to try to transfer to UCSD or UCLA after 2 years. I just think the Socal scene is more my fit and I'm not into the cut-throat environment. I only chose Cal for the sake of my parents.</p>
<p>It will be pretty hard to transfer. Do your best in school, but just try to make your situation as UCSD as good as possible. There is no cutoff, but the higher better, and below a certain point, it's very unlikely.</p>
<p>i presently have a 3.5 due to a lackluster first quarter.</p>
<p>him 235 what year on you in</p>
<p>can u transfer after one year like from ucsd to cal?</p>
<p>Yes, I think so.</p>
<p>i hope so........</p>
<p>i'm at the end of my second year, but technically i have junior standing (not that that means much anymore)</p>
<p>him,
did you have to take certain classes to be eligible to transfer from UC to UC? Did you have to do anything different than california community college students who transfer their junior years? I am a first year at Berkeley currently thinking about applying to transfer to other UC's next year.</p>
<p>there was no special UC to UC list, however there is a list of transfer approximations that should be available. most lower divs seem to be the same across the UC system from what i've found.</p>
<p>The might be the same, but what one needs to take for a certain major might be different. For instance, the pre-reqs for psych at Berkeley and at UCLA are pretty different.</p>
<p>Hey him,</p>
<p>Back in November, I sent an application to Cal, really for the hell of it. Now, i've been accepted and really don't know what to do. I'm a Bio major at UCSD too, so it makes the decision even tougher. I flew home for the weekend to sort things out before Midterms, and I'll be at Cal tommorrow. Something is really going to have to catch my eye tommorrow to make it worth it. What are you thinking, him? Is Cal really going to be that much better of an experience, especially as a transfer? I'm doing well at UCSD and I am not sure if I am ready to do the whole readjustment thing again, especially if it means worse grades.</p>
<p>Cant decide,</p>
<p>I'm really having a lot of trouble. I don't really like UCSD, but I've always wanted to go to Cal. However, I'm also not sure if it's worth it to start over again for basically the same level of education. You and I both know the UCSD is extremely strong in the biological sciences and from what I hear, the career center is among the best in the nation for job opportunites, internships, and lab positions. I doubt Berkeley will be better in these respects based on competition alone.</p>
<p>I know there's a lot more going on at Cal and I'm much more into the campus (partially because it's about 1/4 the area of UCSD), though as a transfer I'm not sure how much these things will matter. I have a lot of friends at Berkeley who have even gone so far as to invite me to come live with them, but I also have some friends here who I was relatively set on living with before last Monday. I also miss the Bay Area.</p>
<p>If I do decide to go, I will have to take a class at De Anza in the summer to make up for a class I didn't take this quarter. Also, the College of Letters and Sciences has a language requirement which I've avoided here at Sixth College. Language has always been one of my weaker points. These are some things I'm definitely taking into consideration.</p>
<p>For me, there doesn't seem to be any concrete practical reason to go other than it's what I've always wanted. So here I am.</p>
<p>I hope actually visiting Berkeley (hopefully when it's not raining) makes the decision easier for you. Good luck with whichever you choose.</p>
<p>Also, does anyone here have any input on taking Spanish at Cal to satisfy the language requirement?</p>
<p>I can totally relate. I grew up a few minutes away from Cal and being a 'Berkeley' student has always been a goal of mine. When I was admitted, I was pretty confident that I would pack up and leave and start my new life at Cal in the Fall. But the more I learn about the school, the less appealing it seems. You talk about the fact that its 1/4 the size of UCSD, but after talking to the Bio advisors, I felt even more like a number that I ever have at UCSD. I feel as though I still might want to transfer, and don't want to regret anything down the road. For me, it has all fallen into place too... UC-Reciprocity, all of my classes transfer, huge financial aid package, etc. Could I be passing up this opportunity?</p>
<p>Him, the decision is a no-brainer for you, come to Cal! If you've thrived at UCSD academically, you will definitely do well at Cal too. If you miss the Bay and always wanted to go to Cal, don't miss the opportunity, there is no downside for you, only inertia.</p>
<p>Cantdecide: the "number" and impersonal feel diminishes in your upper div classes. </p>
<p>"But the more I learn about the school, the less appealing it seems."</p>
<p>any specifics?</p>