<p>So, I've just finished my first week at UC Berkeley and I'm bored as crap. One of the professors noticed this and he invited me to talk privately with him and now I'm enrolled in two graduate courses. I'm taking all the Honors classes, and a few upper division courses too. I'm currently doing research as well (professors contacted me). </p>
<p>So, I feel a bit limited at Cal. The professors are helpful and I really do appreciate it, but I don't want to spend my whole undergraduate career taking graduate-level courses (I want to leave that for graduate school). I also find very few people I can relate to here, as very few freshmen are taking graduate-level courses and very few are even taking upper-division courses. I don't know what to do...</p>
<p>Should I
(a) Graduate early and go to grad school
(b) Transfer to another school that may have a group of peers I can relate to (ex: MIT)
(c) Stay with the professors who have kindly offered me positions in their labs and work with them for four years
(d) Take it easy and have a nice social life (I'm currently joining the cycling+triathlon team and a few academic clubs)
(e) Take as many courses as I can in many different areas and graduate in four years.</p>
<p>Any input is appreciated =] Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>You sound like you are a bit full of yourself. Have you considered triple majoring…? Doesn’t sound like you will have “peers” at MIT either, since they actually have core classes (don’t know about Cal general education requirements).</p>
<p>@lullinatalk</p>
<p>If I triple major, wouldn’t it seem like I’m even MORE full of myself? “Yeah, I’m too good for one major, so I’ll do three. You guys are struggling even though you’re only doing one. I’m awesome, etc.” Also, what’s the point of triple majoring if I plan on only doing one? Would you honestly triple major if your original major was, for example, rhetoric? “Yeah, I’m triple majoring in rhetoric, pure mathematics, and psychology.” Yeah…no. </p>
<p>The thing is, MIT allows you to take an Advanced Standing Exam or some equivalent proficiency test that allows you to take harder courses early. And yes, I know “peers” who have done just that and I think I’d fit in academically. And yes, most schools have general education classes, but I don’t see how there’s any relationship between the existence of a core curriculum and taking harder classes. Just because I’m enrolled in graduate level classes does not mean I’m not taking GE courses…</p>
<p>But anyway, I’ve talked with the professors and my close friends about the situation, so I think I’ll be good for now. If you’re curious, I’m just going to do research until I feel ready for grad school. Also, sorry if I seem(ed) obnoxious.</p>
<p>seems like you actually have a legitimate reason to transfer, unlike 99% of the people in this forum</p>
<p>i would forget about transferring for now, and think about it later after you have spent a couple months at the university. usually in the beginning of the semester, most of the material being covered is elementary and not very difficult, so it should become harder as time goes by
if you can get a decent GPA at berkeley with difficult courses, you will honestly have no trouble transferring anywhere</p>
<p>and lullina, your advice is truly ■■■■■■■■. may god have mercy on your soul</p>
<p>“I don’t want to spend my whole undergraduate career taking graduate-level courses (I want to leave that for graduate school).”</p>
<p>Then change your major to something that you don’t know well enough to be able to place into graduate level courses. </p>
<p>At any decent university, if you are ready for upper-division coursework when you are a freshman, you should be able to demonstrate that readiness either through a written examination, an oral interview, an audition, or by presenting a portfolio of previous work. This really is not at all unusual. What you need to discuss with the faculty in your department, is the best way to prepare yourself for your own next step. Maybe it is to your advantage to whip through your undergrad degree in only a couple of years, maybe it isn’t. But you don’t need to decide that now. Talk with your department, think about all of your options, and give yourself at least a full semester to decide.</p>