<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>I have the option of taking a private Mills physics class, despite being in community college, for free. The scheduling is much more convenient if I do so, and the instruction is probably oodles better than the CC's. The catch however is that Mills physics is more like Physics 8 at Berkeley than Physics 7 (or whichever the engineering one is). </p>
<p>I don't know my major yet, but I want to keep my options open for engineering or other STEM fields, which aren't biological. I almost feel as if taking the "lesser" Mills physics course would give me a better education, since it's from a top ten private school, and has way fewer pupils than a CC class (plus, it's not SUPER early in the morning!). </p>
<p>Does anyone have experience with this? How do the UCs, particularly Berkeley, handle people who want to transfer to STEM when they've only got Physics 8? The Mills course just requires you to have taken one semester of calculus beforehand--though I have already taken Calc III. It's still calc-based though.</p>
<p>Help!</p>
<p>Samueli School Engineering at UCLA (assuming similar at berkeley) is very picky about missing major prerequisites. At Samuel if you are missing more than 3 major prerequisites your application goes to the trash. So assuming you have already taken linear algebra and differential equations, not taking calculus based physics is going to put u at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>Also, the lower division physics at UCLA Is usually Each of the 3 physics classes are taught with over 100 students. So it’s not going to be as crowded as your community college.</p>
<p>Does mills offer real physics (IMO non-calculus based physics is just a watered down version)</p>
<p>[Mills</a> College - Physics, course list](<a href=“http://www.mills.edu/academics/undergraduate/phys/dept_courses_list.php]Mills”>http://www.mills.edu/academics/undergraduate/phys/dept_courses_list.php) indicates that there is just one physics course sequence, which is probably equivalent to Berkeley Physics 8A-8B for biology majors (as opposed to 7A-7B(-7C) for physics and engineering majors).</p>
<p>yeah the Mills one I talked about in the OP is Calc-based, but it’s much more like physics 8 at Berkeley than 7. I think I’ll just have to suck it up and go with the early community college one. Oh well.</p>
<p>p.s. I’m in a linny algebra right now, and plan to do Diff EQ in the spring. That’s okay, right? Since I’m completely done with the calculus series.</p>
<p>Linear algebra + differential equations = Berkeley Math 54 (which includes both). This course is needed for Berkeley students in any engineering major, physics, chemistry, math, statistics, and computer science (also generally needed for economics majors heading for PhD study in economics).</p>
<p>Check [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) for course articulation in general from CCs to UCs and CSUs.</p>