Only major required courses need to be for a letter grade. You’re allowed 14 semester units (uc-transferable) that can be P/NP. Since you were adding a class to get the required units for transfer, I assumed the last class was not a major requirement.
I have to add something here about unit loads and pass/no passing because the workload is burdensome… As someone whom transferred to Cal from CCC this fall, I can tell you that 18 units at community college is about the equivalent of 12 units at Cal. I took 21 units this past spring semester at a CCC and it is comparable with the workload (NOT the same intensity as Cal) of taking 12 units at Berkeley.
My point to this is, being able to take 18 units (assuming one isn’t have to work a lot during the semester) and getting A’s is kind of something you want to show UC Berkeley you can do. Classes at UC Berkeley are way more intense and the reading per unit taken is astronomically higher than community college. If you are not working, you should be able to swing a 18 unit semester with A’s at a community college. Taking P/NP just because you can’t quite hack it is doing yourself an injustice in terms of trying to get into Berkeley. Secondly, you are not properly preparing yourself what it is going to be like when you get here, if you do.
This fall semester’s (or quarter’s) grades are your last submitted grades on the application… you update your application in January. You want to show that you finished strong and took on a challenging load at community college.
@IAM2MUCH4U yea I’m not gonna take a p/np, what would you think about a flow yoga class and a soccer class? That would total 3 credits
P/NP will not have a negative effect. The point of P/NP is to take courses outside of your intended subject area and not feel pressure. It states that clearly on the UC website. It’s not because you can’t hack it. Students are not to be penalized for it. Anyhow, my daughter had 12 P/NP in non-major-related courses and got into Berkeley. She cushioned her 4.0 by taking two 5-unit courses P/NP (not because she couldn’t hack it, but because she didn’t want to take a chance), and even got offered a Regents - unfortunately not where she wanted to go.
So, let’s not perpetuate a myth.
I might also add Berkeley won’t even see the P/NP until after OP is admitted as it is a spring course. They won’t see the grades until July. So the point is moot.
P.E. units are fine. Just remember, only 4 are transferable, but you’re at 3.
@lindyk8 I am not perpetuating a myth. I never said it would have a negative effect, please re-read my post instead of projecting on my sentiment what you wanted to read. I am saying it will show more positively that one takes their courses for a grade, not that taking a p/np is the determinate of an applicant. Taking classes for a grade says more about a student in positive way that someone that takes the same course for p/np. Secondly, you are missing that I am saying putting one’s self through rigor in CCC is beneficial to making a smooth transition and meeting the demands at Cal. This too is commonsensical and not ill advice.
Sure, there anomalies that we can all point to, as there is no special formula, I will grant you that. However, it is common sense that someone that has decided to bear to brunt of their grade and took their classes seriously versus being exploratory and providing themselves the ability to get a C- in a course isn’t saying as much as someone that takes that same course and gets an A.
And agreed, if a course is to be taken in spring, then it isn’t so much the matter other than you report on your application that you decided to take the class for p/np. If it was me, I wouldn’t want p/np. I would just take the class, do well and satisfy my desire to be “exploratory” outside my major. I had 5 A.A degrees in various subjects by the time I transferred, so I am knowledgeable about being multi-disciplinary. That being said, I didn’t take any classes for p/np to escape being accountable for my grades.
@uctransfer2016 take whatever class you will enjoy the most, the one that benefits you the most albeit for mental or physical health. If you are concerned about the workload, the class you enjoy the most will likely be the least burdensome… at least that is what I found to be true for me. If I enjoyed a class, it was just easier, or if I was interested in the subject, I usually didn’t have to work quite as hard as other classes.
Bottom line, do what is best for you, do what is within your means. I wouldn’t take on extra units at the expense of slipping on other classes. My first semester in college I took 12 units; my second semester I took 15 units. From there on out I started taking a minimum of 18 units and maxed out at 24 units. But I never took on more than I knew I could still maintain A’s in.
Bottom line, is stay sane, stay happy at school and do well.
@IAM2MUCH4U The myth that lindyk8 says you are perpetuating is that you should not take P/NP courses if you want to get into Berkeley.
While CC courses are generally easier than Berkeley courses, I disagree with the idea that 18 units at CC is the equivalent of 12 Berkeley units. They’re two different things, organized in different ways - Berkeley is certainly very rigorous, but 18 CC units is difficult in a different way. (it’s 3 Berkeley classes vs. ~6 CC classes - I find it more difficult to juggle 6 classes, especially with the subject matter that I enjoy dealing with, but we’re all different.)
semi-tangential note: (shrugs I’ve taken a 3 unit CC class that had me writing 40 pages per month, and a 20,000 word final paper - not to mention the reading involved. more work than the berkeley class i took, absolutely. not more intense/rigorous, though. two different animals entirely.)
Again, I have never said that whatsoever, this is getting pretty stupid and frustrating. Feel free to point out at which time I said you shouldn’t take P/NP to get into Berkeley. If that is a myth I am perpetuating, then I must have said it. So point it out… best of luck with that - for at no time did I say that. And again, the point is missed as to what I am saying but that is ok, to each their own.
If we are worried about perpetuating myths of Berkeley, then I would advise that someone pointing their their child, a single instance, in which taking 12 P/Np’s is evidence that it is a good idea to NOT worry about it, we are in a sad place at this juncture on this thread. I know numerous 4.0 students with impeachable academic records and amazing extracurriculars that were rejected. Suggesting that it is no big deal to pile on P/NP is seriously bad advice.
So, here is the advice we are to follow now young Berkeley seekers: don’t worry P/NP; don’t worry about trying to press yourself in community college; community college is a good indicator of the average class at Berkeley, in fact, your community college experience is harder than Berkeley; P/NP so you can explore other majors and classes on the assurance that someone’s child did so, thus you will not have a problem either.
Wow… amazing stupid logic. Flat out terrible. It is at this point I will check out of this ridiculous advisement being promoted on this thread. I thought perhaps providing some insight from someone that attends Berkeley and has done what people here are trying to do would be of service, but instead I am seeing people would rather steep themselves in a warm bath of confirmation bias.
Looks like @IAM2MUCH4U was too much for everyone. Haha. 
I think what they had to say had a point, guys. I would imagine Berkeley would be all about seeing how much rigor you could pile on and still do well. I would expect highly-regarded institutions would want to know whether or not you can cut it in intense environments. I’ve taken 18+ units a semester every term since I started college and it was managable, though not something I adamantly enjoyed. I would imagine trying to save your grades by doing P/NP would make it seem as though a student would like to try new things without risking their GPA. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not something I would do.
Taking P/NP or letter grade is not a biggie lol chill
Well, at least “the number of classes you are taking per quarter” is not criteria in transfer selection.
There’s no proof of it at all. People have different circumstances. Some are student parents, some are full time workers. For those, you are certainly not expected to take like 20 units per quarter, and Berkeley clarify they consider each individual’s context.
But GPA is truly matter. If you really have to take more courses than you can responsibly handle (getting A), go for p/np grade, or letter grade for extremely easy classes.
The rationale that taking even one course P/NP indicates a person has not adequately prepared themselves for the rigors of Berkeley is a simplistic analysis. And however you want to parse it, that WAS the message.
What may be one person’s criteria for preparation is not necessarily another person’s. Getting five AA degrees is also a personal choice and in no way indicates anything more than someone, for whatever reason, decided to get five AA degrees. It doesn’t indicate any more rigor or preparation than another person who got one or none. These are false equations.
Anyhow, bottom line, which is what this started out being, was OP worried about 18 units last term. I suggested one P/NP course. And let me tell you, I’ve seen enough ppl up here crash and burn last term to determine it’s not a bad option. And a P does not mean slacking in my book. You should be working just as hard; however, the GPA pressure is off.
If it makes a person a lesser entity and less prepared in another’s eyes, so be it. It’s a personal choice that has no bearing on Berkeley’s decision (which is ultimately what it’s all about, correct?). 
OT: @goldencub, how did your summer Berkeley courses go? Did you get an OK grade? You must be getting excited now that you’ve had a taste of it. My daughter is loving it.
@lindyk8 I got an A, actually. I miss logic very much - looking forward to taking more complex, crazier logics if/when I actually get into Cal.
I’m thinking of taking a History class at Berkeley next semester via cross-enrollment (couldn’t get into one this Fall because of waitlists, but these History classes often have space.)
Speaking of logic (non-symbolic):
@IAM2MUCH4U "So, here is the advice we are to follow now young Berkeley seekers: don’t worry P/NP; don’t worry about trying to press yourself in community college; community college is a good indicator of the average class at Berkeley, in fact, your community college experience is harder than Berkeley; P/NP so you can explore other majors and classes on the assurance that someone’s child did so, thus you will not have a problem either.
Wow… amazing stupid logic. Flat out terrible. It is at this point I will check out of this ridiculous advisement being promoted on this thread. I thought perhaps providing some insight from someone that attends Berkeley and has done what people here are trying to do would be of service, but instead I am seeing people would rather steep themselves in a warm bath of confirmation bias."
Straw man fallacy. Nobody is saying this (that CC is harder than Berkeley, etc.)- you’re misrepresenting the opposing argument. I was just speculating regarding what myth you were perpetuating (of course, I don’t really know what that myth is fully).
In context, we were talking about adding a single P/NP class - adding a single P/NP is not a big deal, especially because it will be in the Spring, and thus not factored into the admissions decision. Not a bad idea at all. Similarly, getting a W is no big deal. It will not destroy one’s chances at Berkeley (as they do not care).
Taking 18 units is pressing at CC, one of those classes being P/NP does not make an 18 unit course load any bit easier.
Poisoning the well fallacy in your diatribe against our logic.
Don’t take it personally mate, we just have a disagreement. >:D<
Shiiieeeeeeeet. If CCC is easier than UCB, I’m going to be a rockstar … as long as I can get in. 
Oh, and calculus. Calculus can die in a fire.
I haven’t read the past 35 pages in this forum yet, so I’m not sure if anybody has already asked this question, but I’m a political science major and I was wondering if taking a UC transferable math class in the spring is okay to take rather than the fall prior to transferring in the Fall of 2016. I’m asking this because I was reading past discussion threads of UC transfers and they said that it’s imperative to take a transferable UC math class in the fall before you apply so the admissions officers know that you are capable of taking a math class equivalent to the one at a UC…
is that true, can anyone clarify for me please? Thanks :)>-
It certainly helps, by3000, but it’s not required. By what they require, any pre-reqs need to be done by the end of spring prior to transferring. Obviously though, if it’s done earlier, they’re able to get a glimpse of what you’re capable of with math.
Are you talking about the required stats/quantitative reasoning class @by3000? Errrr, they really like it done by fall, if possible. Do you have the int. algebra completed with a letter grade? I think they like seeing some math completed, and if you have a math somewhere (even remedial) it should be ok. I know UCSB is a stickler about this. I’m not sure how it will impact your situation at Berkeley. I know at UCLA they let it slide for someone (it was the only math grade), but with the caveat he get a B grade. Maybe you should reach out and ask a Berkeley rep to be on the safe side.
I was wondering about the math classes, too. I will have the transfer math done (which counts as one of the quantitative requirements) by the end of this semester. However, the other quantitative math course can only be completed by the end of the summer semester (there are two pre-calculus courses I have to take beforehand). I asked a Berkeley rep this morning if finishing it in the summer was okay, and she said it was, but I want to see what anyone else has to say.
Does someone have the experience with, or know someone, who had to take their last prereq during the summer and still got into Berkeley?
Also, I already have the IGETC done. I’m just working on my major courses for my two AAs.
Well, if you have IGETC done, then you have the quantitative math requirement completed. So the summer course is additional.