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<p>Berkeley CS 61A does not use curve grading. Presumably, you mean the competitive nature in pre-med courses (which is probably true in pre-med courses everywhere, and perhaps to some extent in curve graded courses everywhere).</p>
<p>Berkeley L&S CS needs a 3.0 GPA in the prerequisite courses to declare.</p>
<p>Berkeley seems to find a way to let everyone into lower division CS courses, but that results in 1,100 (fall) or 700 (spring) student CS 61A courses. If you are near Laney College, you can take CIS 61 there, since it is listed at <a href=“http://www.assist.org”>http://www.assist.org</a> as being equivalent to Berkeley CS 61A.</p>
<p>Of course, UCSB will be a more traditional college experience as an entering frosh.</p>