<p>Material-wise, I don’t think there’s much difference from UC to UC. However, it’s harder to get good grades at Berkeley, LA, SD because the average student is much smarter, therefore making it more difficult to be above the curve.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s a lot harder here. I’m also an EECS transfer student, new this semester. I know that a lot of people were freaking out about the 61a midterm. There are a few things that I have realized here:</p>
<p>1) In junior college, bombing an exam is scoring < 80%. At Cal, bombing an exam is scoring <40%. Your percentage score here WILL be lower than anything that you got at ju co. What matters is how you do compared to the average, not your raw score. Therefore, if you haven’t seen the class statistics, you have no way of knowing if your score is actually bad.</p>
<p>2) People here are way smarter, work way harder, and the material is WAY more fast-paced. If you put things off, you are going to fail. Period.</p>
<p>3) Almost everyone that I have talked to did really badly on their first midterm at Cal. Everyone. That includes transfers and freshmen. EVERYBODY FAILS THEIR FIRST BERKELEY EXAM!!</p>
<p>4) The most useful question I have ever asked a professor after I do poorly on an exam is, “How do you think that I should study?” Then, do exactly what they suggest. You’ll be surprised, even if their suggestion sounds really weird.</p>
<p>
So, what was their suggestion when you asked this?</p>
<p>hmm i don’t think u will fail here. if u want to graduate, it’s possible. i guess it’s a little harder to give u advice since u are a transfer and dont have 3 years left but i think it gets better. honestly, when i came here, i came in with the attitude that it’s going to be really hard and so i should just EXPECT getting low grades. which is kind of true and i guess it helped me get through but it’s not impossible to do well. u just have to practice what ur doing. and know everything inside out. like ur studyin for a language. </p>
<p>as far as social life, as time goes on, you’ll meet new people and u’ll have more friends. join clubs and go out to parties and stuff or do whatever u can. it might suck in the beginning, but it honestly gets better. dont worry about it.</p>
<p>
Babak (EE20N) suggested that I make a chart according to very particular specifications which keeps track of practice problems, what concepts they cover and what lesson I learned from each. I’m already seeing the use in it.</p>
<p>Another, back in my junior college days, suggested that I get into a study group with students who were actually doing worse in the class than I was. This suggestion shocked me. The idea was that this would force me to take on a teaching role in the group, and as I articulated the material to others, I would magically begin to understand it better. I was extremely skeptical, but it was probably the most effective studying technique that I have ever employed. I actually ended up with one of the highest grades in that class, and I became a tutor in the class the following semester.</p>