<p>What courses are commonly seen as weeders here? </p>
<p>i know that math 1b, o-chem, UGBA 10 and CS 61 are famous weeders, but what are some of the others?</p>
<p>by the way, I think it's really stupid that math 1b is a weeder class.</p>
<p>Chem 1A and Math 53/54 (sorta).</p>
<p>English 45a,b,c</p>
<p>Philosophy 100?</p>
<p>Chem 1A is not really a weeder.</p>
<p>But Chem 3A and 112B are definite weeders. </p>
<p>Physics 7B is a definite weeder (but not so much 7A or 7C). In the 8 series, I believe 8B is the weeder. </p>
<p>As far as some engineering courses are concerned, ChemE140, ChemE 141, ChemE 150A, EECS 40, CS 150. There are many more. That's just what I can think of off the top of my head.</p>
<p>about physics 7b... how can 7b be a weeder but not 7a and 7c, since they're all graded on that same 25/65 rule? </p>
<p>Oh wait, maybe they're not all graded on the 25-65 rule.</p>
<p>Actually, Physics 7B does go by the 25/65 rule. </p>
<p>Physics 7B fall 2005 website:
<a href="http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/%7Ephy7b/%5B/url%5D">http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~phy7b/</a></p>
<pre><code> "A grade of "Incomplete" will only be given under dire circumstances beyond a students control, and only when work already completed is of at least C quality. University guideline specifies that in lower division courses, the total percentage of students getting A and B should not exceed 65%. The good news is that 65% of the class will be getting As and Bs. The bad news is that 35% of the class will be getting Cs or worse. Make sure you work hard enough to stay ahead of 35% of your classmates!"
</code></pre>
<hr>
<p>I hope I won't have to switch to some fluff major after Chem 112B.</p>
<p>Oh wow. According to Sakky's short list of weeder courses, many of them are lower division courses for bioE.</p>
<p>
[quote]
about physics 7b... how can 7b be a weeder but not 7a and 7c, since they're all graded on that same 25/65 rule?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because the material of 7B is just really obscure. At least in 7A and 7C, the material is intuitive. In 7B, you're constantly stuck doing all these really weird surface integrations over evenly electrically charged spheres and that sort of strangeness.</p>
<p>Physics is one of those classes for which a lot depends on the teacher. I just came out of Physics 7B, and personally, I had a much better time in it than 7A because the teacher explained things so simply and gave such easy tests. So it might or might not be a weeder, depending on how strict of a weeder you mean. </p>
<p>O-chem is definitely a weeder class; it's the main class where I've noticed competition that could be described as the "sink-or-swim."</p>
<p>And out of Sakky's list, only the Physics 7 series and Chem 3A/B are BioE-required courses. Bioengineers don't have to take EECS40; EECS100 is easier and fulfills the same requirement.</p>
<p>errr anyone care to explain what weeder means....lol</p>
<p>Well, I'm not sure of the exact definition, but a weeder class is one where the grade curve is made so steep that a disproportionately high number of people fail or don't do well in the class. This is to "weed out" the class.</p>
<p>Though I haven't taken the course myself, I have friends who consider Chem1A to be a weed out course. Friends of mine have had nightmares involving that course. Also, to be classified as a "weeder" course doesn't mean it has to have a difficult curve. The material could simply be so dense that it's a challenge for the majority of the students.</p>
<p>Well, if it's very challenging, and they grade easily, who's weeded out? Those who think it was too much work?</p>
<p>
[quote]
errr anyone care to explain what weeder means....lol
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Here's a good definition about weeders from Moochworld. It's about UCLA, not Berkeley, but it's the same idea. </p>
<p>"Weeder?? What's That?
At UCLA there is something called a "weeder" class. "Impacted" courses (courses that have strict guidlines about adding or dropping them due to their high demand) are often "weeders." Most majors have at least one weeder course. Many have more than one (called "weeder series"). A weeder is a course that is designed to flunk out kids who aren't good enough for the major, thus "weeding" them out. FEAR THEM. You're at a school with the best and the brightest... and these courses are designed to flunk a big chunk of them out, of course not on an official level. Most of the time you won't know your class is a weeder until you go to UCLA for a while and you hear the rumor. I will do my best to inform you of what classes you may take as an incoming freshman that may be weeders. UCLA is a pre-med school... remember that. Anything here that is pre-med is *<strong><em>ING HARD. All of the chem courses are considered weeders. Computer science and engineering in general is considered one giant weeder. No, they do not get easier as you move up; in fact, they get really *</em></strong>ing hard. To illustrate, I have a friend who is a graduating senior, Electrical Engineer, I quote him saying, "A's? What is an A? I thought it went from F to C-." It's his last quarter here and yet at least once a week he won't come back from studying until four or five in the morning... and yet it's not midterm or finals season.</p>
<p>Why Do You Keep Talking About "Harder As You Move Up?"
Amazingly, many majors get EASIER as you move up. This is because once you get through the weeder, they give you a break and the workload is only as hard as an "average" class. Certain majors aren't so lucky.</p>
<p>Back to Weeders...
I once took a weeder course in North campus (largely considered the "easier" side of campus). It is the weeder for the communications major (Comm 10). However, because this is an introductory weeder (anybody can take it), it is considered by many as North campus' hardest class. I didn't know this and I took it as an incoming frosh. I was quite scared. The material is ****ing common sense; you get a ton of it. I had 13 pages of single space, font 10 notes covering only HALF of the course (this is back when I was a good student and took notes). I was supposed to memorize the entire list including all the categories and how the list was arranged by them. And I did. Fearing it yet? My friend told me about his chem midterm... the average grade was a 16%.. No, they didn't fail the whole class; I'm sure they curved it so only half the kids failed. My freshman year, I met this friend of mine who was crying because she got an 76% on her math midterm. I told her that she should be glad she passed, she told me, "the average grade was 93%, the curve fails me." Weeders can have curves, as these three examples show... but only to make sure some people pass... and some fail. Famous weeders are courses like: Communications 10, Life Scienes 1 (and 2 & 3), Chemistry 14a (and all the subsequent ones get only harder), English 10a (OMG that class was hard), CS33, etc. Oh, and if you're wondering, my friend ended up getting a C- in her math class after studying her butt off. Lucky her!!!"</p>
<p>Drab, there are courses that students fail that don't have curves...</p>
<p>That's true, too.</p>
<p>english 45a,b,c is a weeder? my friend took eng 45b last semester and i think she did pretty well...i think she had 2 essays for midterms and a final..so if you do pretty good on the essays..i think you'll be ok..
so are these classes curved? im taking 45c this sem....i dont want to take it if its a weeder..haha</p>
<p>I don't know about grading, but the 45 series is supposed to be hardcore. The English department is very serious about English. My friend who aced the AP Lang and Lit tests, and is generally studious, and was the second highest position on my high school's paper, and blah blah blah, (I hope you get by now that she is good at writing and what not), said that 45c was intense, even for her, and then she made it seem like she probably wouldn't consider minoring in English if her classes are as intense as that. I be it's not that tough to get a C or B- if you sincerely try to do well, maybe even a B, but anything higher and you probably have to be very good. I'm just trying to show these lovely science folk that there are classes outside of the sciences that are tough. Shocking, I know, but as an example, in the humanities departments of philosophy, English, and Rhetoric, A's aren't handed out like candy. I bet they just follow the ""A grade of "Incomplete" will only be given under dire circumstances beyond a students control, and only when work already completed is of at least C quality. University guideline specifies that in lower division courses, the total percentage of students getting A and B should not exceed 65%. The good news is that 65% of the class will be getting As and Bs. The bad news is that 35% of the class will be getting Cs or worse. Make sure you work hard enough to stay ahead of 35% of your classmates!"" policy, so you'll probably end up with at least a C if you sincerely try.</p>
<p>Chem 1a is challenging, but getting an A is very doable. I think I was just a few points away from an A-. I did well on all of the tests but got lazy with lab. Every single point counts.</p>
<p>oh wow..thanks for the comment drab..i hope i don't get killed in 45c..</p>