<p>Would you pick the one that yields the higher GPA or the one that seems to be more favored by employers, all other things (personal interest, etc.) being constant? I know that this is a gross oversimplification.</p>
<p>Examples: Econ vs Poli Econ, Cog Sci vs Comp Sci, MCB vs IB, and so forth</p>
<p>I would definitely go for that seems to be more favored by employers. (although I have to say MCB vs. IB comparison is rather pointless)
You always have the option to not show your GPA to your employer anyway as long as you have that Berkeley degree :P</p>
<p>I’d pick the one with more interesting classes.</p>
<p>Agree with Slorg. The other things may change in 3 or 4 years. I’d say the one you enjoy the most, that have the classes you have waited all highschool to take.</p>
<p>after standardizing the majors for what they are in themselves worth, higher GPA=better grad school (supposedly)=better employment prospects. So pick the higher GPA major but the major in of itself is important, too.</p>
<p>I’ll explain the IB v. MCB case.I am targeting this at the narrow-minded students who ignore all other biology majors and only look at IB and MCB, and aren’t comparatively more interested in one than the other (i.e. to those students who are approximately equally interested in both).</p>
<p>I don’t see very many cases where MCB is actually advantageous unless you intend on getting a Ph.D in it (and if you are going for a Ph.D in the first play, you should do seeking it in something you are interested in).</p>
<p>If you are intending on going in to the workforce with a B.A. in IB/MCB, you will get the same jobs and similar pay. Look at the Career Center reports, neither major is preferred over the other. Some people like to claim an MCB degree is more marketable, but the Career Center reports didn’t even show a hint of that the last time I checked.</p>
<p>The other thing to look at though, The IB Dept. gives out an average GPA of about 3.3 (which is on par with the University’s average GPA). The MCB Dept. gives out an average GPA of 2.96. A better GPA will help you no matter what you do after graduation</p>
<p>If you are looking to go into some kind of pre-health track, IB is also better. If you pre-pharm, pre-nursing, or pre-opto, you will likely need an mammalian physiology lab; the only courses that meet that requirement are IB 132L and MCB 32L (some don’t recognize MCB 32L because it is lower-division). MCB 32L does not meet any requirement for either major and may looked down upon because it is lower-division. IB 132L is extremely difficult to get into in Spring if you are not declared IB (and for summer, it fills up by noon the first day of registration).</p>
<p>Let’s keep it simple and cut to the chase, shall we? Whatever makes your ass more appealing to the guys higher up in the hierarchy than you.</p>