Would 20 units for my 1st semester be overkill?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I'm currently in L&S. I want to switch to BioE at the College of Engineering, hence the BioE classes. If I don't switch, I'll be either a Chem or MCB major and hope to at least minor in BioE. I also happen to be pre-med.</p>

<p>Schedule:
Chem 1A - 4 units
Math 1A - 4 units
BioE 24 - 1 unit
BioE 10 (waitlisted) - 4 units
Theater R1B (waitlisted) - 4 units</p>

<p>Once everything processes through (I'm pretty sure I'll get into BioE 10 and Theater R1B), I want to add Music 27 to my schedule as it will fulfill my Art breadth. It will also fulfill my H/SS requirement should I switch to the College of Engineering. It seems like an easy class, and the discussions and lecture don't conflict with any of my other classes.</p>

<p>I know the maximum number of units I can take a semester is 20.5, so I'm willing to drop BioE 24 and instead take BioE 25 in the spring. That will drop my count down from 21 units to 20. I mainly want to know if this would be too much work for my first semester at Cal? I've taken AP Chem and AP Calc BC and passed the tests with 4 so I can opt out of Math and Chem 1A and jump to the B part, but I thought retaking would make the semester a bit less stressful. Thoughts from my experienced upperclassmen?</p>

2

<p>The general advice is to take a light first semester - 13 units or so.</p>

<p>For the overwhelming majority of incoming students, 20 would be a very bad idea for first semester. </p>

<p>PS - Calc and chem at Cal are not a cakewalk even for those who did 5 on both of the APs you mentioned. They will take effort to do well.</p>

3

<p>You, sir, have a death wish.</p>

4

<p>Good news for the students hoping that a space will open up in the dorms for spring semester.</p>

5

<p>Overloading yourself will set you up for disaster.</p>

6

<p>Oh gosh, don’t do that…</p>

<p>Don’t worry about breadth classes so much. You have plenty of time to get those out of the way, and there are tons of easy ones that come along.</p>

7

<p>I gave registration counseling to incoming freshman at a Pac-10 university for about 10 years. My advice was to take 12-14 units the first term because you have an invisible 4 cr class called “Learning to be on your own.”</p>

<p>You are way overloading yourself.</p>

8

<p>do it. and then come back a semester later and tell us your feelings.</p>

9

<p>It’s doable but difficult, it’s probably better if you drop one class. But do this instead: take 20 units for a few weeks and if you feel like it’s a strain, drop one.</p>

10

<p>You are in college to LEARN and experience, not to check a bunch of boxes that you have completed requirements. Even those “easy” classes can be deeply enriching if you give yourself the time to go deep. Don’t cheat yourself.</p>

11

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<p>this guy is too funny</p>

12

<p>well, do it if you’re a masochist.</p>

13

<p>I’d drop one of the bio/chem classes.
But I’m not a scientist so what do I know?</p>

14

<p>Thanks for the advice, everyone, but I feel like 13 units would be to few… I guess I’ll keep the schedule as is for 17 units, assuming I get into the listed classes. After that, depending on how it is I can either add or drop classes.</p>

15

<p>You’re taking practically two semesters of classes, sir.</p>

<p>WHEEEEEEE!</p>

<p>13 units is NOT too few! 12 is too few. You’re allowed to take 13. Take 13. Okay I’m done.</p>

16

<p>Nah, it’s fine. If it’s too much, just drop a class.</p>

17

<p>yeah. chem 1a alone would take most of your time.</p>

18

<p>If you know you are smart then it shouldn’t be a problem. If you know that you will be a top student at CAL then this schedule shouldnt be too much of a problem.</p>

19

<p>Most medical schools require 4 semesters of chemistry and 2 semesters of math. Don’t drop Chem 1A (it’s a lot of work for a freshman, but a relatively easy A), and don’t drop Math 1A unless you plan to take another semester of math besides 1B. Here is a list of the pre-reqs: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You’re pre-med, right? Keep in mind that grades are important. Overloading and performing poorly is worse than doing well in a few classes.</p>

20

<p>You may or may not be right, but what is your basis for thinking that 13 units is too few?</p>