UC Berkeley for undergrad...a good choice?

Question

Hi =)

I'm currently a senior at high school and having a hard time deciding between colleges, particularly Cal. I've heard many accounts of it being a very competitive environment, especially in MCB, and it being unsafe. Although I applied as a Genetics major, I'm thinking of declaring myself a Chinese major because I'm much more interested in that field. Would you guys say it's hard to change my major, considering the two are so different? Would if be difficult for me to manage my workload if I plan on being a pre-med but still major in Chinese?

THANK YOU ^____^

would you say Berkeley has a strong Chinese program? As of now I've only heard of the school famous for MCB, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Poli Sci and English. Would majoring in Chinese make it seem like I'm slacking off?

Gumdrop girl and Professor X, thanks for your input! I am going to UC Berkeley for undergrad.

I have a new question that came up after looking at the Plant and Genetics major:

So, this major is about the same to genetics in MCB but we're studying the genetics of plants? It sounds really appealing! especially since it would be easier for me to double major in Chinese.

If I am a native Chinese speaker, the Chinese courses will still be challenging right? I don't want to just whoosh through the major, I want to learn a lot!

THANKS!

Answer 1

I'm guessing you've seen a few of my answers pertaining to MCB at Cal.

Have you already been accepted? I'm guessing so since statements of intent to register should be due in a week or two. If you got in, CONGRATS!

I double majored in MCB and Southeast Asian Studies. It's not the same region as what you're looking into, but the courseload is analogous. I will say this: If I could double major in it and finish in four years, you can, too. I wasn't a stellar student, but I wasn't a slacker. Cultural studies majors always require two years of language (at least), some courses in culture and/or history and then some literature courses. Even as a MCB major, I was still able to do book translations in my other major.

Berkeley has the best Asian studies programs in the country based on diversity of course offerings alone: East Asian, Asian-Am, South and Southeast Asian and Near Eastern. I do not doubt the quality and rigor of the Chinese department. Your instructors will definitely be native speakers.

But be aware, if you are ABC, you will be taking classes with native speakers and literates. I knew a lot of ABCs across several UC campuses who took Mandarin 1 to get in tune with their heritage, and found that it was a tough class. Languages are generally M-F 8-9am. btw, Cantonese is NOT offered, and Taiwanese is a student-taught elective.

Look at the requirements for the Chinese major. http://ealc.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/chinesemajor.htm

As for pre-med, I'm guessing you've already seen the list of pre-reqs that I tend to include. I think it is quite feasible and appealing to do your pre-med classes as a Chinese major. I also don't think it's a huge leap to declare MCB as a second major if you really love genetics.

But if you LOVE genetics, I'd recommend taking it as a Genetics Plant Bio major in the College of Natural Resources. CNR confers a BS degree for the GPB major, whereas L&S confers a BA for MCB. That's a negligible difference, but hey, sometimes it sounds weird to say you have a Bachelor of Arts in molecular biology. The other advantage to studying GPB is that the major is *tiny* so you will have a lot more opportunities to work one on one with faculty, and there are plenty of lab positions available. Every plant bio major I knew had a lab research job. It's hard to land a lab position as MCB because it is competitive.

So yes, strongly consider GPB as an option http://mollie.berkeley.edu/newpmb/academic/undergrad-pb.shtml and check out the course requirements.

Hope this was useful. If you have more questions, add them to your Details.

ADDENDUM
As a native Mandarin speaker, you will be required to take a placement exam to determine your level of proficiency. Depending on your score, you may be eligible to start at a higher level course.

Fradulently scoring low on the exam will be considered as cheating by the university and will be grounds for expulsion. Berkeley does not kid around with cheaters and I have known a few folks who were canned for it. As a pre-med, having that mark on your records will kill your career entirely: all med school applications ask whether you have ever had a disciplinary action against you.

Anyway, the major will still be challenging. And there is room for independent tutelage under a mentor. Like I said earlier, I did book translations, and I worked closely with my professor. Some of my short story translations were published in her literature compendia.

And the cool thing about doing GPB and Chinese? You get a simultaneous degree (which I think is even cooler than a double major, even if it's the same amount of work), so you'll earn a BA and a BS.

There's a bit of cross-listing and overlapping in GPB and MCB. So the genetics courses you will take will be things like MCB 140 (genetics for majors) or MCB 142 (genetics survey course -- take it with Prof. Jasper Rine, he is BRILLIANT!). Then there's a core class called Plant Molecular Genetics PMB 160L. My friend who was a plant bio major loved that class. She's now at Harvard working on a botany PhD.

Answer 2

You will have no problem changing your major. Changing major in the College of Letters and Science is a matter of filling out forms. It would be challenging for you to take all the pre-med requirements while majoring in Chinese; but with diligent course planning, you should be fine.

Having a non-science major will make you standout as a med school applicant. Med schools are always trying to get a diverse student body. So majoring in Chinese may be advantageous.

Answer 3

In my opinion, one should always major in what one loves best. And Berkeley is certainly competitive, particularly in the sciences, but it has a fantastic academic reputation. I wouldn't hesitate to enroll if I were you.

It will be difficult to major in Chinese and still excel in all the necessary pre-med courses, but it will certainly be possible.

As a matter of fact, many medical schools love to see candidates with majors outside of the sciences, so having a Chinese major could make you a more attractive candidate.

Best wishes to you, whatever you choose!