- 1st Semester/Spring admits:
- Telebears
- Sign up for classes that fill up quickly during your Phase 1 appointment, and save the other courses for Phase 2
- These classes usually include Chem 1A, Chem 3A/L, Chem 3B/L, Bio 1A/L, Bio 1B, Physics 8A, Physics 8B
- Bio 1A/L is not a prerequisite course for Bio 1B, and vice versa
- Chem 3A is a prerequisite for Chem 3AL (the lab portion of the course), but the two do not have to be taken concurrently; also applies to Chem 3B and 3BL
- You can wait-list the course if there are not spots available, but keep the units cap in mind when deciding whether or not to wait-list. It may be to your benefit to sign up for another impacted class instead of wait-listing.
- After your Telebears appointment, you can access your schedule and make changes to it during open hours
- Be aware of add and drop deadlines and the fees associated with both actions
- Check out ratemyprofessors.com to get an idea of the different professors that will be teaching these courses
- Classes
- Try to attend GSI and professors’ office hours at least once to see if they are helpful and to introduce yourself
- General Chemistry (Chem 1A)
- 4 units, lab is included in the course (no separate Chem 1AL, but instead you sign up for a lab section when you sign up for Chem 1A)
- There are different combinations of chemistry classes one can take to fulfill the pre-med chemistry requirements. One popular schedule is Chem 1A, Chem 3A/L, Chem 3B/L, and MCB 102, in that sequence.
- check with your major advisor to see which one works best for you and your major
- Math (16A & 16B OR 1A & 1B)
- Either math series will fulfill the pre-med math requirement
- Check to see which math series is required for the majors you may be interested in (for example, Integrative Biology majors can take the 16 series while Molecular and Cell Biology majors are supposed to take the 1 series. The major departments may allow flexibility in this requirement, but check to make sure)
- Classes
- Classes in General: http://berkeley.edu/academics/sked.shtml
- Advice: Make sure to try out new classes that interest you, especially in your first year, as you explore which major you want to pursue. Also take freshman seminars, Discovery courses, and De-Cals to explore subjects that interest you!
- Good ways to find classes to take is to look through the course catalog, ask friends/older students which classes they enjoyed, talk to advisors for majors that you’re interested in about classes, etc.
- Medical Pre-requisites: All pre-requisites must be taken for letter grades.
- Chemistry (2 years)
- Most students at Cal take Chem 1A, 3A/3AL, 3B/3BL and MCB 102 or MCB 100A and classify 1A / 3A/3AL as General Chemistry and 3B / 3BL /MCB 102 or MCB 100A as Organic Chemistry.
- Physics with Lab (1 year)
- Most students take Physics 8A and 8B.
- Biology with Lab (1 year)
- Students typically take Biology 1A/1AL and 1B.
- Math (requirements vary)
- You need to have calculus in order to take physics at Cal. Math 16A and 16B are acceptable for most medical schools. There are a few medical schools whose pre-req’s. include a math and a statistics course (e.g., UCLA).
- English (requirements vary)
- Many courses that satisfy the L&S Reading and Composition requirement are acceptable; keep your class syllabi or course description. Ultimately, each individual medical school decides which courses it will accept to fulfill its English requirements. If you decide to take a class and are in doubt, contact a few medical schools directly to determine if your course selection will satisfy their requirements.
- Non-Sciences
- Some schools specify a certain number of units in the humanities and social sciences - they like to see breadth in your educational pursuits. Consider augmenting your science classes with additional humanities/social science courses.
- Foreign Language
- Knowledge of a modern foreign language is helpful.
- https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm
- Traditional Pre-Med Academic Path
- Here is a typical academic program for an undergraduate at UC Berkeley who plans to begin medical school after graduation.*
| · 1st Year | · | · |
| · Fall Semester | · | · Spring Semester |
| · Chemistry 1A/1AL · Math 1A or 16A | · | · Chemistry 3A/3AL · Math 1B or 16B |
| · 2nd Year | · | · |
| · Fall Semester | · | · Spring Semester |
| · Chemistry 3B/3BL · Biology 1B | · | · Biology 1A/1AL · Physics 8A |
| · 3rd Year | · | · |
| · Fall Semester | · | · Spring Semester |
| · Physics 8B · | · | · MCAT |
| · 4th Year | · | · |
| · Fall Semester | · | · Spring Semester |
| · MCB 102 or 100A | · | · MCB 100B (if you would like, not a pre-req) |
- *Note: Remember that courses could also be taken during the summer. Please consult with your Undergraduate Major Advisor (UMA) or your college adviser for specific academic program planning.
- *Note: The MCB 100 Series can be taken after completing a semester of Physics.
- From the career center website: https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepAcad.stm
- - Advice: Take time to explore other major and career options to make sure that medicine is the right path for you. This will help you learn why you do or do not want to be a doctor and can make you a stronger applicant.
- Career Center advice: https://career.berkeley.edu/Info/FreshSoph.stm
- 2nd year:
- Class selection
- Organic Chemistry (Chem 3A/L & Chem 3B/L)
- 3A Fall Semester: Professor Steven Pedersen
- Goes at a good pace, all chalkboard notes, assigns problem sets from past exam booklet based on topic, places great emphasis on understanding mechanisms and synthesis, a lot of the course is about understanding the language of organic chemistry
- Test Avg usually around 60-70% with SD of <30
- 3B Spring Semester: Professor Steven Pedersen
- Continuation of fall semester materials, with a greater emphasis on predicting products of reactions, mechanisms, and synthesis
- Test Avg around 100/150 with SD of <30
- Introductory Biology (Biology 1A/L & Biology 1B)
- 1B Fall Semester
- Plants: Carlson
- Ecology: Mary Powers
- Evolution: TBA
- 1A Spring Semester
- Cell Biology: Doudna/TBA
- Genetics: Jasper Rine
- This professor makes you work hard. Every morning at 8am, he has his notes written up on all 8+ chalkboards. He tests based on anything discussed in lectures and also in assigned readings. He really likes experiments and names of notable researches, so particular attention to those should be made. His tests are hard and really test the concepts - asking about scenarios and applications of data.
- Physiology: Gary Firestone
- Test is fair and straightforward. Most of the questions can be answered by the looking at the information in the reader he assigns for his section. Don’t be fooled by the small size of the reader, however. Since all of the information is in that book, and the reader is small, the questions on the test are pretty specific and comprehensive.
- 1AL Spring Semester: Mike Meighan
- He teaches all the Bio 1A Lab courses, every semester so there’s no way to avoid him (it often feels like he’s going out of his way to make life miserable, but according to the student aids, he’s actually a really great guy). The course covers a lot of material and requires a lot of memorizing/study time. Going to GSI or Mike’s office hours is HIGHLY recommended; the room can get really packed prior to exams so take advantage of your GSIs when you have the time. The first half of the course is about lab techniques and basic understandings of proteins, genetics, etc. The second half of the course is animal dissections and understand body systems - rat, cockeroach & crayfish, earthworm, etc.
- Are there good classes to take over the summer? (This topic may be a good one to talk to an advisor about)
- MCB 102: Generally a difficult and competitive course over the school year so many students take this course over the summer. Historically, exams have been open book but the course is now with a different professor.
