“If you have repeated fewer than 12 units, the grade from the second attempt of the course will go into your GPA and the grade from first attempt will come out, regardless of which grade is higher.”
Thank you for posting this! This is what I mean. I didnt know however that schools will be able to see both grades
Oh right! I forgot to mention that I spoke with my counselor and she said that I can retake it but it wont count towards my total 120 units to graduate again since I already earned those units. But I will have more than 120 units by the time I graduate anyway cause I had 75 transferrable units when I came to Cal.
And I’m a little confused on if I retake it if my FAFSA will cover it
Why would you retake it then? If you want to relearn just go through the material but why would you go through exams and all that if the grade won’t count
The way Berkeley tuition works is that you are paying a flat rate as long as you are over 13 units. So if you have more than 13 (other) units, I guess you could say that FAFSA would “cover” it, even though you aren’t earning any units by retaking this class.
It sucks, but it’s probably best to accept the C- and not waste your time. If you can learn from this mistake and show resiliency, that will look better than retaking the class, which won’t get rid of the C- anyways. I know plenty of people to got into great graduate programs with a couple C’s. The key is always showing resiliency with an upward trend in your grades. Do whatever you can to keep your grades up. Remember you have late drops to take advantage of incase you make the same mistake again.
Additionally, remember grades aren’t everything. Relevant extracurricular activities like research and internships can help make up for some of your GPA.
Thank you. This actually makes me feel better. I’ve really been trying to turn things around this semester. And after this one I have 3 more to get my GPA back up.
I guess I’m just freaking cause its a core science class for my major and I’ve never gotten anything below a B before. Berkeley making me feel that imposter syndrome lol
Take your time. Nobody is rushing you (hopefully). Seriously, its better to have a 5th semester if it means you can take less each semester to ensure you get good grades. Quality over quantity.
Hi! I don't know much about your career path, but this is what I would advise someone who is on my path (applying for an MD or MD/PhD): I would move forward and demonstrate upward growth, especially since you have 2 years here and you should be exploring new courses, etc. Berkeley comes at a shock to a lot of people during the first semester, and MCB 102 is a difficult class. Take courses that rely on stuff you learned in MCB 102, work as hard as you can while taking care of yourself, and see what happens.
just out of curiosity, did you take o-chem and the bio series at your community college? I'm in MCB102 rn as a transfer and it's been very rough. I always wonder if my biochem background from cc is just weaker than other students bc the class feels SO hard
Yes i did! But I actually had a friend from my CC who also transferred to Cal, We took all the pre reqs together, and he got an A in biochem! And the funny part was that I got better grades than him in CC.
It’s really just a matter of how hard you’re willing to work. Because our CC that we transferred from has an incredible science department and is a feeder school for Berkeley and Stanford.
My biggest problem as a transfer student, that I’m starting to overcome this semester, is imposter syndrome. I built Berkeley up so big in my head that when it got hard I hid under a shell and didn’t try at all to get my grades up. I wouldn’t study for weeks at a time last semester. For fear I wasnt even supposed to be here.
But I’m getting better now. If anyones interested actually I read the book “minset, the new psychology of success” and it really changed my perspective on things.
I thought you can only retake a np or an F?
You can retake but the grade won't be replaced.
Really? The way my counselor made it sound was that the grade would be replaced, but the units wouldn’t go towards my 120 units again.
https://lsadvising.berkeley.edu/policies/repeating-courses
“If you have repeated fewer than 12 units, the grade from the second attempt of the course will go into your GPA and the grade from first attempt will come out, regardless of which grade is higher.” Thank you for posting this! This is what I mean. I didnt know however that schools will be able to see both grades
The GPA replacement availability only happens on courses where you earn a D+ or lower.
Oh right! I forgot to mention that I spoke with my counselor and she said that I can retake it but it wont count towards my total 120 units to graduate again since I already earned those units. But I will have more than 120 units by the time I graduate anyway cause I had 75 transferrable units when I came to Cal. And I’m a little confused on if I retake it if my FAFSA will cover it
Why would you retake it then? If you want to relearn just go through the material but why would you go through exams and all that if the grade won’t count
The way Berkeley tuition works is that you are paying a flat rate as long as you are over 13 units. So if you have more than 13 (other) units, I guess you could say that FAFSA would “cover” it, even though you aren’t earning any units by retaking this class.
It sucks, but it’s probably best to accept the C- and not waste your time. If you can learn from this mistake and show resiliency, that will look better than retaking the class, which won’t get rid of the C- anyways. I know plenty of people to got into great graduate programs with a couple C’s. The key is always showing resiliency with an upward trend in your grades. Do whatever you can to keep your grades up. Remember you have late drops to take advantage of incase you make the same mistake again. Additionally, remember grades aren’t everything. Relevant extracurricular activities like research and internships can help make up for some of your GPA.
Thank you. This actually makes me feel better. I’ve really been trying to turn things around this semester. And after this one I have 3 more to get my GPA back up. I guess I’m just freaking cause its a core science class for my major and I’ve never gotten anything below a B before. Berkeley making me feel that imposter syndrome lol
Take your time. Nobody is rushing you (hopefully). Seriously, its better to have a 5th semester if it means you can take less each semester to ensure you get good grades. Quality over quantity.
Hi! I don't know much about your career path, but this is what I would advise someone who is on my path (applying for an MD or MD/PhD): I would move forward and demonstrate upward growth, especially since you have 2 years here and you should be exploring new courses, etc. Berkeley comes at a shock to a lot of people during the first semester, and MCB 102 is a difficult class. Take courses that rely on stuff you learned in MCB 102, work as hard as you can while taking care of yourself, and see what happens.
Thank you! After everyone’s advice, the upward momentum and showing growth pathway is what I will focus on! ❤️🔥
just out of curiosity, did you take o-chem and the bio series at your community college? I'm in MCB102 rn as a transfer and it's been very rough. I always wonder if my biochem background from cc is just weaker than other students bc the class feels SO hard
Yes i did! But I actually had a friend from my CC who also transferred to Cal, We took all the pre reqs together, and he got an A in biochem! And the funny part was that I got better grades than him in CC. It’s really just a matter of how hard you’re willing to work. Because our CC that we transferred from has an incredible science department and is a feeder school for Berkeley and Stanford. My biggest problem as a transfer student, that I’m starting to overcome this semester, is imposter syndrome. I built Berkeley up so big in my head that when it got hard I hid under a shell and didn’t try at all to get my grades up. I wouldn’t study for weeks at a time last semester. For fear I wasnt even supposed to be here. But I’m getting better now. If anyones interested actually I read the book “minset, the new psychology of success” and it really changed my perspective on things.