GM #5: Schedule Advising October 17th, 2019

Old System New System

● General members: 50% GM attendance + 1 CS event

● Committee members: 50% GM attendance + 2 CS event

● Meet the required minimum with any point combination, but committee heads are free to add their own requirements

● GM attendance: 2 points each● CS attendance: 2 points each● Instagram (@berkeleyamsa): 0.5

point each● Slack app/website: 0.5 point● Being a Mentor: 0.5 point● Feedback form (must have attended

event): 0.50 point each

Instagram Slack

● After following @berkeleyamsa on Instagram, you must message the account with your full name in order to receive the 0.5 point.

● Starting Sep 19th, if you join Slack, you must message me (Carl Inac) afterwards in order to receive the 0.5 point.

Premeds of Berkeley

● Like Premeds of Berkeley on FB at the following link! We post stories of fellow Premed students every week.

○ https://tinyurl.com/premedsofberkeley

● Follow Premeds of Berkeley on IG! Our IG is @premedsofberkeley

● Additionally, you will receive half a point if you are interviewed for Premeds of Berkeley! Fill out this interest form if you’re interested! :)

○ https://tinyurl.com/interviewinterest

FUNDRAISING UPDATES

KAPLAN TEST PREP COURSE CERTIFICATE:

bit.ly/ucbamsaauction

Starting Bid: $1100 Original Price: $2499

Expires 12/31/2020

COVERS: MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT

Don’t have to be a UCB Student or AMSA member to qualify, so spread the word!

All events: https://tinyurl.com/amsa-communityservice

Downtown YMCA Halloween Carnival (2 pt per shift)

● Carnival: Friday October 25th○ Shifts: 3-5pm, 5-8pm, 8-9:30pm

● Sign ups due TONIGHT● RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/amsa-halloween

Loaves and Fishes - Dinner for the Homeless (2 pts)

● Church by Unit 2, Saturday, November 2nd○ Kitchen, 4-7pm○ Table Host, 4-7pm○ Table Server, 4-7pm

● Sign ups due the 31st● RSVP: coming soon - check the next newsletter!

COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENTS

Family System

● Completely optional (but highly recommended!)○ Helps with the social aspect○ Family with most points

(from competitions) will win a prize!

● Two board members per family● Once you get to know a few

AMSA members,○ Pick your family:

http://bit.ly/amsafamily

○○

Feedback Form (due every Monday): tinyurl.com/amsarocks

UC Berkeley, Pre Medical Chapter

Pre-Med Required Courses @ Cal● Biology (at least 2 semesters, with lab)● Biochem (1 semester)● General Chemistry (1 semester at Cal, with lab)● Organic Chemistry (2 semesters, with lab)● Physics (2 semesters, with lab)● Math (varies, but standard is 2 semesters calc, one semester stats)● English and Comp (2 semesters)● Psychology and Sociology (not required but recommended)

Biology (at least 2 semesters, with lab)

Bio 1A● Often need it for research, declaring majors, or

upper-divs● You do not need an organic chemistry background to

do well● There is NO need to take Bio 1B right away/before Bio

1A!!!!!

Bio 1B●●

Biochem (1 semester)

● MCB 102○ Biology-based

○ Useful for MCAT (but more detailed 🙂)

● MCB C100A○ Chemistry/Physics based

○ Take in the Fall!

○ Doesn’t cover metabolism and signaling

pathways

● Chem 135○ Chemical Biology

○ Useful for GPA

General Chem (1 sem w/ lab) + Ochem (2 sems w/ lab)

● Chem 1A/L○ Medical schools require two semesters General Chemistry, but they count Chem 1A as two

○ DON’T need to take Chem 1B

● Chem 3A/L○ Medical Schools require two semesters

○ First half of Organic Chemistry “learning the language”--don’t get scared!!

● Chem 3B/L○ Second required semester “writing an essay”

○ Tough, but not impossible (spend time on it---Practice makes almost perfect!!)

Physics (2 sems w/ lab)Physics ● “UCEAP Physics abroad” -- great experience

and easy way to study abroad● Physics is difficult but doable at Berkeley

○ Be careful when combining with technicals

○ Usually only has audio webcast ● Search for Walter Lewin’s lectures on

Youtube to help solidify concepts (not a substitute for actual lecture)○ Other online resources include Khan

Academy, MIT lectures

Math (2 sems with Calculus + 1 sem with Statistics)

● Routes○ Option 1: Math 10 Series

■ Math 10A + 10B

● Fulfills both the math & stats requirement for med school

● Potentially more difficult (depends on your background)

○ Option 2: Math + Stats Separately■ Math 16A + 16B + Data 8

● Easier

■ Math 1A + 1B + Data 8

■ Other Stats Class Options:

● PB HLTH 142

● STAT 2

● STAT 20

● STAT 131A

R&C Requirements (2 semesters)- R&C is a REQUIREMENT for the College of L&S and CNR (by 4th semester)

- Can be satisfied with AP Lit & Comp (Score of 4 = Part A and Score of 5 = Part B), so you can skip it, but it’s also required for Med School!

- AS LONG AS IT’S A WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE!!!!!

R1Bs to take:● College Writing R4B - if David Weise is teaching, he’s great!● Slavic/Scandinavian R5B - discussion-based learning● Native American Studies R1B - Beth Piatote, over the summer ● Scandinavian R5A - easy A, interesting topic● French R1B - Easy A, interesting view of American culture

Useful Classes

● PH 116○ 3 units, required P/NP ○ Seminar that introduces students to broad ethical issues in public health○ LoR from TA increases the chance of acceptance into Field Studies Internship

■ 3 Units, required P/NP■ Shadowing a physician in their field of interest for 6-8 hours each week■ 2 hour discussion section each week sharing experience with peers

● MCB C134○ Average: A- (but not too easy)○ LoR cosigned by two professors

General Tips● Sometimes courses are graded easier over summer (examples below)

○ PH 162A: Microbiology■ Non-cumulative final

○ MCB 32L: Physiology Lab■ No final

● If classes have a “C” in front of their number, then that class has another listing○ E.g. IB C32 is also listed as L&S Discovery Course C30Z

● Make an excel/google sheet - plan your classes● Go to admissions website of med schools you might be interested in:

○ See which courses they require / recommend

BCPM GPA Friendly Classes :)

● BCPM GPA= ● Astro C10: Astronomy

○ Average: B+

● IB C32: Bioinspired Design○○

● MCB C62: Drugs & The Brain○

●○○

GPA Friendly :)

● ESPM 6○ Average: A

● ESPM 50AC○ Average A -

● IB 35AC○ Average: A-

● Psych 2 ○ Average: A-

● MCB 38 ○ Average A-

Beware of These “Easy” Classes

● IB 131: Anatomy ○ Average: B+ ○ Very large workload (~1000 slides/midterm)○ Great curve though

● ESPM 140: Entomology ○ Average: B+○ Very large workload

● MCB 104: Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology○ Average: B○ Misleadingly hard

● ESPM 108B: Genetics○ Average A- but terribly taught and not much outside help

Pre-Med ResourcesAdvising● SLC -- Student Learning Center

○ USE DROP IN TUTORING ● Tau Beta Pi (website)

○ Has old exams with answers ○ From many different semesters AND many different courses○ USE for practice!!!!

● Rate My Professor● Berkeley Time

○ Grade distributions ○ Enrollment capacities/trends

● BCPM Classification Guide● 4 year plan examples for pre-health tracks: tinyurl.com/prehealthplans

○ scroll down to Pre-Health Sample Plans

Join us for our 6th GM:Thursday, October 24th, 8-9 PM

Location: Wheeler 222

UC Berkeley, Pre Medical Chapter