aggupta

a couple of questions:

i got into cal on bioE this year, and i'm trying to choose between that and ucsd bioeng: biotech. if i want to go to med school eventually, i'm guessing that maybe sd would be a better option, although i heard that cal might be better since they don't have an official pre-med program which tend to be rather competitive (on top of cal, period). however, if i want to do engineering then cal should be better.

i know that sd is amazing for bioE, but i want to either go to med school or focus on a more engineering focus on bioE, maybe an electrical emphasis. any thoughts on which program i should choose?

also, is it hard to switch majors within CoE at cal? bioE to EECS?

thanks!

ovaldia

I will begin Grad school in MCB at UCB this fall.
Is anyone familiar with housing for grad students at Berkeley? What is the best option. Also anything about meal plans.

p3rs0n101

if I already paid for the housing application, can I still request a roommate? [I can still even change the housing prefs.]

also, i'm going to be a bio major at berkeley. one of the lower division requirements is math 16a and I was wondering if my calc ap test covers it cause I heard that because i'm in this major i have to retake the course.

misterreach

blackdadillacs: actually my response would probably be more applicable to spring admits since that i am one, but im 99.9%sure its the same for regular admission

misterreach

p3rs0n101: im 99.9% sure that you do not have to take 16a if yo meet the minimum ap calc grade for calc ab/bc.

vicissitudes

The International House has a lot of graduate students. I think Channing/Bowditch apartments houses some, and maybe even Unit 2 Wada but I'm not sure on that one. I think there's also graduate housing up in the hills near Clark Kerr...well, graduate housing is hard to find at Berkeley. Try looking for nearby apartments.

jesca215

i'm also going to be a MCB major. is it really hard?
i don't know whether to go to Cal or UCSD, can anyone give me any options/advice/whatever?

NotIndPk

let me ask a student: I am a EECS major and am deciding between UCB (OOS, little aid, understandably) and Duke (lots of money). Is UCB EECS about 32K better than Pratt? - about the best way I can put what my decision has boiled down to, because:

I am holding the rest of the decision criteria constant across both schools - I am fairly comfortable in most surroundings and believe I can make the best of wherever I am.......completely focused on the education quality.

tastybeef

Go to Duke. 32K is a lot of money.

RedTapePatrol

I searched the thread but couldn't find a specific answer.

Q: How's the racial mingling at Cal? I realize that it's mainly Caucasian and Asian with a smaller group of Hispanics and an even smaller group of African American/International. But do different races mingle with one another outside of the classroom? Or do most students tend to stick to their own race?

misterreach

redtapepatrol: i can tell u from personal experience that for sure caucasian, hispanics, and asians get along fine. i only exclude african americans cause i dont know any that are friends and only cause i dont have an opportunity(most of my friends are from the my hall and a few from class). but if youre wondering if theres some kind of separation among races, then i can tell you there isn't.

20LEGEND

1. After tuition & room and board, how much on an average do you spend at Cal p.a.?
2. Is the premium meal plan enough for someone who eats at random hours and eats a LOT?
3. How much does it cost to get to San Francisco from Berkeley? How long is the trip?
4. When do students usually move to off campus apartments? Are they cheaper than the residence halls?

attack & release

I got accepted with my major as architecture. I'm not sure if I want to do that yet and it's a lot of work. I was wondering how easy it is to switch majors at Berkeley??

Azure326

RedTapePatrol - There's inter-racial mingling, but I've also seen my fair share of groups of people sticking together with their race. Basically, if you try to befriend someone that's a different race than you, I HIGHLY doubt they won't befriend you because you're a different race. However, don't be surprised if you see large groups of Asian only people hanging out. It'll become a common sight. I haven't really noticed this with other ethnic groups (might be because Asians are something like 44% or so of the student body).

20LEGEND - I have the standard meal plan and I have to say that I don't think it's enough as I've had to on occasion eat sparingly to save up points. I also eat out a couple times a week. I believe the standard meal plan covers 2 meals a day, which, in my opinion, is not enough for a college student. However, I'd much rather have the standard meal plan and spend cash eating out (DC food is easily beaten by places like Chipotle, Gypsy's, etc.) than getting only the Premium Meal Plan.

I'm only a Freshman 2nd Semester, but I think most students move out to an apartment their 2nd year (I and my friends are, at least). Apartments are incredibly cheaper than the dorms. The dorms by themselves are terrible, not to mention that they cost an absurd amount (A double is $1200+ a month; I believe rates will go up for Fall 2008-2009), but I feel people should try dorms for the whole "dorm experience" and the social factor. Next year I'm getting a 2-bedroom apartment with 3 other guys. Monthly rent should be a little less than $500-$600 a month.

NotIndPk - Go Duke. That's an enormous amount of $$$...

20LEGEND

Mate, how high do you think can one's misc. expenses go @ Cal ?