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@ foreverpetals
How difficult is it to maintain a 3.5 GPA for the first two years at Merced?
The difficulty will be up to you. If you received a transfer guarantee from Berkeley, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to maintain a 3.5 GPA here in Merced. However, as UCMrcdStdnt11 pointed out, your major does make a huge difference.
A lot of SSHA (Social Science, Humanities, Arts) majors are really easy. In my opinion, all of SSHA is quite easy when compared to any major in the Natural Sciences.
On average, how many people in a normal underclassmen class recieve As?
(Average grade breakdowns for classes)
This would highly depend on the teacher and if he or she curves the class. However, most of the classes I've been in base grades on your performance (90% = A, 80% = B, etc). Even the classes that I've been in that curve, I've never been hurt by the curve. It has always pushed my grade up.
I can't actually give you a number, but a rough estimate would be the standard bell curve, with the majority of students in the B or C region. If you want that A, you're going to have to work for it.
Current students average GPAs and how often they study?
Most of the student's I talk to maintain a 3.0 GPA. However, this all depends on who you talk to. I believe the average GPA nationwide is around a 3.0 GPA.
Average study time would depend on your proficiency in the course and the grading scale. I've spent upwards of 2 hours a night studying for a single class (CHEM), but I barely studied for biology and walked away with a B+ (2% off from an A, grr). It would just depend on how comfortable you are with the material and if your teacher grades difficult.
You will have to gauge this yourself when you get here.
How difficult the classes are?
As UCMrcdStdnt11 pointed out, a lot of depends on your major. The classes are as difficult as you make them out to be. Expect the classes here to be at a standard UC level (more difficult than State courses), but without the competitiveness of other UCs. Curves usually don't hurt at Merced like they do at Berkeley, where people regularly perfect midterms and finals, skewing the grade distribution.
Amount of effort needed to get Bs compared to amt of effort needed to get As?
If you want a B, aim for an 80% in the class. If you want an A, aim for 90%. I can't really rank this one for you since, as you stated, each student is different and all classes are different.
If you want an A, put in an A effort. You'll be able to gauge the effort required once you hear the lecturer present the syllabus.
I hope this helped and feel free to ask any more questions.
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