I applied to Berkeley College of Chemistry, as a Chemistry major. I haven’t taken a physics class yet though: I took Bio, Honors Chem, AP Chem, and AP Bio. I did apply to take a dual enrollment physics class in this second semester but the class filled up and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to take it, because I had low priority. I checked all the community colleges in my area and even emailed some professors but no luck. Am I cooked?
I don’t know if you are cooked because the UC system requires two, but recommends three years of science.
But this is directly from the UCB page for chemistry apps - note the word should - so it might not be so black and white. You’ll find out when your decision and if it’s a no, you’ll never know the why - although people tend to speculate. Good luck.
Admission as a Freshman. Students preparing for the major in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or Chemical Engineering should include in their high school program: chemistry (one year minimum; AP Chemistry strongly recommended); physics (one year); mathematics (four years, preferably ending with introductory calculus); and a foreign language (two or three years).
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I agree with @tsbna44 that not taking Physics is NOT a make or break situation, however when applying to any competitive school, recommended courses can be considered required especially if the majority of students are meeting those recommendations.
I also agree that if you are not admitted to UC Berkeley, you will never know why but you did try to take a Physics course through DE which does help your situation. Hopefully you will be able to get into the class. Are there any on-line options for any Physics course? What about UC Scout?
Having any kind of exposure to the subject would be a benefit to you once you start at any college.
Good luck.
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Physics in high school is not a hard requirement, but lack of physics could be seen as a demerit in admission reading for the CoC or CoE, since it is recommended at least.
Also, going into college physics without having at least a high school level introduction to physics will make it harder than it would be if you had at least high school physics.
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UC Scout has physics classes but AP Physics 1 is a 2 semester class that I would have to cram into 1 semester and my counselor doesn’t think I should Physics C without any physics experience.
Do you think its ever a worthwhile option to switch for Berkeley’s L&S Chem instead of College of Chem?
Also you can’t report course changes to Berkeley right?
No you cannot report schedule changes to UC Berkeley until you are admitted.
Only you can decide is what best in terms of changing your major to the College of L&S or not.
Q: Can I change the major (and/or college/school) I applied for at Berkeley?
A: To change a major/college/school in your submitted Berkeley application, please submit your request using the Contact Us form. You can expect a decision via email within five to seven days.
NOTE: No new major changes will be considered after January 24, 2025.
I got off the waitlist somehow at some different college. Super lucky lol
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Great news.
You can compare CoC chemistry and L&S chemistry here:
https://chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/degrees/chem
https://chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/degrees/chem/ba
if you’re looking to go for a graduate degree, do the B.S. pathway.
The class im taking is called Conceptual Physics, and it was the only online physics class available so that’s why my counselor told me to take it originally. It seems to focus more on the concepts than the math.
Would this be alright, especially since Berkeley COC “recommends” a physics class? Because I can’t tell if this class would count as a “real” physics class.
On assist.org its classified as IGETC-5A and UC category S (Biological and Physical Sciences)
Thank you for all the help so far btw, I really appreciate it and I apologize if I’m bugging you.
Also one more thing I was concerned about is that I got pretty high As both semester in AP Chem but I got a 4 on the exam 
How big of an impact could this make?
Little. You got As. And they note they take note of AP scores. And you got a great score.
Listen - you can freak out but why ?
Did you apply to an affordable and sure fire admit that you’d love to attend ?
That’s all you need. The rest is gravy.
Whether Berkeley or Binghamton, you’re going to be fine. It’s not going to matter much in life.
So relax. You’ve done what you can. It’s out of your control. If you get in fantastic. If you don’t, it’s fantastic for another school that’s going to get a great student.
Good luck.
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I had to look up “conceptual physics” and although it is a Physics course and can help you understand the basic aspects of Physics principles and it is UC transferable, it will not fulfill any Physics courses required for your specific major. It is better than not having any Physics class at all.
This is what I found when researching Conceptual Physics.
Conceptual physics uses minimal math, often just basic arithmetic, while general physics requires a solid understanding of algebra and sometimes trigonometry.
Conceptual physics is usually aimed at non-science majors who need a general understanding of physics concepts, while general physics is for students intending to pursue further study in science or engineering.
Conceptual physics prioritizes qualitative explanations and real-world examples to grasp fundamental physics principles, whereas general physics focuses on applying mathematical equations to solve problems.
As for your question about AP exam scores, some of the UC’s have stated that they use AP exam scores to give context to the AP course grade. A’s and a 4 on the exam are perfectly fine.
@freeshipping , I came here for this exact question about how UCs would regard Conceptual Physics vs. General Physics. (except that my child wants to major in Bio, not Chem). Wondering if you ended up learning any more insight about this?
Maybe not relevant to your question, but BYU offers hs physics I and 2, as another option. My kid took Calc BC from BYU and thought it was a solid course.
UC Berkeley College of Chemistry is unique as it has its own admission decisions (it is its own department, which is rare for a science) and is one of the few departments amongst all UCs to have a statement desiring physics amongst applicants (outside of Engineering and pure physics departments). Biology at all the UCs should not be as competitive and Conceptual Physics shouldn’t be a negative. Nonetheless, got waitlisted at Berkeley/LA, admitted to the other UCs (results that I sorta expected I guess), so it doesn’t seem to have been that big of a handicap if at all for chemistry, a field that uses physics far more than biology.
By that logic, I think your child should be perfectly fine.