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<p>Aha, that makes a bit more sense. I was a little confused by Berkeley’s website; I was under the impression that the American History and American Cultures formed the bulk of the “core.” (sorry, core is just shorter than typing ‘required breadth’ 
) How do requirements vary across Cal’s various undergraduate colleges?</p>
<p>I think you are ultimately correct about the difference between required breadth and a common core, but the fact that actual Core classes at Chicago (Hum, Sosc, Civ) are not part of any major or department would lead me to draw parallels between those classes and the American History/Cultures requirement, rather than the more departmental/elective required breadth.</p>
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<p>IRL, as a member of the medical profession, it’s your med school alma mater that you’re going to be wearing on your chest, not your undergraduate college.</p>
<p>As far as writing goes, I was in about your situation vis a vis performance on AP Comp, and I’ve been getting B+'s and A-'s in my writing classes. Now, those might not be up to pre-med standards, but I’m sure if I had put in more effort (i.e. not writing papers the night before) those could have easily been A-'s and A’s. YMWV</p>