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hello, transferring to cal in a few months from a community college.

i was usually head of the class in those community college literature classes, but after taking a few classes at UCI summer, i've discovered that they're pretty intense - worlds more difficult than CC classes. i've already recieved my first C

given that Berkeley is oh so much tougher than UCi, i want to know how difficult (or easy) it was for you transfers to adjust to the change in workload. any majors for this matter -- i'm getting quite nervous and anxious over my adaptability.

any help is appreciated, thanks guys!

By Shyboy13 (Shyboy13) on Monday, August 23, 2004 - 01:27 pm: Edit

I was in a similar boat a few years ago. The only difference is that I transferred to UCLA. From what I understand, the experience is quite similar so I’ll give you my two cents. Community college classes on average ARE less demanding. You should be prepared though. Since you are used to studying at CC anyway, it is not like you are just thrown in the water without a life preserver. The major difference I encountered at UCLA was that most classes only have a midterm and a final. That’s it! So if you mess up on one, you’re pretty much screwed. Another major difference is the competitive nature of the students. Almost every class is graded on the curve and there are only so many good grades to go around. You will see your fellow student as the enemy, and, in fact they will be. The competitive nature will cause you to study much harder than you did at CC. If you don’t, you are destined to get C’s or even worse. UCLA professors, and I’m sure Cal professors, wont think twice about giving you an F. Keep in mind that you will be competing with students who got all A’s in CC just like you. Also, you will be competing with students who were at the top of their high schools. You can do it if you put in the time and effort.

By Onnihs (Onnihs) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 12:58 am: Edit

shyboy, thanks for your reply.

i guess i should be grateful that i didn't fail that first class.

By Kryptic (Kryptic) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 01:16 am: Edit

There's a class that the re-entry/transfer center runs called (something like) "Adjusting to Cal for Transfers", Edu 198. Check out their website (i think it's rtsp.berkeley.edu, or transfer.berkeley.edu). It's designed exactly for people in your situation - transfer students that are a bit intimidated by Cal and want a few extra tips to learn how to adjust. I'm not sure how good it is, whether it's obvious things like "study stupid", but I've heard numerous faculty suggest it. It's 1 credit, so you can't go wrong. =)