The “Pre-Med Experience” series is designed to help prospective pre-med students make informed decisions about where to spend their next four years. Each post provides detailed, school-specific information about the pre-med track, along with anonymous insights from current and former students who have attended the school.

The University of California, Berkeley—often referred to as UC Berkeley or “Cal”—is a prestigious public university situated in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area. Known for its rigorous academics, dynamic extracurricular opportunities, and diverse student body, Berkeley consistently ranks among the top universities worldwide. However, its reputation for being “cutthroat” and the absence of a directly affiliated medical school leave some pre-med students questioning whether it offers the optimal foundation for a medical career.

In this post, we dive into the pre-med culture at UC Berkeley in-depth, exploring published statistics from the university itself and student experiences, both public and anonymous.

An Overview of UC Berkeley’s Pre-Med Experience

UC Berkeley Graduates’ Acceptance Rate are on par with AAMC National Acceptance Rate

The 2024 acceptance rate for UC Berkeley graduates applying to medical school for the first time is 41.2%. This figure is comparable to the AAMC’s national acceptance rates for applicants from 2021–2022 to 2023–2024, which stand at 41.9%. While UC Berkeley’s medical school acceptance rate aligns closely with the national average, prospective pre-med students should consider the factors contributing to this statistic. Berkeley’s rigorous academic environment can be both a challenge and an opportunity, helping students build resilience and a strong work ethic. However, the competitive nature of the campus may feel overwhelming to some.

Pre-Med Pathway at UC Berkeley

It took a simple Google search to find UC Berkeley’s detailed information for pursuing pre-med at the university. Like most schools, UC Berkeley does not have a “pre-med major” or track, but rather considers pre-med to be a pre-professional pathway. This means that pre-med students at UC Berkeley can pursue any major or minor they wish, as long as they fit in specific pre-med pre-requisites into their 3-4 years. This reddit post has some insight on recommended pre-med majors based on student experiences.

(In my experience, while it’s technically possible to pursue any major in college as long as you complete the pre-med prerequisites, friends who chose non-life science or non-biology-focused majors often faced additional challenges. They had to dedicate more time to academics and sometimes struggled to meet all the requirements for medical schools, as their major courses didn’t always align with pre-med coursework)

One-on-One Guidance and Resources

As one of the largest public universities, UC Berkeley can lack the one-on-one guidance that many students might hope for. While the university is clearly invested in student success, pre-med students are expected to take the initiative to seek out resources, explore the Career Engagement Center’s website, and proactively ask questions as they arise.

For those navigating the pre-med journey and in need of additional support, UC Berkeley’s Career Engagement Center offers advising appointments to provide personalized guidance. However, given the size of the student body, students may need to be proactive in scheduling these appointments early. The center also offers workshops, seminars, and events related to medical school applications, MCAT prep, and personal statement writing, which are valuable resources for students preparing for the application process.

Experiences and Opportunities for UC Berkeley Pre-Med Students

The Curved Grading System

When asked what, if anything, makes the pre-med experience challenging at UC Berkeley, students unanimously mentioned the infamous grading curves that contribute to UC Berkeley’s tough academic reputation. For those who are unaware, colleges can either choose to grade on a straight scale or a curve scale. In a straight scale, grades are awarded based on fixed percentages (e.g., 90-100% is an A, 80-89% is a B, etc.). However, in a curved grading system, the distribution of grades is adjusted based on the overall performance of the class, which often results in fewer top grades.

At UC Berkeley, many courses, particularly those in the sciences, are graded on a curve. This means that even if you perform well in an exam or assignment, your grade could still be lower than you expected if the rest of the class performs exceptionally well. On the flip side, if the class performs poorly overall, your grade might be higher than anticipated. While some students thrive in this system, others find it stressful, especially when competing for the high grades often needed for medical school applications.

Here are some comments about the grading system from students:

What comments do you have about the UC Berkeley grading system?

• “The lower division grading curves are unfair and discourage learning and collaboration. Many classes are graded on strict curves where only a select percentage of the class gets an A, B, C etc, meaning you are constantly pitted against your classmates instead of an environment where collaboration is encouraged. It gets better with upper divs when you have only ~30 people in the class where the curve becomes useless, but MAN its rough toughing out those 2 years of lower division classes”
• “Currently taking my last premed prerequisite “weeder” course this summer. It is possible to get good grades but it requires consistency, discipline, determination—which really pushed my limits. Weeders are curved to around a B or B- and this is true at many schools, not just Berkeley, so don’t be scared of Berkeley just because of that.”
• “The curve in pre-med specific courses can be really dumb (especially for these classes: Bio 1A, Bio 1B, MCB 102). Giving 10% of a class a solid A results in students having to study super minute details in order to answer super obscure questions that aim to create a broad distribution of scores on an exam. I wish the standard we are graded against in many pre-med courses wasn’t our peers. None of my CS or Stats courses have done that—though they’ve been conceptually more challenging, I’ve found the grading of those classes to be infinitely easier, as I’ve never felt pressured to memorize super obscure or small details like my life depended on it.”

Is hard to maintain a competitive GPA as a Pre-Med at UC Berkeley?

• “Hard but feasible”
• “Depends on work ethic and person, but generally not as hard as perceived.”
• “Yes. Grade deflation and lack of resources for students in L&S make it difficult. Cal is a much, much better school if you are interested in engineering.”
• “Yes, it’s hard. But there are so many resources to assist you academically; you just gotta invest the time. If you are a slow learner, then it can be hard to fit in extracurriculars. I might start an assignment, and by the time I finish, half the day has passed.”
• “It depends. There are some majors where getting a good GPA is generally not as challenging as getting a good GPA in another major (due to grading policies). I think there are a decent amount of resources, but I’ve found that sometimes they are not enough for students without a solid academic background.”

The Extracurricular Scene

With its convenient proximity to both San Francisco and Silicon Valley, UC Berkeley offers abundant opportunities for pre-med students to build their resumes and stand out in thee application cycle. Some experiences are discussed more in depth on the Pre-Med/Pre-Health Experiences page. As one of the more socially and politically active universities, UC Berkeley also has over 1,200 student organizations to suit just about anyone’s interests.

Here are some comments about the extracurricular experiences from students:

What kinds of activities are you involved with on campus? Do you think pre-med-related extracurricular opportunities are easy to get involved with?

• “Research, clubs, nonclinical volunteering, and scribing/shadowing.”
• Clubs and sorority. They are not easy at all. Most of all clubs at Cal has a rigorous interview process, and many premed frats like Phi Chi will only accept members that meet certain superficial qualifications, such as personality and attractiveness. They are great if you are able to get in to these clubs and opportunities, but you will more likely receive more rejections rather than acceptances.”
• “I am a part of an education nonprofit (it has chapters at several colleges across the nation) and part of a K-12 tutoring organization. It’s definitely not hard to get these opportunities as well as “premed”-type activities. They are good activities for med school but I have no research or clinical experience which I definitely need to be competitive in any way. Hence I plan to take at least one gap year.”
• “Research and a bunch of volunteering that’s not affiliated with any campus groups. I think opportunities are easy to get involved with, but it can be incredibly challenging finding meaningful leadership roles because of how saturated service and pre-health clubs are with people given the size of our school.”

If you could go back in time knowing what you know now, would you still choose UC Berkeley?

• “Yes, I love Berkeley. I think theres more to picking a school than if its good for premed or not, and to me Berkeley and San Francisco are amazing.”
• “Yes, it has very good grad school placement as well as best post grad location to find a job even if you don’t pursue medicine.”
• “I have no clue bc idk what any other school is like, and the grass is always greener on the other side! I like Berkeley a lot overall, I have learned tons and met cool people. And it’s affordable. A private or liberal arts college would be more expensive even with scholarships. I definitely feel like a small fish in a big pond, so if that’s not your cup of tea, then I would not recommend Berkeley and most other “top” public universities. I came in with a pretty realistic understanding of what a large public uni would be like, so my actual experience was pretty in line with my expectations and it was certainly a net positive experience. Some folks may be concerned about safety; though crimes happen often, I personally have never encountered anything too sketchy. Housing and cost of living are expensive for sure — and disclaimer I’m pretty privileged financially so that is not something I’ve had to stress about, but it is something to consider.”
• “Yes. I didn’t see a whole lot of competition at my high school, but “competing” for grades here opened my eyes and helped me understand that not everything is going to be achievable without dedicated, hard work.”

Closing Thoughts

What advice would you give incoming pre-meds considering UC Berkeley?

• “Study hard, outline textbooks, go the extra mile always. It will pay off.”
• Don’t do it unless you are Very VERY smart, and can manage taking on multiple endeavors without burning out. If you do feel overwhelmed, switch to CS or something.”
• “If you’re like me (a slow learner, easily overwhelmed, not the best time manager) it’s okay to not do a ton of activities right off the bat. I think getting good grades is the most important. You can get experience later after weeders are over and during gap years; you can even get paid if you work as a scribe or medical assistant. But gpa is so hard to repair and freaking expensive like if you do a post bac. Especially if you are low income please please please prioritize your grades. Y’all already face so many barriers as premeds and the last thing you want is to have to pay for extra schooling. It can be hard as many of you might work long hours to afford school and to support your families. I have so much respect for you! Check out youtuber amanda maganas video “Cs get degrees but they don’t get into grad school””
• “If you want a challenging four years, definitely come here.”
• “Be sure you’re ready to sacrifice a lot.”
• “Think long term, don’t be afraid to take gap years. Prioritize your wellness and health above all, you can’t be an effective doctor to others if your own health is at risk.”
• “I think this process is a whole lot of BS. So many people are doing things to check things off of the “checklist” of unofficial premed requirements. I wish med schools were more flexible in their expectations, but the checklist mentality works out for a lot of people in reality while those who don’t pursue that mentality can sometimes get punished come application season.”

Choosing the right undergraduate institution as a pre-med is an incredibly personal decision, and UC Berkeley presents both unique challenges and remarkable opportunities. From its rigorous academics and competitive grading system to its abundance of extracurricular activities and unparalleled location in the Bay Area, the UC Berkeley pre-med experience is as demanding as it is rewarding. As someone who has navigated the pre-med journey myself, I understand the importance of finding a balance between academics, extracurriculars, and personal well-being. Ultimately, the “best” school is the one that aligns with your learning style, goals, and support needs. Whether you thrive in high-pressure environments or prefer more collaborative and individualized settings, understanding what each school offers—and what it demands—can help you make the most informed choice for your future.