HOW TO SCHEDULE CLASSES AT UC BERKELEY: units, reserved seats, class waitlist, schedule planner

As an out-of-state student, I felt that I did not have much guidance or instruction when signing up for classes as an incoming UC Berkeley student. Today, I walk through how I find the best classes to make the perfect college schedule!
Interested in having a Berkeley student read your college application essays? Check out Study Hall College Consulting at shcollegeconsulting.com!
🌟 Videos mentioned in this video:
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How to Navigate Cal Central: • HOW TO NAVIGATE CAL CE...
How Berkeley Grading and Classes Work: • HOW CLASSES & GRADING ...
Cognitive Science at Berkeley: • WHAT IS THE COGNITIVE ...
Legal Studies at Berkeley: • WHAT IS THE LEGAL STUD...
How I Chose my Major: • How To Choose Your Maj...
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add me on Instagram if you wanna! / xrachel_lin
Video Contents:
00:00 - Introduction
1:49 - Units to Take
4:06 - Phase 1 and Phase 2
6:23 - Class Schedule Document
7:09 - Reserved Seats
8:12 - Class Waitlists
9:47 - How to Get the Best Schedule Example
21:07 - Schedule Planner
🧑‍🎓Check out my post-grad life: • Post-College Graduatio...
📕📗Check out my other UC Berkeley Tour Videos: • UC Berkeley Tours: Sho...
📚✂️Check out my LSAT playlist: • Taking the LSAT and Ap...
👩🏻‍🎓🐻Check out my UC Berkeley video playlist: • UC Berkeley Advice and...
👨🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻Check out my College Prep video playlist: • Tips to ACE your Colle...
👩🏻‍🎓👨🏻‍🎓Advice from a College Graduate: • Should You Defer your ...
📱⌚️Technology Unboxing and Reviews: • Upgrading my iPhone 6S...
🐱🐯My 5 Cats and 1 Dog: • What our FIVE CATS do ...
💃🏻🧜🏻‍♀️Get to Know Me More: • OUR FIRST SKYDIVE (w/ ...
music by bensound
intro by madi dianna
If you are new here, hi! My name is Rachel and I am a UC Berkeley graduate (Class of 2020) where I double majored in cognitive science and legal studies.

[@swanily]

Just committed to Berkeley and your videos already saved me once through housing applications!! Thank you so much Rachel :)

[@rachel_lin]

Congrats!! 🎊🍾 thank you so much for watching, I appreciate it 🙏🏻

[@felicia37]

i love how youtube recommends this AFTER my berkeley course registration is over

[@rachel_lin]

Haha oh no 😅 Hope class registration went well! 😆

[@saranyunel8369]

This was so helpful! I'm glad you're still making videos about Cal.

[@rachel_lin]

Of course! Thanks so much for watching 😆

[@dima-belle9170]

Thank you so much for this in depth video! I am going to be a freshman this fall at Berkeley and am trying to figure out the whole class scheduling thing and it has not been easy! This video was SO SO helpful! You're the best!

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you so much!! I’m glad the video was helpful 🥰 congrats on Berkeley!! Good luck with class scheduling 💪🏻⭐️

[@letellierpierre9577]

Thank you for the tips! this is really helpful, especially for exchange students who are not familiar with Berkeley's system!

[@rachel_lin]

Glad the video was helpful! Thank you so much for watching! :)

[@bonchonjonjon]

Ah its that time of the semester again. Nice video!

[@rachel_lin]

Hehe almost summer ☀️ thanks Jon, hope you’re doing well! ☺️

[@haaskaiiitt]

Really useful video!! Thank you for making this

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you for your kind words!! ☺️

[@cece8309]

Rachel thank you so much for this video! It was so informative and nice to refer to as an upcoming freshman :D

[@rachel_lin]

Thank youuu! Glad it was helpful ☺️🐻

[@yaoshengliu8273]

Seeing your pets is like seeing a therapy :') Thank you for helping us (incoming freshman + transfer) as most of us are totally lost and confused about the important process in UC Berkeley!

[@rachel_lin]

Aw thank you so much, I am glad my videos are helpful! 🥰🥳 omg I’ll have to include more pets in videos then🐱🐶

[@bartuarik184]

loving this channel

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@sarahphung3562]

I'm an incoming freshman and your Berkeley-related videos are so underrated! You've guided me through the enrollment process much more than the counselors. BerkeleyTime is such a helpful tool and I learned about it from you! THANK YOU SO MUCH AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO!!!

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you so much, it means a lot!!

[@ericwhalen8022]

Thank you learned great strategies from this video

[@rachel_lin]

Thanks for watching!! Glad it was helpful 🤩

[@gracewalker1465]

A video on the good places to eat in Berkeley would be awesome!!

[@rachel_lin]

Oh I love that idea!! So many yummy places, I’ll definitely film a video 🍤🍟

[@rachel_lin]

Hi Grace! Thank you so much for the video recommendation! I filmed a video about good places to eat near Berkeley 🐻😁 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ini7i2N4ermkobM

[@SabeekaKhan]

You are the best!

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you!! Glad the video is helpful ☺️☺️

[@davidparnell3241]

70 degrees in phoenix this morning! Highs today 94! I want rain though!

[@rachel_lin]

It’s been raining here the past few days, I’m waiting for some sun ☀️🤩

[@gracean222]

Your videos are so clear and helpful !! I am an incoming freshman and I was also wondering what to do if the waitlist for a class is full?

[@rachel_lin]

Thank you!! If the class and waitlist are full, then you’d have to find another class to enroll in. You could note this class down and save it to try to enroll in during a different semester when it’s not already full. Hope this helps!

[@penninickel6260]

Rachel you are a godsend! Thank you so much for making these videos, even though you’re out of college :). Just to clarify, but does your high school GPA and AP scores deter your chances of getting into certain classes when you are a freshman ? Senioritis is hitting me pretty hard, I’m just wondering if that hurts someone when they’re trying to get into classes.

[@rachel_lin]

Aw thank you so much!! Your high school GPA would not affect your ability to pick college classes, as long as you are not failing your high school classes so that your offer of admission gets rescinded. High AP scores are helpful because in certain classes a 3,4, or 5 will allow you to skip the class, so you could start at a higher level of the class (which would allow you to graduate in 3 years or double major/minor etc). Additionally, coming in with AP scores correlates to units, so with my AP exams, I came into college with 34 units already completed. With these units, I was actually considered a "sophomore" even though I was a freshman. Being considered a higher-standing student could get you better enrollment times in the future. Good luck with the rest of your senior year haha, don't let senioritis take over too much! :)

[@jentachibana6465]

Hey Rachel, Im an incoming freshman and plan on taking classes during the summer. Was hoping you might have some advice on what kinds of classes I should take during this time (like should I take classes that satisfy my the breadth reqs or my major's reqs). not too sure what I should be prioritising...

[@rachel_lin]

Congrats! There is no right or wrong answer here. If you are taking 2 classes this summer, maybe take 1 breadth and 1 major requirement. I would personally do a mix of both breadth and major requirements, so that when you start in the fall, you are not just taking all major requirement classes. Taking only major requirements (some people call them technical classes also) can be difficult because major requirements are typically harder than breadth classes and you would need a good grade in your major classes. Hope this helps!

[@ernestosanchez1892]

Committed to Berkeley and I am so lost trying to know what classes I needed for chemical engineering.

[@rachel_lin]

Congrats on Berkeley! Check out the Chemical Engineering major website here (chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/degrees/cheme), it lists all of the classes you need to take in order to graduate. Additionally, if you click on the Lower Division tab (chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/degrees/cheme/lower-courses), these are the classes you would start taking as a freshman, so look into these! Hope this helps!

[@annau1203]

Hi, did you have a shopping period at uc Berkley?

[@cielokwon387]

Thank you for the video!! One question though, if you know you qualify to reserve a seat for certain breadth courses, how do you make sure to reserve it? Do we just have it added to our shopping cart?

[@rachel_lin]

I'm pretty sure you'd just add the class regularly! So say a class has like 10 reserved seats for Psychology majors and 90 seats open for anyone - say you are a Psych major, if you enrolled in the class early and 0 people had registered yet, then your enrolling in the class would count towards the 1 reserved seat. However, if the 10 reserved seats are already filled, then your enrollment would just count as one of the 90 regular seats. So it's not like you're actually "reserving" a seat when registering for classes, but it's more of something that the class keeps track of, if that makes sense!

[@cielokwon387]

@@rachel_lin ok that makes sense, thank you!!

[@emazarate2140]

Hi, I have a question I am planning to transfer: do you think I put my admission at risk if I can’t take a class in the summer. I already submit an update, and this class is not part of my major and the IGETC requierement

[@rachel_lin]

I guess it depends! To transfer to any of the UCs, you need to have the following class requirements (admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/transfer-requirements/preparing-to-transfer/basic-requirements.html). If it doesn’t affect any of the UC transfer requirements, then it should not be an issue, but they’ll probably let you know if it is or not in response to your update!

[@duckymomo362]

Do u have any advice for choosing classes for premed ppl 😔 it’s gonna be my first yr and I’m so lost

[@rachel_lin]

Hi Diana, great question! I spoke with Navya, who is a part of the Study Hall College Consulting Team who was "pre-med" at Berkeley and is applying to med schools this year if she had any advice, which is located below. Definitely check out our website if you were interested in speaking 1:1 with Navya for help planning your college schedule- www.shcollegeconsulting.com/services.html. Hope this helps! From Navya: Hi! My name is Navya and I recently graduated from UC Berkeley with double majors in Public Health and Molecular Cell Biology on the pre-med track. Freshman year is the best time to explore your academic interests and hone in your major of interest. I recommend taking one science class and one math class each semester of your first year. For example, I took CHEM1A / MATH10A first semester, and BIO1B / MATH10B second semester. Because we don’t have a “premed major” at Berkeley, you can really major in anything, as long as you complete the courses required for medical school and for the MCAT. Here is a link to the required courses: guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/degree-programs/premed/#requirementstext. Some popular premed majors are Public Health, Molecular Cell Biology, Integrative Biology, Molecular Environmental Biology, Nutrition Toxicology, and Bioengineering. Feel free to contact us with more questions: www.shcollegeconsulting.com/contact.html.

[@angelprasad4294]

Hello! I'm looking Academic Guide, what does it mean when it says No Open Seats? Can we not enroll in that class? Also can you only enroll in classes with open seats? I'm mainly looking for lower div in person if possible

[@rachel_lin]

You're correct! If a class says no open seats, then that means the class is full - you may still be able to get a spot in the class waitlist if the waitlist is also not full. You would want to enroll in classes that have open seats in order to ensure that you are actually signed up for the class. Signing up under the waitlist for all of your classes can be risky just in case you do not get off of the waitlist for the class. Hope this helps, let me know if you had any other questions!

[@nduncil]

so i'm going for a Phd in anthropology so does that mean I do not have to do the Seven-Course Breadth?

[@rachel_lin]

The breadth requirements I mention are for undergrads!

[@judy11]

I checked my cal central and I only have phase 1 on July 15 and an adjustment period aug 15. Do u think they changed it cuz of COVID?

[@rachel_lin]

So for incoming students, you only have a phase 1 (with 17.5 unit cap). But after this enrollment, then you’ll go back to the regular phase 1 and 2. You can find this information on this website- lsadvising.berkeley.edu/progress-planning/new-student-guides/new-freshman-student-guide. Hope this helps!

[@prunie9797]

Right now i am debating whether to take math 1b or 10A first semester but thats only because all the math 1A seats filled up including the waitlist. does that mean I can't take math 1A this semester even if I drop 1b or 10A?

[@rachel_lin]

You could still take Math 1A this semester if they open up new discussion sections - keep an eye out every day because they may open new discussions. Then switch into the open discussion and then you would be enrolled in the class! I have this video about waitlist advice which may be helpful - kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4nSmmWDibZ6erM. I am confused as to why you would take Math 1B or Math 10A if you can not get into Math 1A. If you want to take Math 1B, you would need certain test scores to skip out of Math 1A, as seen on this website: math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing-courses. You could sign up for Math 10A, but 10A is mainly used for pre-med majors, so taking Math 10A wouldn't necessarily help you complete any requirements because majors like Math, Econ, Haas etc all use either the 16 series or 1 series. Instead, you could consider taking Math 16A since 16A and Math 1A would fulfill similar requirements, just that the 16 series is easier than the 1 series.

[@anikamehra928]

This was so helpful - I am binging all your videos about Berkeley right now!! Just a quick question: how do you know what classes you need to take to fulfil the major requirements? Like, how do you know what classes you need to take for CS for instance to declare it as your major?

[@rachel_lin]

Aw yay thank you so much for watching, I'm glad my videos are helpful! You can see all of the majors that Berkeley offers at this site (admissions.berkeley.edu/academic-programs-majors). Then if you were interested in majoring in CS, then you could google "Berkeley Computer Science Major Requirements." Usually the top result in the search would be the major website or the list of classes you need to graduate with that major. So for Computer Science, this website (guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/degree-programs/computer-science/#majorrequirementstext) lets you know what classes you need to take! Hope this helps!

[@anikamehra928]

@@rachel_lin thank you so much Rachel!

[@anikamehra928]

@@rachel_lin sorry I just had one more question: is it possible to graduate in 3 years? If so, would I have to take more units in my first semesters or how exactly do I go about this?

[@rachel_lin]

@@anikamehra928 yes, graduating early is definitely doable! You’d just have to be smart about the classes that you’re taking (like maybe a class can fulfill 2 requirements), take 4-5 each semester, or potentially take summer classes. Also it depends on the major you’re interested in, some majors have less requirements than others, so you may not need to take extra classes during the semester or summer. Versus if you wanted to graduate early and double major/minor, then you may need to do classes over the summer. I’ve had friends who graduated 1 year or half a year early!

[@anikamehra928]

@@rachel_lin Thank you!!!!!!!

[@gracewalker1465]

Do you know when phase one for freshmen starts? I can't find that info anywhere!!!

[@rachel_lin]

Hi Grace! It should be in your Cal Central, if you log in and then go to My Academics > on the right hand side where the Schedule Planner is located. If it’s not there, then your phase 1/2 times might not have been announced yet since waitlist offers are happening!

[@gracewalker1465]

@@rachel_lin thank you so much!!! This video was a life saver by the way!!!

[@shelbynguyen2335]

If I get waitlisted for a class should I be going to its discussion class?

[@rachel_lin]

Most likely yes. You would want to attend all of the classes/discussions if the class takes attendance and uses class and section attendance to drop people from the course to let students in from the waitlist. And if you did get off the waitlist, you should be going to class so you aren't like 1-2 weeks behind! If the class is super over-enrolled and there are a bunch of students on the waitlist, the professor may specify if they have specific rules regarding waitlisted students at the first day of class. Hope this helps!

[@ashmeen6134]

is there something similar to berkeley time for UCLA?

[@rachel_lin]

Try checking out this site - the MyUCLA Find a Class and Enroll and Class Planner features seem similar to BerkeleyTime but need UCLA student ID to access, good luck! sa.ucla.edu/ro/public/soc

[@dhruvgore9764]

When does phase one typically begin for incoming freshmen? Also, should I phase one a class that is almost full or is it not worth it?

[@rachel_lin]

Usually in the summer, like June! Your phase 1 and phase 2 dates/times should be updated in your CalCentral now if you’re an incoming freshman. If a class is almost full, that means there’s still seats available, so if you’re interested in the class, then yes enroll because there is still space! On the other hand, if there is already a waitlist, it depends what number you are on the waitlist. If you are like #5, then there’s a good chance you’ll get off the waitlist, but if you’re like #40+ that’s probably less likely you’ll get off, so it may be wise to choose another class instead and wait to take this class another semester. Hope this helps! 🤗

[@dhruvgore9764]

@@rachel_lin Thanks for the info! A few more questions. I know that the RC requirement has to be done before the start of junior year and breadth courses can be taken throughout all four years, but what about American Cultures? Is there a deadline to finish that requirement? Also, for the breadth requirements, do you have to take both the A and B portions of a course to satisfy the requirement or just the A portion?

[@rachel_lin]

@@dhruvgore9764 Great questions! From this site, it says you can satisfy the American Cultures requirement any time at Berkeley during your undergrad (americancultures.berkeley.edu/students/how-satisfy-ac-requirement). For the part A and B, I assume you mean for the Reading and Composition Requirement? For breadth requirements, you would just have to take one class to fulfill those, but if you have a specific Part A/B breadth class that you're looking at, let me know. For the Reading and Composition requirement, you would need to take both Part A and B to fulfill those (so 2 classes). However, you can skip out of these with certain AP/IB exam scores. Check out this page for more information on this requirement and the AP/IB exam scores you need to skip this requirement: guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/colleges-schools/letters-science/reading-composition-requirement/.

[@dhruvgore9764]

@@rachel_lin Thanks for all of the help.

[@Friends4ever5550]

When should graduate students begin class enrollment?

[@rachel_lin]

Check CalCentral under the My Academics tab. On the right hand side of the screen, it will tell you when your class registration times are. It may be different from undergrad enrollment, but I would think you would enroll in classes in the summer as well!

[@Friends4ever5550]

@@rachel_lin thanks! Love this channel!!