Sixteen units, settled.
Now win July 16.

Every prerequisite question is resolved, ELWR included. Here is the run-through: what to add, in what order, and every fallback.

Where you stand

Jul 5: summer PS1 needs a decision

AP Economics

5 and 5, prereq banked

ELWR and health

Passed, immunizations cleared

Fall load

16 units, zero contingencies

The enrollment playbook

Phase 1 caps you near 13.5 units, so the four courses split across two windows. Change anything with CalCentral's Swap, never drop-then-add: if the add fails, Swap leaves your seat untouched. Adviser guidance from GBA validates this build: 13-15 units recommended, 16 at the top of the range, and a max of two technical courses — MATH 54 + DATA C8 are exactly two.

Phase 1 cap 13.5 units

The three scarce courses in the hero order: R1A first (17-seat sections), then 12A with its discussion, then MATH 54 with its discussion. 12 units total.

Phase 2 cap 17.5 units

Add DATA C8 with lab 999L when your second appointment opens. Its 558 freshman-reserved seats cannot be taken by anyone else. 16 units total.

ENGLISH R1A Reading & Composition A, "The Shock of the Old"

23808Will fill, add first

TuTh 12:30-2Dwinelle 233, Zlaket4 units15 of 17 seats on Jul 3, the tightest cap you have

Same slotzero disruption

Swap to section 013, "The Archive" 33498. Identical TuTh 12:30-2, nothing else moves.

Any R1Aafternoon sections

Any of the ~14 English R1A sections in an afternoon slot that avoids PHILOS 12A (TuTh 11-12:30) and your MWF mornings.

Other departmentssame requirement

R1A sections also run in COMLIT, History, Film, and more. All satisfy R&C Part A equally.

PHILOS 12A Introduction to Logic, your major anchor

22749Watch the seats

TuTh 11-12:30Haas Faculty Wing F295, Zhang4 unitsdiscussion 28034, TuTh 3-4

Discussion fillsmost likely case

Pick another compatible discussion: 27771 or 27772 (TuTh 2-3), 28035 (MW 4-5), 28104 (MW 5-6). Keep the lecture.

Lecture fillsonly one exists

Waitlist it (101 unreserved seats, unlikely to vanish fast), or swap the whole course for PHILOS 25A 24725, MWF 11-12. Also major progress plus breadth.

MATH 54 Linear Algebra & Differential Equations

22384Safe, 491 seats

MWF 8-9amWheeler 150, Ohm4 unitsdiscussion 22394, MWF 11-12

Discussion fillsthe only real risk

Another LEC 001 discussion in the afternoon: 22395 (12pm), 23484 (2pm), 23485 (3pm), 25447 (4pm).

Lecture fillsvery unlikely

Do not take the 10am lecture 22385; it is near-full and collides with DATA C8. The real swap is MATH 53 (Frenkel) 26344, TuTh 3:30-5, which also completes the Haas calculus prerequisite.

DATA C8 Foundations of Data Science, added in Phase 2

20817Reserved for you

MWF 10-11Wheeler 150, Yan4 unitsplaceholder lab 21101, then pick a Wednesday lab

It can't558 frosh-reserved

Lec 001 holds 558 seats for incoming freshmen through October. In the freak case it shows full, enroll online Lec 002 33485 and email ds-advising to move in person.

Lab choicetime it right

Labs run Wednesday afternoons, Thursdays, and Friday mornings. Pick a Wednesday afternoon slot; that window is wide open in your grid, and C8 blocks any time conflict.

The bench

Whole-course swaps if a primary is truly gone. Every row verified live in July.

26344MATH 53Frenkel, TuTh 3:30-5. The math swap; also completes Haas calculus.

24725PHILOS 25AAncient Philosophy, MWF 11-12. The 12A swap; major progress plus breadth.

22452MCELLBI 55Plagues & Pandemics, MWF 9. Lecture-only Biological Science breadth filler.

33498ENGLISH R1A"The Archive", TuTh 12:30-2. Your same-slot R1A backup.

21923ECON 1MW 1-2. Econ prereq already banked by AP; only breadth and graded evidence. Lowest priority.

21099STAT 20MWF 9. Stats backup, but DATA C8 already starts your stats pair.

The runway

Quiet until enrollment, then a tight August arrival chain. Gold-striped rows carry a deadline or a hold.

Done

DoneGBA form submitted. ELWR passed, transcript received, CalNet and Cal 1 Card set, flight booked for Aug 8-9, resume drafted, SHIP kept.

Done

DoneAP scores in and auto-sent. Econ 5 and 5, CS A 5, Physics C E&M 4. Immunizations cleared.

Jul 5-6

DecideSummer PS1 surfaced in the inbox. Enrolled or waitlisted in async Political Science 1 starting Mon Jul 6, posts due Jul 8 and Jul 12. Decide in CalCentral today: commit (textbook + posts) or drop before summer tuition and a permanent grade attach. The L&S Pathways invite also expires Jul 6 — declining by inaction is the plan (its pre-enrollment would cap primary registration at one extra small-unit course).

Jul 10

BIO pre-arrival visa webinar, 3:30-5pm PDT. Optional, recorded.

By Jul 15

Book the free 10-15 minute GBA schedule review (unlocked by finishing GBA). Read the enrollment-day newsletter (lands ~Jul 13-15). Check your exact appointment hour and the Phase 2 date on CalCentral.

Jul 21

Golden Bear Prep opens in CalCentral (BIO's pre-arrival module) — complete it once it appears.

By Aug 1

RegisterBIO international orientation registration due (Google Form in the Jun 30 email): virtual session Aug 19, 9:00-12:30; in-person Welcome Day Aug 25, 1:30-5.

Jul 16

EnrollPhase 1. R1A, then 12A with discussion, then MATH 54 with discussion. 12 units, screenshots after.

Late Jul

Phase 2 opens. Add DATA C8 20817 plus lab. 16 units complete; pick the Wednesday lab.

Aug 8-9

Fly HKG to SFO (UA862 or CX870 land the same morning). BART in about 54 minutes, or rideshare.

Aug 10

Move into The Durant. Check your I-94 reads F-1, D/S. Renters insurance active before the keys.

By Aug 26

F-1BIO Arrival Confirmation on the ISS Portal, plus your US address in CalCentral. Before classes and within 10 days of landing, or SEVIS auto-terminates.

Aug 19-24

GBO. Off-campus check-in at Lower Sproul on Aug 19 hands you the Cal 1 Card and a pre-activated BayPass. BIO's virtual orientation is that same morning, 9:00-12:30 — attend it, then check in after; the in-person Welcome Day is Aug 25, 1:30-5.

Aug 26

ClassesInstruction begins. Calapalooza is Aug 27 on Upper Sproul. Club applications open in week 1 and the fast ones close around Sep 2-3.

Sep 4, 11

Add and drop deadlines. Drop without fee by Sep 4; add without fee by Sep 11. Add Berkeley Connect (PHILOS 98BC) or the Math 98 adjunct by then if the load feels right.

Walk in over-prepared

One rule above all: buy no book before the syllabus. On this schedule MATH 54 is the only text you will likely pay for, and the library's free Digital Course Reserves come first.

MATH 54

Your one new subject, and the 8am

July prep with the highest payoff: 3Blue1Brown's "Essence of Linear Algebra" (about 3 hours), then skim Lay chapters 1-2.
Text is the Lay plus Nagle custom bundle. A used standalone Lay 5th is far cheaper; a free scan exists on archive.org. Wait for the syllabus.
Exams run harder than the homework. Counter with the free SLC Math 98 adjunct and the Tau Beta Pi exam archive (1994-2021, with solutions).
Shift to a 6:45am wake before term; sit front-third. Final: Mon Dec 14, 7-10pm

DATA C8

Install nothing, it runs in the browser

July prep: inferentialthinking.com chapters 1-6, free, then Kaggle Learn's Python and Pandas mini-courses.
Skip raw pandas: C8 teaches its own simpler datascience table library.
Grading: labs 20, homework 10, projects 20, midterm 20, final 30. Your two lowest labs and homeworks drop automatically.
Final: Tue Dec 15, 11:30-2:30

PHILOS 12A

Your safe course, despite its reputation

"Hardest class in the major" because it is symbolic logic, which is math. That is your strength, not your risk.
Likely materials: the free "forall x: Calgary" text plus Carnap.io proof software. Do not buy Language, Proof & Logic used; it needs a fresh access code.
Weekly problem sets, a midterm, a final. Final: Wed Dec 16, 8-11am

ENGLISH R1A

Process beats talent here

Essays move through drafts and revision; attendance and participation carry real grade weight in a 17-person room.
Go to office hours with drafts. Book the free Art of Writing tutoring when it opens in early September.
Readings are mostly PDFs; wait for the syllabus. Final: Fri Dec 18, 3-6pm

The essentials

The load-bearing parts of F-1 status, life at The Durant, club timing, and the Haas scoreboard.

F-1 statusthe non-negotiables

Confirmed by BIO (Jun 15): SEVIS transfer — same record, no new SEVIS fee, and a still-valid prior visa works for entry. Print the I-20 and sign it in ink; an electronic signature is not valid for travel. Hong Kong student visas now require an in-person interview; there is no drop-box.
After landing: confirm the I-94 reads F-1, D/S, then complete BIO Arrival Confirmation before Aug 26.
Never drop below 12 units. On-campus work only; gig apps count as unauthorized employment. Update your address within 10 days of any move.
File Form 8843 next spring even with zero income. GLACIER is free through BIO.

The Durantand getting around

BayPass is in your fees and covers AC Transit and BART, handed over pre-activated at GBO check-in.
Renters insurance is required. Buy your own at roughly $12 a month, or Greystar auto-enrolls you in a pricier plan.
Target is a 16-minute walk for move-in basics; the Durant food court is one block west. No H Mart nearby; use Koreana Plaza in Oakland.
Text WARNME to 67283 for alerts. Save Safewalk, 510 642 9255. Keep the phone pocketed on Telegraph at night.

Clubs, week 1the pre-Haas angle

Applications open in week 1 and the fast ones close around day 10. Target 2-4 serious applications, expect rejections, reapply in spring.
Freshman-friendly doors: Data Science Society (fastest), The Berkeley Group, Compass Fellowship, BIC, Product Space.
Traps: "IBC" means BIC. DSP is defunct here. AKPsi does not bid first-semester freshmen; rush it in spring.
Take UGBA C12, the Changemaker gateway, in a later term as a low-stakes business signal.

Haas scoreboardafter this fall

Economics: done. AP 5 and 5, confirmed.
Calculus: done this fall through MATH 54.
Statistics: half. DATA C8 now; the UGBA 88 connector finishes it in spring.
R&C: half. R1A now, R1B in spring. Then only UGBA 10X in sophomore year remains before the once-only application.

Crib sheet

The words and norms locals never explain.

Berkeley Time: An "11:00" class starts at 11:10. Everything runs ten minutes late except exams. It is why your TuTh back-to-back works.

GSI: Graduate Student Instructor, elsewhere called a TA. Your MATH 54 and C8 sections are GSI-run. OH means office hours; going weekly is a strength move, not remedial.

CalCentral and bCourses: CalCentral is admin (enrollment, bills, tasks). bCourses is Canvas (syllabi, grades). Swap is the atomic drop-plus-add. Always Swap.

Ed and Piazza: Where big STEM courses actually answer questions. Check there before emailing anyone.

Wheeler 150: Your MWF home. MATH 54 at 8 and DATA C8 at 10 meet in the same room.

DeCal and weeder: DeCals are student-taught 1-2 unit P/NP courses. A weeder is a course built to filter a major.

Big Game: Cal versus Stanford, and in 2026 it is home (Nov 21). Home opener is Sep 5 against UCLA; football needs the paid Student Combo Pass.

Moffitt, Doe, Main Stacks: Moffitt is the undergrad library, reopening this fall after renovation. Doe is the grand one; Main Stacks is the underground maze behind a Cal 1 Card.

RSF: The gym. Free with your Cal 1 Card once you accept the RecWell waiver in CalCentral.

Sproul and Sather Gate: Where every club tables, and the gate into the campus core. "Go Bears" is the sign-off; "Stanfurd" is spelled wrong on purpose.

"How many units?": The standard icebreaker. Sixteen reads solid but sane; nobody is impressed by twenty.

Printing: Pharos stations paid by Cal 1 Card, around 8 cents a page. The OCF gives 200 free pages a semester.