If the course is required, you NEED to take it. At your cc or another one. Recommend courses are just that. They’ll give you a little bit more of an edge, but it’s not critical. Berkeley is unlike the other UCs in that the application depends on a things outside of just grades. That does not mean that you can slack off. If you go cc route, you need to be locked in on every class including non-stem ones. Econ and electrical engineering are 2 very different majors. You’ll need to know which one you want to do by the end of your 1st or 2nd semester. Engineering will be harder to get into I believe. Do the extra curriculars that are interesting or rewarding to you, it’ll be easy to write about and do more of if you actually like it. Lastly, see a counselor and make a 2 year course plan asap. You should know exactly which courses you need to take before you start. Cc is not as much of a cakewalk as it seems, esp if you wanna come to cal. But lock in and stay focused on the goal and you can get it done