Hey everyone,
From reading other posts here, the consensus appears to be that letter grades are preferred over P/F grades. However, I am still really conflicted about whether to take a P vs. a B, and I was hoping for some advice specific to my situation.
I'm just finishing my Junior year as a neurobiology major. This semester I took three graduate-level neurobio electives (plus two psyc courses). In one of those neurobio electives I got an A- and another I got a B (which I was pretty surprised by, since we received absolutely no grades or feedback until grades were posted). The other three grades were As. At the beginning of the semester, I designated the course in which I earned a B as pass/fail. At my school, we can do this a few times and decide after receiving the final grade whether or not we want to cover it. The course is an elective for my major, but I would still have enough electives even if I were to take the P.
Taking the P versus B would change my semester GPA/sGPA from 3.73/3.57 to 3.92/3.85.
Taking the P versus B would change my cumulative GPA/sGPA from 3.42/3.12 to 3.44/3.13 (obviously not a big difference overall, but I am trying to demonstrate an upward trend, and the difference in semester gpa is much larger).
I messed up my second and third semesters, but have been gradually building an upward trend ever since. I've included my GPA trend below, and would really appreciate any feedback as to what your impressions of it are (e.g., whether my trend is suspicious, or truly shows improvement). I am determined to do well next year and expect (hope) to graduate with a cumulative GPA/sGPA in the 3.5-3.6 / 3.4-3.5 range.
Thank you in advance for any feedback!
GPA trends:
Freshman Semester 1 (18 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.60 / 3.28
Freshman Semester 2 (14 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.16 / 2.82
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.41 / 3.05
Sophomore Semester 1 (14 credits w/ 2-credit class = W grade)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 2.33 / 1.50 (eek!)
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.11 / 2.61
Sophomore Semester 2 (16 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.65 / 3.30
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.26 / 2.69
Junior Semester 1 (20 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.60 / 3.80
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.34 / 3.00
Junior Semester 2 (20 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: ??
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: ??
From reading other posts here, the consensus appears to be that letter grades are preferred over P/F grades. However, I am still really conflicted about whether to take a P vs. a B, and I was hoping for some advice specific to my situation.
I'm just finishing my Junior year as a neurobiology major. This semester I took three graduate-level neurobio electives (plus two psyc courses). In one of those neurobio electives I got an A- and another I got a B (which I was pretty surprised by, since we received absolutely no grades or feedback until grades were posted). The other three grades were As. At the beginning of the semester, I designated the course in which I earned a B as pass/fail. At my school, we can do this a few times and decide after receiving the final grade whether or not we want to cover it. The course is an elective for my major, but I would still have enough electives even if I were to take the P.
Taking the P versus B would change my semester GPA/sGPA from 3.73/3.57 to 3.92/3.85.
Taking the P versus B would change my cumulative GPA/sGPA from 3.42/3.12 to 3.44/3.13 (obviously not a big difference overall, but I am trying to demonstrate an upward trend, and the difference in semester gpa is much larger).
I messed up my second and third semesters, but have been gradually building an upward trend ever since. I've included my GPA trend below, and would really appreciate any feedback as to what your impressions of it are (e.g., whether my trend is suspicious, or truly shows improvement). I am determined to do well next year and expect (hope) to graduate with a cumulative GPA/sGPA in the 3.5-3.6 / 3.4-3.5 range.
Thank you in advance for any feedback!
GPA trends:
Freshman Semester 1 (18 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.60 / 3.28
Freshman Semester 2 (14 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.16 / 2.82
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.41 / 3.05
Sophomore Semester 1 (14 credits w/ 2-credit class = W grade)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 2.33 / 1.50 (eek!)
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.11 / 2.61
Sophomore Semester 2 (16 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.65 / 3.30
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.26 / 2.69
Junior Semester 1 (20 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: 3.60 / 3.80
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: 3.34 / 3.00
Junior Semester 2 (20 credits)
Semester GPA/sGPA: ??
Cumulative GPA/sGPA: ??
