BS Vs. BA at a school offering both

[freneticFil]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm currently on track for a Chemistry B.S., but recently, with some of the chemistry courses I've taken, I've made a few B+s and it has dragged my GPA down a bit. Not enough to really hurt me that much, but not a pattern I would like to keep. As a result, I want to do all I can to make sure the GPA is as high as possible.

I'm considering dropping the B.S. in chemistry to a B.A., which means I would only have to take 1-2 more chemistry courses, vs. the 4-5 I would have to take my senior year (including physical chemistry, which I heard is no joke). Not saying I don't like the material, but from my understanding, the degree matters less than the grades received in the upper level courses.

Just wanted to hear from you all on experiences with this dilemma. Is a BA frowned upon by some of the research-focused medical schools? I understand some schools only offer a B.A. but what about at a school offering B.A. and B.S. of the same major?

I'm at a top 20 undergrad btw...

 

[907914]

No one will drown on what degree you have. Just pull of those upper division credits and call it a day.

Also, T20 undergrad doesn’t mean anything if you have bad grades FYI (Not that a B+ is a bad grade, but throwing around your undergrad tier doesn’t make up for the lower grade)

 

[chlorocruorin]

I got a BA instead of BS, I actually switched like you. They literally don't give a **** for two main reasons:

1. if you're not taking a gap year, they literally won't know what degree you have because you haven't gotten it
2. they just don't care hahaha

 

[eaglebaseball4]

I was in a similar but different situation than you. I was on track to get my BS in biology and started considering switching to BA. This was not because of grades, but because at my undergrad getting a BA meant you had to pick up 2 minors. I ended up staying with the BS, and I regret not switching to BA. If I had switched to BA, I could have gotten at least one minor in something like Spanish that could be more useful for my career as a physician than me taking a class like ecology. Take my advice: get the BA, minor in something useful for your career.

 

[getdown]

No one cares