Realistically, a perfect GPA?

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Teleologist

Teleologist

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I just finished my first year at a big state university with a perfect 4.0.

I am curious to how hard it will be to maintain my 4.0 for the next few years I'm here.

Here are the main courses I took. I didn't really take any filler courses. If I had to rate the difficulty of the classes, I would say they were moderate - not impossible - but all definitely required a bit of work.

Chem 1 and 2
Calc 1 (dunno why I retook calc 1; I had calc 2 credit from HS)
Physics 1 w/ Calc (i.e. not physics for poets)

Here are the main courses I will eventually take:

Physics 2 w/o calc (Calc III is a co-req; not really interested in taking Calc III despite having calc II background)
Orgo 1/2*
Biochem*
*I might do a combined biochem/orgo 2 course
Genetics
Physiology

What do you think? How realistic will it be for me to maintain a 4.0? Are these remaining courses going to be a few orders of magnitude harder than whatever I've seen thus far? Have I been lulled into a false sense of security? To put this in context, I don't know many people right now with 4.0s (and they've taken the roughly the same courses I have). Something along the line did them in (mostly chem 1, that damned weed out course).

Also I realize that GPA isn't everything but I'd like to have a 4.0. I have definitely not been holed up in my dorm studying 24/7 and am very involved in one campus organization. I will also be an undergrad TA next semester for chemistry. I was also tapped as a freshman to work for a local tutoring company. I volunteer at the local hospital and am looking to participate more in rec sports this semester (did some of that last semester; then things got real in my classes).

Also, any advice for a budding pre-med student?
 
Honestly no one here is going to be able to make the prediction you're looking for, we don't know you/your aptitude/your school/the particular classes/etc. well enough. The good news is it doesn't really matter. You should definitely aim to earn the best grades you can, but there's nothing special about having a perfect 4.0. Everyone evaluating applications (and probably everyone that's ever taken a graded class) understands the nuances/issues with applying letter grades to performance, and minor differences between GPA's are insignificant.
 
I understand. I was just concerned and curious when perusing the chances forum and reading about people with 3.3s, 3.1s, 3.5s, 2.9s, 1.2s, etc. I was wondering what could have done them in. Hopefully what did them in doesn't do me in too. That being said, a 3.5+ is probably excellent. I'm no genius here, and there are definitely people way, way smarter than I am. As a matter of fact the last time I took chemistry before going to college was in HS and that was way way back in 10th grade and it was cheesy honors chem - not even AP chem - and I got a C in that. Same for honors physics, got a C. And for honors bio - got a B. Star student I was not. But I put in a fair bit of effort here in college and utilized office hours and other resources. Still curious about those other GPAs I see.
 
It depends on the sacrifices you are willing to make not the classes in my opinion. Regardless of your level of intelligence I honestly think that brute force will get you an A.
 
lmn said:
You will almost undoubtedly be unable to maintain a perfect 4.0, and in all reality who cares?
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Probably. Why not though? Is there some course that does a lot of people in?
 
People struggle with ochem a lot. People get caught up in their personal lives. Stuff happens to people.

Grades are important, 4.0's are great. They set you apart from the rest. If it's challenging to get a 4.0 at your school it will open doors for you like it has for me.
 
wow i forgot how neurotic premeds were. lol i used to be as neurotic as you. do your best but don't kill yourself over it. honestly 3.8-4.0 are all the same.
 
Teleologist said:
Probably. Why not though? Is there some course that does a lot of people in?
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Organic chemistry tends to be a course that gives students a bit of trouble.
 
Obviously, put in your best effort to keep that 4.0, but remember that a 3.6-3.7+ is the safe zone. Don't make yourself sick worrying/stressing about it.
 
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coffeesnob said:
wow i forgot how neurotic premeds were. lol i used to be as neurotic as you. do your best but don't kill yourself over it. honestly 3.8-4.0 are all the same.
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True, I'll probably adopt the same attitude after I get my first non-A grade.
 
It'll be tough. There are too many variables to make maintaining a 4.0 easy or even realistic. That said, people do it every year, so maybe you'll be one of them. Give it your best shot but don't be upset when it doesn't happen.
 
Freshman and first semester of sophomore year were a breeze (had a 4.0) and then I tanked. Both parents got quite sick, plus I moved and was working full time. I didn't live on campus so I had to worry about all my bills plus tuition once I lost my scholarships for getting on academic probation. It would've been nice to keep my 4.0, but I didn't have the luxury of not working, not stressing about bills, not being depressed about parents. If I could go back I probably would've taken time off during that time, but I learned from it.

Eventually I learned how to study minimally and get good grades while doing that but it took 3 semesters to figure that out.
 
Frostbite22 said:
Freshman and first semester of sophomore year were a breeze (had a 4.0) and then I tanked. Both parents got quite sick, plus I moved and was working full time. I didn't live on campus so I had to worry about all my bills plus tuition once I lost my scholarships for getting on academic probation. It would've been nice to keep my 4.0, but I didn't have the luxury of not working, not stressing about bills, not being depressed about parents. If I could go back I probably would've taken time off during that time, but I learned from it.

Eventually I learned how to study minimally and get good grades while doing that but it took 3 semesters to figure that out.
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My thoughts are with you. I know friends who work and pull great GPAs. I don't work; perhaps the only "hardship" I have is living off campus - and that just means a somewhat longer commute to classes. I actually did get sick this finals season - severely sick - but fortunately my professors were all willing to let me makeup the exams. Plus for my chem class I didn't even need the final; I just wanted to take it for fun. And of course I took my humanities final on the day I was sick because, well, it was the humanities.

Perhaps the fact I don't work or have much to worry about otherwise is the reason behind why I might seem a bit neurotic about my GPA - it is, after all, the only thing I should be worried about - being that everything else is basically taken care of for me.
 
Keep up the good work. No need to worry about maintaining 4.0, just keep it 3.8+
 
Teleologist said:
I understand. I was just concerned and curious when perusing the chances forum and reading about people with 3.3s, 3.1s, 3.5s, 2.9s, 1.2s, etc. I was wondering what could have done them in. Hopefully what did them in doesn't do me in too. That being said, a 3.5+ is probably excellent. I'm no genius here, and there are definitely people way, way smarter than I am. As a matter of fact the last time I took chemistry before going to college was in HS and that was way way back in 10th grade and it was cheesy honors chem - not even AP chem - and I got a C in that. Same for honors physics, got a C. And for honors bio - got a B. Star student I was not. But I put in a fair bit of effort here in college and utilized office hours and other resources. Still curious about those other GPAs I see.
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For me it was life and ****ty circumstances I couldn't control at the time. Thankfully I was able to make a comeback.

Keep doing what you're doing Op, its definitely working 👍

Just don't be upset when you lose it because of one A- or a few B's. As someone posted before, a 3.6+ is a safe zone to be in.
 
coffeesnob said:
wow i forgot how neurotic premeds were. lol i used to be as neurotic as you. do your best but don't kill yourself over it. honestly 3.8-4.0 are all the same.
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Yeah almost. I think most very intelligent people capable of a 4.0 could pretty safely coast to an A-, while As take that extra effort and care. A 3.8 means mostly "coasting," the 3.9 requires that extra effort in most classes, and a 3.99-4.0 is a total commitment to academic excellence.

I think in that range it means very little in terms of intelligence. I'd even be wary of someone with a 4.0 going into an interview for fear they could be totally neurotic. I do think you can glean a little about someone's overall work ethic by their GPA though. I don't think 3.8-4.0 filters for intelligence, but it does separate students of different levels of "drive" academically. All other things held constant, I think the 4.0 will show a noticeable difference in attention to detail from a 3.8, but those other "things" (when not held constant) matter so much more anyway.

Edit- Obligatory response to OP. One stupid class will mess up your 4.0. I too finished freshman year with a 4.0, but took an A- in a poetry class the next semester. I finished college with two A-'s, and both were honestly just silly. My advice is never to let your quest for an ultra high GPA interfere with exploring fascinating research, classes, or activities. You'll gain much more from experience than 0.05 GPA points.
 
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I would actually recommend against going for a perfect 4.0, I personally think that the time is much better spent doing things and trying out new areas that are interesting and good for you (both for med school and just yourself) rather than studying neurotically to just make sure you get everything perfect.
 
lmn said:
I would actually recommend against going for a perfect 4.0, I personally think that the time is much better spent doing things and trying out new areas that are interesting and good for you (both for med school and just yourself) rather than studying neurotically to just make sure you get everything perfect.
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Studying neurotically is what I've been trying to avoid. I've mainly been previewing courses before they start and I find this helps immensely with helping me find social time during the school year - hey, if you already have a grasp on the material before the course starts, that just means more time to socialize during the school year (rather than spend hours in the library agonizing over new material).

Previewing course material seems to be working. Currently I'm previewing orgo 1 and physics 2 before they start.
 
EngineerPreMD said:
Yeah almost. I think most very intelligent people capable of a 4.0 could pretty safely coast to an A-, while As take that extra effort and care. A 3.8 means mostly "coasting," the 3.9 requires that extra effort in most classes, and a 3.99-4.0 is a total commitment to academic excellence.

I think in that range it means very little in terms of intelligence. I'd even be wary of someone with a 4.0 going into an interview for fear they could be totally neurotic. I do think you can glean a little about someone's overall work ethic by their GPA though. I don't think 3.8-4.0 filters for intelligence, but it does separate students of different levels of "drive" academically. All other things held constant, I think the 4.0 will show a noticeable difference in attention to detail from a 3.8, but those other "things" (when not held constant) matter so much more anyway.

Edit- Obligatory response to OP. One stupid class will mess up your 4.0. I too finished freshman year with a 4.0, but took an A- in a poetry class the next semester. I finished college with two A-'s, and both were honestly just silly. My advice is never to let your quest for an ultra high GPA interfere with exploring fascinating research, classes, or activities. You'll gain much more from experience than 0.05 GPA points.
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True! It's why I took the hardest chem 2 course here possible. I'm not a GPA snob (I try); I'm also here to learn as much as I can. And joke's with the people who chose the easiest chem 2 prof; that prof actually dropped out teaching at the last minute and they got stuck with a rather hard prof instead.
 
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You deserve all the kudos you can get for doing so well. I would suggest that you don't change a thing.

Teleologist said:
I just finished my first year at a big state university with a perfect 4.0.

I am curious to how hard it will be to maintain my 4.0 for the next few years I'm here.

Here are the main courses I took. I didn't really take any filler courses. If I had to rate the difficulty of the classes, I would say they were moderate - not impossible - but all definitely required a bit of work.

Chem 1 and 2
Calc 1 (dunno why I retook calc 1; I had calc 2 credit from HS)
Physics 1 w/ Calc (i.e. not physics for poets)

Here are the main courses I will eventually take:

Physics 2 w/o calc (Calc III is a co-req; not really interested in taking Calc III despite having calc II background)
Orgo 1/2*
Biochem*
*I might do a combined biochem/orgo 2 course
Genetics
Physiology

What do you think? How realistic will it be for me to maintain a 4.0? Are these remaining courses going to be a few orders of magnitude harder than whatever I've seen thus far? Have I been lulled into a false sense of security? To put this in context, I don't know many people right now with 4.0s (and they've taken the roughly the same courses I have). Something along the line did them in (mostly chem 1, that damned weed out course).

Also I realize that GPA isn't everything but I'd like to have a 4.0. I have definitely not been holed up in my dorm studying 24/7 and am very involved in one campus organization. I will also be an undergrad TA next semester for chemistry. I was also tapped as a freshman to work for a local tutoring company. I volunteer at the local hospital and am looking to participate more in rec sports this semester (did some of that last semester; then things got real in my classes).

Also, any advice for a budding pre-med student?
Click to expand...
 
EngineerPreMD said:
Yeah almost. I think most very intelligent people capable of a 4.0 could pretty safely coast to an A-, while As take that extra effort and care. A 3.8 means mostly "coasting," the 3.9 requires that extra effort in most classes, and a 3.99-4.0 is a total commitment to academic excellence.

I think in that range it means very little in terms of intelligence. I'd even be wary of someone with a 4.0 going into an interview for fear they could be totally neurotic. I do think you can glean a little about someone's overall work ethic by their GPA though. I don't think 3.8-4.0 filters for intelligence, but it does separate students of different levels of "drive" academically. All other things held constant, I think the 4.0 will show a noticeable difference in attention to detail from a 3.8, but those other "things" (when not held constant) matter so much more anyway.

Edit- Obligatory response to OP. One stupid class will mess up your 4.0. I too finished freshman year with a 4.0, but took an A- in a poetry class the next semester. I finished college with two A-'s, and both were honestly just silly. My advice is never to let your quest for an ultra high GPA interfere with exploring fascinating research, classes, or activities. You'll gain much more from experience than 0.05 GPA points.
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Agree 100% with this. To OP, your hardest classes might not be the conceptual ones, but the ones you find the least interesting. For me, it was a history class and an environmental science class. If I had devoted the time I did to classes like ochem, I could have easily made it out with an A. But I was fine with an A- with minimal effort. It allowed me to socialize more, do research, and spend a lot less time painfully learning about things like landfills...A- won't hurt you in these cases. I also went to a state school. Being at a state school (as long as it isn't a premed feeder), I'm sure you can stay ahead of the curve and do well in the classes that matter.

One other thing to worry about is group projects. I've found that most times people just aren't as motivated as you are. After all, you would like an A to pad your GPA for med school and all they care about is a B or B- for grad school. I actively tried to avoid these classes, but sometimes there's just no way to. Again, one or two of these grades will not affect your chances for med school. You're off to a great start, just don't become one of those "is my dream ruined and life over?" thread starters.
 
trino said:
To OP, your hardest classes might not be the conceptual ones, but the ones you find the least interesting.
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True! Indeed I was worried about physics for much of this semester since I simply didn't have much interest in physics (as opposed to chemistry, in which I had, in his own words, the best gen chem prof on the planet. I don't dispute that). Physics was basically a plug-and-chug game but I barely went to lecture (I ended up with a 60% attendance rate). I knew even then that not going to lecture hurt my grades in physics but I just couldn't gather together the same enthusiasm for physics as I had for chemistry. Indeed I ended up with a C on the second test and even then I didn't really bother to pull my act together; I just ended up spending an inordinate amount of time outside of class playing catch up. Looking back that was not a wise use of my time and something could have easily tipped the precarious balance out of my favor - e.g. a major life event, another class, etc.

Also I was majorly disorganized this semester. Looking back through my notes (which I never organized; I mainly took notes on loose leaf paper) I saw stuff that could have been helpful during my final review sessions. Unfortunately I had taken a bunch of notes which I had forgotten about, and I just padded everything over by reading from the book again. Not very efficient. So you could say I was pretty damn lucky to end up with the GPA I did this freshman year. I was disorganized and barely showed up to one of my classes, but fortunately the ease of the tests and the massive amount of time I ended up throwing at it made up. Lots to improve on. Hopefully I'll improve before I get crushed by something real.

trino said:
One other thing to worry about is group projects. I've found that most times people just aren't as motivated as you are. After all, you would like an A to pad your GPA for med school and all they care about is a B or B- for grad school. I actively tried to avoid these classes, but sometimes there's just no way to. Again, one or two of these grades will not affect your chances for med school. You're off to a great start, just don't become one of those "is my dream ruined and life over?" thread starters.
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I'll try not to. Still I'd think it'd be pretty swell to graduate with an untarnished GPA. One of the teachers at my HS did the same back about 10 years ago (she went to the same university I am currently attending).
 
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There were several pre med 4.0s after freshman year at my school. Now that I'm graduating, I'm the only one left with a 4.0. Work ethic plummeted this semester but left the GPA intact. Don't worry too much about it because it's not a big deal. It just sounds pretty cool to say you graduated with a 4.0
 
EngineerPreMD said:
Yeah almost. I think most very intelligent people capable of a 4.0 could pretty safely coast to an A-, while As take that extra effort and care. A 3.8 means mostly "coasting," the 3.9 requires that extra effort in most classes, and a 3.99-4.0 is a total commitment to academic excellence.

I think in that range it means very little in terms of intelligence. I'd even be wary of someone with a 4.0 going into an interview for fear they could be totally neurotic. I do think you can glean a little about someone's overall work ethic by their GPA though. I don't think 3.8-4.0 filters for intelligence, but it does separate students of different levels of "drive" academically. All other things held constant, I think the 4.0 will show a noticeable difference in attention to detail from a 3.8, but those other "things" (when not held constant) matter so much more anyway.

Edit- Obligatory response to OP. One stupid class will mess up your 4.0. I too finished freshman year with a 4.0, but took an A- in a poetry class the next semester. I finished college with two A-'s, and both were honestly just silly. My advice is never to let your quest for an ultra high GPA interfere with exploring fascinating research, classes, or activities. You'll gain much more from experience than 0.05 GPA points.
Click to expand...

A good GPA has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with hard work.

I would never look at someone with a 3.8 GPA and automatically assume they are more intelligent than someone with a 3.5-3.6. They are probably much less lazy and have a great work ethic (traits that are of the upmost importance in the medical field); but I would never compare intelligence. I think only the MCAT comes closest to doing that, and even it has its pittfalls.
 
orangeman25 said:
A good GPA has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with hard work.

I would never look at someone with a 3.8 GPA and automatically assume they are more intelligent than someone with a 3.5-3.6. They are probably much less lazy and have a great work ethic (traits that are of the upmost importance in the medical field); but I would never compare intelligence. I think only the MCAT comes closest to doing that, and even it has its pittfalls.
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I wouldn't even say they are less lazy or have a better work ethic. Clearly both are very intellectual students and good learners, shown by their high gpa's. But I would be more inclined to believe the difference be due to other commitments (work/other activities) and/or depending on how many credits they are into undergrad, just the luck of the draw of having different teachers, grading, etc.
 
Teleologist said:
I just finished my first year at a big state university with a perfect 4.0.

I am curious to how hard it will be to maintain my 4.0 for the next few years I'm here.

Here are the main courses I took. I didn't really take any filler courses. If I had to rate the difficulty of the classes, I would say they were moderate - not impossible - but all definitely required a bit of work.

Chem 1 and 2
Calc 1 (dunno why I retook calc 1; I had calc 2 credit from HS)
Physics 1 w/ Calc (i.e. not physics for poets)

Here are the main courses I will eventually take:

Physics 2 w/o calc (Calc III is a co-req; not really interested in taking Calc III despite having calc II background)
Orgo 1/2*
Biochem*
*I might do a combined biochem/orgo 2 course
Genetics
Physiology

What do you think? How realistic will it be for me to maintain a 4.0? Are these remaining courses going to be a few orders of magnitude harder than whatever I've seen thus far? Have I been lulled into a false sense of security? To put this in context, I don't know many people right now with 4.0s (and they've taken the roughly the same courses I have). Something along the line did them in (mostly chem 1, that damned weed out course).

Also I realize that GPA isn't everything but I'd like to have a 4.0. I have definitely not been holed up in my dorm studying 24/7 and am very involved in one campus organization. I will also be an undergrad TA next semester for chemistry. I was also tapped as a freshman to work for a local tutoring company. I volunteer at the local hospital and am looking to participate more in rec sports this semester (did some of that last semester; then things got real in my classes).

Also, any advice for a budding pre-med student?
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I had a 4.0 until junior year. I took a music class and got my first B... Lol
 
I know one person who had a 4.0 in undergrad (private school with moderately reputable pre-med program). They worked hard throughout undergrad, even harder throughout med school, graduated AOA, and matched to a top 5 IM residency.

All the other pre-meds I was friends with had good GPAs, but no 4.0s. It's not easy.
 
orangeman25 said:
A good GPA has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with hard work.

I would never look at someone with a 3.8 GPA and automatically assume they are more intelligent than someone with a 3.5-3.6. They are probably much less lazy and have a great work ethic (traits that are of the upmost importance in the medical field); but I would never compare intelligence. I think only the MCAT comes closest to doing that, and even it has its pittfalls.
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This could be a difference in our programs and our fields. I think in most biological fields the emphasis is on memorization and basic application. In these cases hard work trumps all, and intelligence only helps a student learn faster, not better. However, my engineering, math, and physics classes were entirely based upon problem solving. There wasn't a large bulk of information, but the tests reflected how well you could manipulate the few things you had learned. I saw students study all day and night and still fail to reach A-level, or even B-level work. These students would usually switch into bio, chem, or social sciences and do very well there because of their hard work. There were other students who did well in engineering/math out of sheer brilliance that would make terrible biology students. Either way I think you are right and it's irrelevant. My impression is that medical school will be about hard work and not brilliance anyway.
lmn said:
I wouldn't even say they are less lazy or have a better work ethic. Clearly both are very intellectual students and good learners, shown by their high gpa's. But I would be more inclined to believe the difference be due to other commitments (work/other activities) and/or depending on how many credits they are into undergrad, just the luck of the draw of having different teachers, grading, etc.
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I always thought that high GPAs were accurate to about +/-0.1 within a single program. So a student with a 3.64 is indistinguishable from a 3.72, but the student with a 3.91 outperformed both in the classroom. I never thought other commitments factored in too much in undergrad. I did about as much as anyone I know on top of a very tough course load, and any time I felt a time crunch I knew it was my fault for wasting time. In fact, I did better working 10 hrs/week, doing research 20 hrs/week, volunteering 6 hrs/week, and taking 21 tough credits simply because I knew I had to manage my time well. Profs can throw curve balls for sure, but I think there's always a way to get an A, and the couple crazy profs you get will not skew your GPA that much by the end of it all.
 
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Organic stole my 4.0, but I was so happy and relieved to have survived it with a B that I no longer cared. If you are one of those people who can make it through Organic unscathed, I think a 4.0 is absolutely doable.
 
gettheleadout said:
Surely you're joking, Mr. Orangeman! A GPA certainly has something to do with intelligence.
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Huge hyperbole on my part, but only to prove my point. Sorry!

I just hate when people try and say that someone with a 3.8 GPA is smarter than someone with a 3.4-3.5. I guess it's happened at my college a lot which is why I have these sentiments.
 
The composite sacrifices necessary to achieve a 4.0GPA do not equal the summative reward. There is no conservation of energy in the GPA game.
 
I think a 4.0 is really darn impressive though. It's pretty rare too for pre meds (can only speak for my school). I'm not sure if it's worth it though, like the poster above me indicates. But it's still incredibly difficult to do!
 
I haven't even started college yet but after reading all these forums what matters a lot is your MCAT and your extra curriculars. You can get into Harvard med school with a 3.85/36 if you have really good extra curriculars.
 
barsoum.michael said:
I haven't even started college yet but after reading all these forums what matters a lot is your MCAT and your extra curriculars. You can get into Harvard med school with a 3.85/36 if you have really good extra curriculars.
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Harvard's median acceptances is like 3.9/37, so of course you can get in with a 3.85/36, you are pretty much dead center in the acceptance stat range. Of course this doesn't speak at all about the necessity to have good EC's/LOR's/etc that you need in addition, but since you haven't even started college, you're likely going to even need this level of performance to have a chance to get into schools at all unless something changes to slow down the beast of how med schools are getting harder and harder to get into every year.
 
lmn said:
Harvard's median acceptances is like 3.9/37, so of course you can get in with a 3.85/36, you are pretty much dead center in the acceptance stat range. Of course this doesn't speak at all about the necessity to have good EC's/LOR's/etc that you need in addition, but since you haven't even started college, you're likely going to even need this level of performance to have a chance to get into schools at all unless something changes to slow down the beast of how med schools are getting harder and harder to get into every year.
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You have a great point but with Obamacare I read that people are moving away from the medical field.
 
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barsoum.michael said:
I haven't even started college yet but after reading all these forums what matters a lot is your MCAT and your extra curriculars. You can get into Harvard med school with a 3.85/36 if you have really good extra curriculars.
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What would examples of great ECs be?
 
ace12345 said:
The composite sacrifices necessary to achieve a 4.0GPA do not equal the summative reward. There is no conservation of energy in the GPA game.
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It is most definitely possible to get a 4.0 and still have a perfectly active social life.

Plus, you never have to worry about, "Well, maybe I'd have gotten into X school if my GPA had been a little higher."
 
Chillbo Baggins said:
It is most definitely possible to get a 4.0 and still have a perfectly active social life.

Plus, you never have to worry about, "Well, maybe I'd have gotten into X school if my GPA had been a little higher."
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I didn't say it was or wasn't impossible, I said that the sacrifices necessary are - as I have seen in those I know with perfect GPAs - definitely not worth it. As someone that has taken time off and is coming in from a different career, I can say that you're only 19-22 years old with the hilariously low number of responsibilities that undergrads have once. A 3.85 is more than fine.
 
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ace12345 said:
I didn't say it was or wasn't impossible, I said that the sacrifices necessary are - as I have seen in those I know with perfect GPAs - definitely not worth it. As someone that has taken time off and is coming in from a different career, I can say that you're only 19-22 years old with the hilariously low number of responsibilities that undergrads have once. A 3.85 is more than fine.
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I guess I don't know what you're talking about. Do I feel like I sacrificed anything to get straight As? Not really. An occasional event or two, but nothing substantial. The hilariously low number of responsibilities make it even easier.

And I'm 23. 😉
 
Chillbo Baggins said:
I guess I don't know what you're talking about. Do I feel like I sacrificed anything to get straight As? Not really. An occasional event or two, but nothing substantial. The hilariously low number of responsibilities make it even easier.

And I'm 23. 😉
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Well you know what I mean then! Way too many variables here to make a sound refutation, but not sure this applies to a lot of people at a lot of schools. At my undergrad, there was zero chance you were getting a 4.0 and graduating in four years + ECs + research without killing yourself.
 
Mathematically a 4.0 is realistic... Statistically for you to get a 4.0... Well then.
 
It is hard to get 4.0, but not THAT hard. Do good one semester at a time, don't rush... You have all the time to make the 4.0.
 
Teleologist said:
What would examples of great ECs be?
Click to expand...
Whatever you're really good at. I apologize for perhaps coming off as facetious, but that is the truth. Do what you are good at, and do it well. Not to suggest that you don't step out of your "comfort zone", though.
 
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