Research vs GPA Dilemma

[premedicine]

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[NickNaylor]

I dunno... I feel like a 3.3 would hurt. That's a toughie. Personally I would focus more on my courses rather than research. That's just me, though.

 

[premedicine]

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[RunningDiva]

I'm sitting at a 3.3 right now, but could bring it up to a 3.7 easily if I didn't have lab.

You are first and foremost a student, not a research scut monkey. The publication is cool, but if it is at the expense of 0.4 GPA points, I am not sure anyone would make that trade. The PI needs to have your best interest in mind and to you that means doing better in classes. There has to be a way to scale down your hours just a bit in the lab. Most on-campus jobs are limited to 10-15 hours per week. This is a good gauge to follow for volunteer positions as well.

 

[Shaq]

juggling a 3.7 and a lab gig is easy. learn to manage your time better.

 

[Algophiliac]

I say cut your social life out, learn time management, or ditch everything else you may be doing that is wasting so much time.

However, I would choose grades over research experience, since publications are not required...but good grades are a must.

 

[rHinO1]

personally I chose to preserve my GPA... I still put in 10-15 hours a week during the school year

 

[RunningDiva]

I say cut your social life out, learn time management, or ditch everything else you may be doing that is wasting so much time.

However, I would choose grades over research experience, since publications are not required...but good grades are a must.

Don't do this. Social life, if you enjoy one, keeps you sane.

Time management skills are helpful and stop spending so much time on here (sdn is a giant time waste ).

Agree w/ the last.

 

[addo]

Time management skills are helpful and stop spending so much time on here (sdn is a giant time waste ).

I dont know, I have learned so many things about the application process on here, that it might just be that SDN will help people get in their first time around. I agree sometimes it is a huge waste of time, but when you take everything into account, its probably just an acceptable waste of time.

 

[rHinO1]

I dont know, I have learned so many things about the application process on here, that it might just be that SDN will help people get in their first time around. I agree sometimes it is a huge waste of time, but when you take everything into account, its probably just an acceptable waste of time.

at first... then you learn what you need to know.

Then you start to either help other people or play around

 

[premedicine]

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[hopki099]

This shouldn't be an either/or question. How do you know that your GPA will go from a 3.3 to a 3.7 without doing research?

Try to cut back on the hours, manage your time better, and if your PI is upset with a day off here and there to study, then explain that school is your first priority and you need to focus on your coursework to achieve your goals.

 

[harvman11]

how much time per week are you putting into lab? I was doing 10-15 hours per week and had no trouble with keeping my grades up and having plenty of free time, and I was an engineer. Given the choice, I would definitely take a 3.7 with no pubs than a 3.3 with pubs, but it shouldn't make that big of a difference. I would take a 3.6 with pubs over a 3.7 with pubs, and I think even that difference is large for a commitment like a lab to make.