Should GPA be my number one priority? (aside from the MCAT)

[morrian14]

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Right now my major is bioinformatics. I've been encouraged by my adviser to complete the HHMI genomics certificate we offer here. I looked at the electives I'd have to take and it made me cringe a bit. They are all 300 level humanities and philosophy courses. Most of them are scientific ethics type classes, which is very interesting to me. I took a philosophy class last semester and it was a struggle though. Don't get me wrong, I loved the class and the professor. You just shouldn't ever expect to get an A in a humanities class here. Should I just sacrifice and take the B for the sake of learning and getting the certificate?

In addition to this, I'm wondering if it would be worth me getting a minor in chemistry. I'm nearing the end of my second semester of organic and I've grown really fond of the class this semester. I have an A right now and I got a B+ last semester. I want to take more chemistry, but I'm not going to get the same grade as if I took some easy electives instead. I'm kind of conflicted about both of these things. If medical school wasn't in the question I would complete both without a second thought.

 

[AlteredScale]

Right now my major is bioinformatics. I've been encouraged by my adviser to complete the HHMI genomics certificate we offer here. I looked at the electives I'd have to take and it made me cringe a bit. They are all 300 level humanities and philosophy courses. Most of them are scientific ethics type classes, which is very interesting to me. I took a philosophy class last semester and it was a struggle though. Don't get me wrong, I loved the class and the professor. You just shouldn't ever expect to get an A in a humanities class here. Should I just sacrifice and take the B for the sake of learning and getting the certificate?

In addition to this, I'm wondering if it would be worth me getting a minor in chemistry. I'm nearing the end of my second semester of organic and I've grown really fond of the class this semester. I have an A right now and I got a B+ last semester. I want to take more chemistry, but I'm not going to get the same grade as if I took some easy electives instead. I'm kind of conflicted about both of these things. If medical school wasn't in the question I would complete both without a second thought.

It depends on where your GPA is at right now and the potential drop it will have on your current GPA if you don't do well in this series of courses.

If it's in the range of dropping between 3.25-3.0 then I wouldn't do it.

Same thing goes for minors. If it's dropping your grades then drop the minor.

 

[justpedsthings]

Right now my major is bioinformatics. I've been encouraged by my adviser to complete the HHMI genomics certificate we offer here. I looked at the electives I'd have to take and it made me cringe a bit. They are all 300 level humanities and philosophy courses. Most of them are scientific ethics type classes, which is very interesting to me. I took a philosophy class last semester and it was a struggle though. Don't get me wrong, I loved the class and the professor. You just shouldn't ever expect to get an A in a humanities class here. Should I just sacrifice and take the B for the sake of learning and getting the certificate?

In addition to this, I'm wondering if it would be worth me getting a minor in chemistry. I'm nearing the end of my second semester of organic and I've grown really fond of the class this semester. I have an A right now and I got a B+ last semester. I want to take more chemistry, but I'm not going to get the same grade as if I took some easy electives instead. I'm kind of conflicted about both of these things. If medical school wasn't in the question I would complete both without a second thought.

Just another opinion here: think about it this way, no matter what you do, and no matter what grades you get, as long as you're able to back up your decision with something other than "I wanted to take these classes to impress medical schools", you should do whatever you think you'll enjoy.

It's true minors don't count for much and if it's going to bring you down a lot, it may hurt in the long run. But if you're looking for electives to take, then working towards a minor is just being extra productive haha. I picked up my minor in Anthropology and another in Leadership just because I thoroughly enjoyed the courses.