[Computer Engineering] Raise GPA over 3 or expand skill set

I messed up a lot freshman/Sophomore year and currently have a 2.82 GPA. I am graduating this May. I am enrolled in 3 courses and need a fourth to stay full time. Is it if better to retake precalc (I got a D and an A would raise my gpa to 3.01), take an extra high level engineering course (this option would raise my gpa to 2.92), or retake a lower level engineering course I got a C in (this would raise my gpa to 2.95)?

There’s no right answer to this, because each has its appeal. Replacing the C seems least beneficial though. It’s certainly not set in concrete, and any engineer can tell there’s very little real difference in those GPAs. Psychologically though, and to get through the automated tracking systems that might set a cutoff at 3.0, my gut would say take the class that’ll raise you above 3.0. Good luck.

Some colleges have rules about retaking courses so please check on that and sometimes the prior low grade is not removed. If you can retake precalc and do very well and get a good GPA boost that seems to make sense and doing well would help you for calculus classes in the future. Good luck to you!

Do you already have a job lined up to start at after graduation this May?

If so, then choose the extra upper level technical course, which has the greatest potential to be useful in your job and career in the future.

If not, then your choice would be between:

A. The upper level technical course, which has the greatest potential to be useful in your job and career in the future.

B. Repeating for grade replacement the course in which you got the lowest grade (assuming that your school does grade replacement for repeating your lowest grade), in order to raise your GPA to 3.0 or higher. Assuming that this is the precalculus course, it is useless educationally and professionally, but may help if (1) you do not find a job by the time you graduate, and (2) you actually earn high enough grades to raise your GPA to 3.0 or higher. In this case, your post-graduation job search may avoid many of the auto-rejections that a 2.x GPA will encounter (probably about 40% of employers screen new college graduates with a 3.0 cutoff GPA, based on NACE surveys), although you will still be at a disadvantage because of lesser access to the career center and the perception among employers that anyone not hired while still in school is less desirable.

If you’re doing computers, the grades are less important than what skills you’re bringing to the table. If you’re struggling with math, doing engineering will only get harder. Most computer jobs have nothing to do with math anyway. Consider a degree in Information Technology. You get the same employability of CS without all the torture.

OP is graduating in May. Why would they switch degrees now?