<p>Ok, so I'm sure this has been asked before, but I found no relevant results after ten minutes of searching. Simply put, should I take the hardest courseload, or take an average difficulty courseload and dominate. I'm interested in working for investment banks and hedge funds.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>IMO, people look like they didn't know what they were getting into when they take intense classes and settle for average or low grades.Why not take a less intense load, and provide yourself with a good-graded cushion for when you HAVE to take those harder classes you have been dreading? When being interviewed for a job, employers will not know or care what your course load was like from one semester to the next. They'll look at the name on your degree and what experience you have in the investment banking field. If you're coming from Harvard, they'll assume the work was intense. If not then, that's when they'll look a little more closely at your GPA. If you have a high GPA from a less prestigious school, then they'll assume you have and will work hard. </p>
<p>Take average classes and dominate. It's fun :).</p>
<p>I disagree- I'd rather take more challenging courses where I actually learn something than pad my GPA with easier classes. Granted, I don't want to work for an investment bank- just getting my masters in conjunction with the Peace Corps and after that no one will care about my undergrad degree when I go on for my 2nd masters.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that the OP should avoid harder classes at all costs, he should just be wise about scheduling. Don't take so many tough courses at once that you don't have enough time to adequately study for all classes or have free time for yourself. You'll make yourself crazy and you won't do as well as you want to.</p>
<p>GPA>Heavy courseload.</p>
<p>But if you're an academic masochist (like me), feel free to take the hard classes and do well in all of them.</p>
<p>edit: Just noticed you are class of '11. If you're a first semester freshman, go easy on the courses.</p>
<p>I'll give you some advice and you can consider if you think its valuable.</p>
<p>My freshman year of college I was a little smart aleck and didn't want to take the lame 100 level intro classes all my fellow froshes were taking. So out of pride and over confidence I took a lot of upper level classes all in the same semesters. This gave me a lower GPA than if I had taken lower level classes in my early college years and taken higher level classes (which I would have been FAR better prepared for) in my later college years.</p>
<p>My advice is: if you're a freshman or sophomore, go ahead and take those average/easy classes and build up a great GPA. Pad it all out. Save the harder courses, which you'll need to take for your majors/minors anyway, for junior and senior year. You'll have experience and so you'll likely do better in harder courses than if you had thrown yourself into hard courses earlier on. frostburg is totally correct-- pace yourself, be wise about scheduling. </p>
<p>I really regret the 300 level classes I took as a freshman and sophomore. They messed up my GPA now that I think on it. If I had waited and planned a sensible schedule with introductory/lower level courses the first two years I would have been happier, FAR less stressed, more prepared, more experienced and with a better GPA than I do now.</p>
<p>Another thing about taking hard, upper-level courses: DON'T take too many of them all in the same semester. I know that sounds obvious, but make sure you have a balanced schedule within each semester, nevermind your entire college career.</p>
<p>As a freshman, I would say take somewhat easier (but NOT blow-off) classes so you can have a better GPA now and then when you have to take the really hard classes jr/sr years you will have a prop in case you get in deep crap with the hard loads those years.</p>