<p>It says on the Academic Advising site that courses fulfilling requirements for a major/minor can only be taken for a letter grade. Is this true? So any courses taken for your major are not covered?</p>
<p>You’re mixing apples and oranges. Or in this case, mixing covered grades versus pass/fail grades. Covered grades are just that–you get a letter grade but only you and your professor see it (with some minor exceptions spelled out in the policy). It only applies for the first semester of freshman year, and provides a period for new Hopkins’ students to adjust to the rigors of the curriculum while adjusting to everything else that is new for a freshman. These grades are not included in your GPA but they can be used to fulfill requirements for a major/minor.</p>
<p>After that first semester, students may also take one course per semester pass/fail but, as you correctly pointed out, that does not apply to courses required for your major/minor. This makes sense. The purpose of pass/fail is to encourage students to take courses outside of their normal comfort zone (e.g., an English major taking an engineering course, or vice versa) without running the risk of ruining your GPA. A required course in your major/minor is supposed to be within your comfort zone. </p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>