<p>Hi, I am a sophomore at a state school in the mid west. Recently, I have contemplated going to a grad econ program after completing my undergrad. My question is about taking classes pass/fail for the purpose of having a higher GPA. For the econ major at my school all I needed to take was a stats course and an applied calculus course. I managed to get an A in the calc and I didn't have to take the stats because I received AP credits for doing it in high school. I would like to continue to take math courses, but I am worried that some of the more difficult ones might lower my GPA. I have never taken a math class that I got less than a B in, but that could change. Would it look bad if I took upper division math courses pass/fail? Would it be better to have a 3.9-4.0 taking no math courses for a letter grade, or a 3.6-3.8 taking the courses in the traditional grading option?</p>
<p>Rob54 - most places you're not comitted to a grade option until a few weeks into the semester (Here at Penn, October 12 for Fall). Why not start off P/F (in case you forget the deadline), get a feel for the course, meet with the instructor to talk about where things go over the whole semester, and then make a final evaluation? This will also get you known by the professor(s) as a serious student - which will become a factor when you start looking for those all important LORs toward the end of your Junior year.</p>
<p>In any case, GPA and test scores (i.e. GRE), while you want them as high as possible, are not the HUGE factor they were in undergrad admissions. Check out the "Graduate School Admissions 101" thread for the whole story.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>thanks William. That is a good idea.</p>
<p>Rob54,</p>
<p>I'm in the exact same boat as you are. I am currently taking a calculus course for P/F for the exact reasons you listed. I don't need math, but I want a solid math background without hurting the GPA. I've asked several people in my school (granted, I only decided to change the grading basis yesterday, and the deadline is monday), so far no one has anything to say against the decision. But no one has an encouraging opinion either.</p>