<p>I'm in the process of changing my minor from Physics to Mathematics. The only snag is that I don't seem to do quite as well in Math as other subjects, but I really do love Math and the math department here. If I do well, I will probaby graduate with a B to A- (most likely a B+) Math GPA. If my Biology (that's my Major) GPA is 3.7-4.0, how will this affect my chances at a grad school school such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Duke, UVA, UNC- Chapel Hill in an Environmental Science/ Earth Science program--considering I have decent amount of research experience in the field I want to go into? I mean, ultimately it would bring my overall GPA to somewhere around a 3.5, but if a Grad school admissions committee sees a 3.0 minor GPA, how do you think they will observe it? I love the math department here and want to pursue my interest, but I dont' want it to hidner my chances at my dream school: Stanford.</p>
<p>I think you should be a lot more worried about research experience and faculty recommendations than minor GPA for science programs. On many applications I filled out, they didn't even have space to write a minor, let alone a minor GPA (although I suppose you could write it in your statement of purpose).</p>
<p>I have a 3.4 overall, 3.6/3.3 in major (I'm a double-major), and I've interviewed at/been accepted to all of the top 5 biology programs.</p>
<p>Does changing your minor entail selecting different courses as well?</p>
<p>In other words, are you going to need to take more math and fewer physics courses and in effect pull down your overall GPA? </p>
<p>From what I've been able to gather from my professors and academic advisers, graduate schools don't really care what you declare as your minor or even major. They simply look at the individual courses and marks on your transcript. (I'm in math and CS so this may or may not apply in your field.)</p>
<p>So if the difference is as superficial as the different courses used to calculate the minor GPA, it's unlikely to matter. </p>
<p>But if having to take different courses pull down your overall GPA significantly, then it could affect their assessment of your abilities. </p>
<p>Still, what makes you think you'd do worse in math than in physics?</p>
<p>
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UNC- Chapel Hill in an Environmental Science/ Earth Science program
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<p>What program exactly are you looking into? There is the marine science department, the geology department, the geography department, and environmental science/engineering department. </p>
<p>I'm going to help you out a bit for the geology department (since that's where I'm at now) that the researchers that are more into the environmental stuff are more into modelling than pure geology (lots of geophysics). However, there is a new professor in the department, Stephen Meyers, who may just fit the bill...but the department has pretty much four concentrations: the hard rockers (who do a lot of geochemistry/tectonics), the soft rockers (who do a lot of seismic stratigraphy), the paleoentology/paleoclimates people (who do a lot of geochemistry and modelling), and the geophysicists (who are insane with the kinds of math and modeling they do...not much traditional geology being done by them...though they do work on geophysical problems associated with volcanic eruptions).</p>
<p>I don't know too much about the other departments except that the marine sciences department has very close ties with the geology department. Many of their students work at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC. </p>
<p>Now as to answer your original question (since I've gotten way off track...)...</p>
<p>I don't think it should matter too much, especially for UNC-CH. My overall undergraduate GPA was a 3.54 and my in-major GPA was approximately a 3.73 (I'm not exactly sure how it was calculated). I had no trouble getting in here and was offered an assistantship (as everyone pretty much is...). I also came from not the most prestigous university in the world for my field of study (Pitt)...so I don't think it will matter too much in the long run.</p>
<p>It woudl entail me adding three extra math courses to my science-centered courseload. I love physics, but I love the math department here and would love to delve further into what they've got to offer. I'm majoring in Bio right now, with no concentration so that I can take all the different physics and chem courses I really want to take. But, I figure I should declare a minor if I'm going to be taking most of the minor-requisites because, 1) I enjoy math/the department, 2) a minor, I thought, would show academic focus, and 3) a math concetration-ish thing (minor, lol) seems to be attractive to peopel looknig to hire interns.</p>
<p>What do you all think of these three reasons for declaring a math minor?</p>
<p>Also, if it brings my GPA from 3.8 to a 3.5, that shoudln't matte a whole lot, if, let's say, I were to get the same internships and recommendations?</p>