How much does retaking a course hurt chances?

<p>Hey everyone, I'm applying for a MS in EE and I'm getting a little worried over retaking a course a while ago. It was a intro circuits class and I got a D+ mainly due to lack of focus that quarter, and I retook it in the summer and received an A+. My cumulative GPA is ~3.5 now, and my EE GPA is 3.82. However from most applications it seems like the EE GPA is not really considered, only the cumulative GPA. I know how bad the D+ might look, just wondering if it would be a deal-breaker for schools like UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, etc.</p>

<p>Thanks for any help.</p>

<p>I had to retake a course as well, I got a D and then an A. It really hasn’t seemed to have hurt me so far in my applications. </p>

<p>I think the degree that it hurts you depends if it is a class related to your major or not, and how well you did after you retook it. You seem to be fine. I wouldn’t sweat it!</p>

<p>Don’t worry about it. Seriously, lots of people get into graduate schools with far, far worse academic records than yours.</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies, they are encouraging. I’ve always heard before from students and faculty that your major GPA or junior/senior GPA matters more, but on most of the applications so far they only request that I report the cumulative GPA. So is that not true then, and your overall GPA is the one mainly looked at in comparison with other students?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>It depends completely on the program and the school.</p>

<p>What is generally true is that you’re far better off with an improving trend. That is, if you were pretty mediocre as a freshman, sophomore or even junior, but then “woke up” and had a stellar senior year, you’re in a much better position than if you aced the first three years and then totally slacked off. Senioritis is often death to grad school applications.</p>

<p>^heh, how common is senioritis? (in cases where it gets noticed by the adcoms)</p>

<p>I know lots of students who got senioritis because their winter and spring grades didn’t matter to them.</p>