I am reaching out today in need of advice.
I am currently minoring in economics as well as real estate investment. I have a major in hospitality business and am graduating this fall. It is my goal to land a job in hotel investments. Today’s economics exam, despite my best efforts, went horrendously. I am assuming I scored anywhere between 30%-60%. It is hard to recover this grade above a 3.0. I do believe it is likely that I will at least pass this course.
My two Econ courses (econometrics and behavioral econ) are difficult. If I fail one, I lose the Econ minor (because I graduate this fall).
If I drop a course prior to October 21st, said course does not show on my transcript. I also lose the minor.
Do I:
A.) drop the minor and make it an easier semester?
Pros: more time to focus on job applications, higher cumulative GPA for grad school.
Cons: already am halfway through into this minor and momma didn’t raise a quitter.
Or, do I keep the minor, risk failing, and the possible damage to my GPA that comes along with it?
I did the math. If I keep the minor and pass the classes with 1.0 my cumulative GPA drops to 3.4 if I drop the classes, my GPA stays at 3.6 or so.
What I am evaluating here is a .2 overall decline (worst case) if I keep the minor. I would also be risking a bad final semester to explain to graduate admissions committees.
Keep in mind:
-I want to go to graduate school for an MBA (will the econ minor help me get in or will the higher GPA matter more?).
-This economics minor won’t necessarily help me get a better job, but I thought it would provide a quantifiable background to my degree (hospitality business).
If I was not going to graduate school, I would keep the classes as I am intrinsically motivated to learn the material. I will say however, given the online format of lectures and office hours, that I am not absorbing the material as much as if I were in the typical physical environment.
I guess my question comes down to if graduate school cares to see a minor with a bad last semester or if they would prefer a solid record with a hospitality degree. I worry that a hospitality degree is a soft skills degree that may not carry much weight in the MBA admissions profile. I also worry how I as a student will be viewed if I have strong grades in hospitality and poor grades in economics. I do not wish my poor performance in economics to de-value the rigor of the hospitality degree. I also do not wish to de-value my capabilities as a student with a sour last semester.
I chose two of the more difficult economics courses as I have a true desire to learn and challenge myself. This cannot come at the risk of my future endeavors.
I look forward to your thoughts and opinions on this matter.
Thank you for your time and generosity in reading this inquiry!