Trade off between learning and maintaining GPA

<p>Hi everyone, I'm going to be attending UC Berkeley as a freshman for fall 2011 and am probably going to follow the premed track. While choosing classes however, I found myself to be in somewhat of a dilemma. My brother, who graduated from berkeley two years ago, had some advice for me (he was also a pre-med), which was to take easy classes just for the GPA. Multiple other people I have talked to have also given this opinion. I know I've heard this around everywhere regarding premeds, but I'm conflicted.</p>

<p>For example, although I have passed out of many of the lower division classes with AP credits, I have been advised to take the bare minimum, easiest classes - the lowest Calc class (16A) even though I got a 5 on the AP Calc AB exam and thought I understood the material well, the lowest Chem class that matches the requirement for med schools (1A) even though I got a 5 on AP Chem and could skip ahead, etc. For Chinese, which I was hoping to take as it is part of my heritage and I would love to learn it, my brother told me to purposely do poorly on the placement exam so as to be placed in an easier class. While I understand that there is this mentality that you must protect your GPA at all costs if you are a premed, I really find it unfortunate that it has become the status quo to do this. </p>

<p>I love learning stuff and I'm afraid I will be bored with the subject material if I take classes that are purposely easy. Or, if not, then the curves will be very hard since other premeds are thinking the same thing and taking easier classes. In addition, I won't be learning things that I want to learn. For example, I REALLY want to learn Chinese well because it's part of my heritage and I want to be able to actually use it and be able to read it, etc. but if I take my brother's suggestion, I'm afraid I won't learn much more than I already know. Has anyone else gone through this dilemma and what was your reaction to it? Help! :P</p>

<p>I have only one friend who has been advising me to take hard classes. He wasn't a premed though, but he skipped out of all his lower division classes with AP classes and still maintained a very high GPA (almost 3.8). He gives a lot of good arguments for not 'pussying out' and taking the easy classes - but the thing is I can't know if I can do as well as he did unless I commit myself to hard classes. I want to learn and not have college to be just a place where I must watch my GPA at all times, and yet I don't want to wade in too deep since I don't know what to expect and take hard classes and ruin my chances at medical school. </p>

<p>In short - I want to take hard classes to learn because I am passionate about learning and like learning. However, I have been advised by several people to purposely dumb down the classes I'm taking to protect GPA. What should I do?</p>

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<p>There are different levels when it comes to gaming the system. I don’t think you should avoid certain classes because the material is too difficult. However, I think its perfectly reasonable to avoid certain professors in a subject that are notoriously hard. I don’t think I have avoided any classes so far because my friends have told me the material is really difficult but I have avoided hard professors. </p>

<p>If you avoid a subject/class because the material is too difficult then you are hindering your intellectual growth. If you decide to not take a hard professor you won’t be stopping yourself from exploring other fields because you are still learning the same material just with a professor who gives easier tests.</p>

<p>Bottom line, I don’t think you should stop yourself from exploring a new field simply because its too hard. Def. avoid hard professors though.</p>

<p>as my best friend from wharton once said, “i didn’t go to college to learn. i went to get a piece of paper.”</p>

<p>Hey there, </p>

<p>i strongly advise you to take at least 1 or 2 of the “harder” classes. anyway, do you know why they are called “hard?” it’s because that is the perception of most of the people who are telling you to take the easy way. as long as you have a passion, and as long as you have a strong background, it will not be hard. it will be impressive. you will be amazing in medical school because of your stronger, more solid background. people used to tell me the same … “don’t ruin your GPA…” " take easier classes because GPA is all ‘they’ care about"…just don’t listen. try out 1 or 2 “hard” classes this semester, and you will see that you will go far.</p>

<p>Did you read this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1135302-pre-med-freshman-berkeley.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1135302-pre-med-freshman-berkeley.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Whether or not you skip the intro class due to AP credit depends on your mastery of the material, just because a HS AP class purports to cover a college intro class worth of material does not mean it actually covers everything you would need to know in order to be successful in the next level course.</p>

<p>Try it your first semester with just one of those classes, perhaps your best subject and see how you do.</p>

<p>GPA is of critical importance in your med school app, but so is learning. It is amazing how easily a few B+/A- grades can drag your GPA down below 3.5, you really want to have at least a 3.5, so consider skipping the intro class where you feel extremely prepared, but maybe not all of them.</p>

<p>D. has never had GPA in mind while choosing her classes. She wanted to take classes in her area of interests. Some of them happen to be very easy, while many others were much more challenging than she anticipated. She got A’s in all of them. Why? Because they were intresting for her. If class was hard, she just had to work harder. Fitting into numbers, calculating will not work. Are you going to explain on interview that you took certain class because somebody said that it was easy and you wanted high GPA? If you do, you are out, if you lie, you are out also. No win situation. Then paying all the money for UG and not enjoying your classes is another aspect. You want to have fun. It is 4 most important years of your life, got to enjoy it…or stress out about your grades, you choose.</p>