<p>i'm a freshman in electrical engineering. i plan to attend grad school after my undergraduate years in electrical engineering. i'm currently taking a course to fulfill my GE on a pass/no pass basis. right now i have a c- (70%) in that class, and it's considered a "no pass" at my school. i just took my final and it's possible i might not make the C for the "pass" since my final was not cumulative and has an equal weight to the other midterms. i was hesitant to withdraw so i never did and now i have a chance of failing. if i retake it, i am able to replace the "no pass," but the old status will still be on my transcript crossed out. how bad is this for graduate school admissions if i retake it? i heard some graduate schools average the grades but there isn't exactly anything to average in this case. i'm really nervous right now about this because i'm determined to go to a decent graduate school. my first quarter has a GPA of a 3.3 so far and i'm hoping to raise that.</p>
<p>Not a catastrophe, but you don't want to make a habit of it. </p>
<p>Quite often, grad schools in the technical fields seem to weight your junior/senior GPA and GPA in major rather more heavily than overall GPA. </p>
<p>Look for good research opportunities and try to develop relationships with several professors in your EE department. Both research and LORs will be more important than a freshman GE class.</p>
<p>Bleh, I'm glad it's not a catastrophe. Thanks for the response. Would I still be able to clear the fail well if I retake it though? And, when I do, should I take it for the grade instead? I neglected that class a lot so I'm pretty sure I can get a high grade if I put effort into it.</p>
<p>Strangely enough, I was faced with a similar dilemma. I, however, ended up dropping the class altogether because I knew getting a C would not be possible and I would not get a pass.</p>
<p>In your case, if you do not get a pass, simply retake the course....it may be worth takinig for a grade just to insure that you get the credits. Do your best, of course. Since you've been through it once, it may even be easier than second time around and you could possibly do well. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've gotten 2 Ws and a C on an otherwise good academic record and though I was concerned, I am not that worried about it because I know that other elements of my application will make up for it. Hang in there....you have time. Good luck.</p>