withdrawals!?!?
how much does it hurt your chances of getting into a top-ranked program if you have 1 withdrawal in a semi-related course?
i am a junior biology major at a highly-ranked LAC interested in going to UCBerkeley for Integrative Biology. I am a first generation college student, minority, and I have loads of research experience in biology, chemistry, and paleontology both at my school and with other research institutes; my GPA isn't amazing (3.25 overall, 3.4 within my major); and I've taken loads of related science courses---which is where the problem begins, as those are the classes (Chemistry, Math) where I've gotten 1 C, 1 C+, and 1 B-. Otherwise I am all As, A-s, and Bs or B+s in my major courses,geology courses and distribution requirements. I am basically failing my comp sci class this semester even though i study really hard and the prof explains things to me---i just don't get Java (what the class is on) and it's frustrating. We got the midterm back and the median grade was 84--I got a 68. I am afraid what this is going to do to my GPA because I was hoping and working hard to get a 4.0 this semester so that my GPA would rise dramatically, and I think that in my other classes I can get it or something close to it. but there's no way I will get it in comp sci; i'll be lucky if i get a C, I think. i am interested in evolutionary genetics so bioinformatics is helpful (hence why i took math and comp sci in the first place).
I know that Berkeley is really competitive and I am in love with the school (location, potential advisors, projects, etc) so I will apply regardless, but I have a feeling that my grade in this class (coupled with the not-so-good grades in other science courses, as this is integrative biology), or the W on my transcript, could hurt me. Question is, which one is worse?
i am a junior biology major at a highly-ranked LAC interested in going to UCBerkeley for Integrative Biology. I am a first generation college student, minority, and I have loads of research experience in biology, chemistry, and paleontology both at my school and with other research institutes; my GPA isn't amazing (3.25 overall, 3.4 within my major); and I've taken loads of related science courses---which is where the problem begins, as those are the classes (Chemistry, Math) where I've gotten 1 C, 1 C+, and 1 B-. Otherwise I am all As, A-s, and Bs or B+s in my major courses,geology courses and distribution requirements. I am basically failing my comp sci class this semester even though i study really hard and the prof explains things to me---i just don't get Java (what the class is on) and it's frustrating. We got the midterm back and the median grade was 84--I got a 68. I am afraid what this is going to do to my GPA because I was hoping and working hard to get a 4.0 this semester so that my GPA would rise dramatically, and I think that in my other classes I can get it or something close to it. but there's no way I will get it in comp sci; i'll be lucky if i get a C, I think. i am interested in evolutionary genetics so bioinformatics is helpful (hence why i took math and comp sci in the first place).
I know that Berkeley is really competitive and I am in love with the school (location, potential advisors, projects, etc) so I will apply regardless, but I have a feeling that my grade in this class (coupled with the not-so-good grades in other science courses, as this is integrative biology), or the W on my transcript, could hurt me. Question is, which one is worse?