Seeking Course Enrollment Advice Forum

[pontificator]

Currently I am enrolled in a fairly difficult economics course.
It is the last course required for the economics minor, and requires a fairly high level of calculus.

I do not have a very strong math background, so I am nervous that the course (which is worth 4 credits) will hurt my GPA (3.83).

I have several choices, and several questions.

Choices:
-Drop the class and forget about the minor
-Drop the class, take calc II, and retake the class later
-Take the class now, work hard, and get what I get (presumably I will be able to muster at least a B)
-Take the class now as pass/fail, then retake it for a grade later so that I get the minor
-Take the class now as pass/fail and don't worry about the minor

Questions:
-Would it look terrible to have taken the class twice, once as pass/fail (I assume the answer is yes)?
-Should I actually care about getting a minor in economics?
-What would a prudent adviser recommend?

Other notes:
-Lets assume I want to work a year or two before law school
-My major is an interdisciplinary politics/philosophy curriculum
-If I did retake the class, I would get an A, which would bolster my GPA since it's a 4-credit course
-I go to UVA

Thanks.

[Kring345]

FWIW, no one cares about minors. Having it bolster your GPA by taking it twice would be nice, but that could be done a lot easier by taking Mini-Golf.

[pontificator]

Having it bolster your GPA by taking it twice would be nice

Would taking it twice cause eyebrows to be raised so high as to be exceedingly detrimental?

[Kring345]

I have no idea. Im just an applicant myself. But from lurking these boards, it seems to be the consensus that they care more about your GPA than your transcript. That's why they'd typically prefer a 3.8 in sociology over a 3.3 in physics.

[Tiago Splitter]

If you take it for a grade, the difference on your final GPA between a B and an A is very very small. If you were going to take Calc II anyways I'd say take that first and come back to the Econ class, otherwise just stick it out.

[pontificator]

I wouldn't necessarily have taken calc II anyway, but I am quite confident I can do well in that class without struggling too much, so I wouldn't mind taking it at all.