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If you want to lock in your 1L GPA, would it be best to take the hard classes pass fail, or the easy classes pass fail?

At first blush, I thought - take the hard classes pass fail, then just smoke the easy ones. But, I think that most people will probably do this, so wouldn't it then be easier to get an A in the hard classes, where most people are taking them pass/fail?

Depends on how your school does the curve with pass/fail people--if they are excluded entirely, then you are still on a curve with probably a group of people (just a smaller group--which in some ways is worse since that makes the distribution more unpredictable) that you do not want to be on a curve with.

Neither. Take classes with posted grade distributions that are swayed to giving out a crazy amount of A's and are small section classes thus not requiring a curve.

So then what do you use your pass fails on for best effect?

Slobberson wrote:So then what do you use your pass fails on for best effect?

If you plan it out ahead of time and get a decent enrollment appointment you won't have to use them at all. Otherwise Pass/Fail anything with a forced curve, unfriendly grading or bar classes you're interested in but are unsure of how well you'll do on.

If you're lucky and your professor is cool, she might say something like this. "The grade cutoff for pass/fail is a C-, and I NEVER give out anything lower than a C-. Just saying...." Then I pass/failed that class and totally blew it off. Excellent.

BarbellDreams wrote:Neither. Take classes with posted grade distributions that are swayed to giving out a crazy amount of A's and are small section classes thus not requiring a curve.

this. gpa is king. take the easiest possible classes.

Can you do this? What schools let you take a 1L class pass/fail?

emkay625 wrote:Can you do this? What schools let you take a 1L class pass/fail?

None. I would assume OP is referring to 2L classes.

chimp wrote:

emkay625 wrote:Can you do this? What schools let you take a 1L class pass/fail?

None. I would assume OP is referring to 2L classes.

OH i see now. Sorry. RC fail on my part.

He nailed it. Save the pass/fails for when you need it. Secured Transactions is on the bar for my state and our normal professor just went on sabbatical. No way in hell I am taking it graded from some unknown professor. I'm signed up to take it audit this semester.