Option to make classes Pass/Fail due to Covid-19. Is it worth it?

My university - and likely other universities soon - are allowing students to choose up to 2 classes to make Pass/Fail due to Covid-19. What do you guys think are the potential benefits and consequences of this?

For example, is it worth turning an A- into a pass/fail if you have A's in your other classes? This way you get a 4.0. Or is an A- strong enough to where a pass/fail might look more suspicious. I am torn and leaning toward just taking the A-'s, but want to get other people's feedback.

 

Does P/F courses count towards GPA calculation? My kids’ university said they do not count. So P/F option offered seem to be designed to help students expecting a grade of D in a class, because those would most likely to choose the option.

 

Most people are taking P/F unless they are getting an A in the class. An A- hurts anyone who has above a 3.7 cumulative which is what most people I know have.

 

It depends. If you have a few semesters ahead of you and you think they will be harder, then take the A- to “anchor” your gpa in the 3.7+ range. If you are really aiming to go even higher than A- in future semesters then take P/F.

 

Only caveat to this is if business schools might look at this, which I do not know (I would appreciate some perspective from someone who is more knowledgeable on this). I’m a senior with a high (3.95+) GPA and am planning on doing all my classes P/NP just to make things more chill on myself. Would a business school see this/think negatively about it?

 

The idea that business schools, medical schools, grad programs, etc. would look down on P/F that occur during the worst global disaster in a century is ridiculous.

 

Top Law schools (Harvard, Columbia, Stanford) are already giving students P/F this semester. Everybody will know this was a weird ass semester and top universities are already moving in that direction.

Only way it looks fishy, in my opinion, is if you cherry pick. Say you get 2 A+ and 3 Pass, then it might look weird. But you either go all in with P/F and everybody will understand, or you go with normal grades.

 

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