Pass/Fail on Grad Classes

Question

This quarter, I made a series of bad decisions on what classes to take. I'm a senior, and I have taken ~10 grad math and cs courses up until now, and have gotten around a 3.9 on average in them.

This quarter, I severely underestimated how long recruiting for jobs was going to take. I signed up for what I felt was like a reasonable course load, given my past experiences, and this was a very bad choice. I had around 30 interviews this quarter, and preparation for them, as well as simply attending them, meant that I could not actually go to class. This, coupled with the fact that the classes are pretty difficult, meant that I am going to end up with very, very, subpar grades, and I will take them as pass/fail credits.

I want to get a masters in CS most likely, and the classes I am taking pass/fail are Measure Theory, and Advanced Statistics(both grad classes). How bad will this look on my transcript?

I have a 3.8 GPA right now, and I am very upset that my bad choices at the beginning of the quarter could have long-reaching ramifications for my grad school apps. I will most likely take a gap year to work, and maybe do research, but how bad is my situation currently?

To be more specific, how will this affect grad school admissions? Is there a way to alleviate this and make my application more competitive for future applications? I plan on taking easier classes, in CS, and focus on research, and trying to have something published by the end of the year.

Thank you!

Answer 1

If this is for US graduate study, then I doubt that you have much of a problem most places. There will be exceptions, of course, but it is fairly typical for the final term of undergraduate to be not typical, so some accommodation may be expected. Not universally, but commonly. Final term students commonly have other things on their minds as did the members of the admissions committee when they were students, if they can only remember back that far.

If you fail the p/f courses it will be a different issue, and it is probably too late to withdraw at this point, but that would be a better option if it is open.

Measure theory (fun and interesting) has little specific value in most of CS. Advanced statistics can be useful for some, but not all CS sub-fields. More weight will be given (in US) to those courses in the field you are applying for.

If other things in your application point to success in grad study then there should be little effect from not have specific grades in a couple of courses.

I was once in a similar bind, but the dean let me withdraw from an overload course and actually dropped one graduation requirement for me. I did fine. The majority of my record pointed toward success.

So, pass those courses.