I listened and hung on to every word of the SOAR advisors’ opinions, when I should have reminded myself that they were there for advice when you didn’t understand what classes you needed for your intended major. This one counselor, Cody, a Trans Lit major, raved endlessly about this one literature class he suggested I take. Next October, I was studying for an exam in a class where I was the only non-English major desperately trying to understand the connection between Kant and Pride and Prejudice.
So, my advice to freshmen: Bookmark the page “UW-Madison Grade Distribution”. This 200+ page document has a list of every class offered during a specific semester and the average GPA that students received.
Do you need to take a sociology class for your major but are worried about your GPA dropping? “Population Problems” (Soc 170) will also fulfill your ethnic studies, but with an average GPA of 3.2, you’re guaranteed at least one late night at College Library desperately buying sugar-packed junk food from the vending machines in an attempt to wake yourself up. While “Sociology of Gender” (Soc 138) might have nothing to do with what you’re interested in, you can relax during the semi-annual “What will my GPA be this semester” study break that happens during finals when calculating your Soc 138 grade: the average GPA was a 3.944.
Yes, a passion for your classes is critical to the college experience, but when you have to take 12 credits of science as a Journalism major, you need all the help you can get.