Retaking a course, worth it or not?

[jslvfe77]

Hello awesome people,

I am a senior who is planning on applying to psychology graduate program. I have been involved in research projects and also internships that greatly enhanced my understanding of the subject matter, and I believe going to a graduate school will definitely equip me better.

I am wondering if it is a wise move to retake a class (not a core class by the way) that I got A minus in. It's not a core class but I have 4 other advanced classes that I am taking and I thought why not shove that A minus class in and get an A. My intention is to see whether I can do slightly better his time. However, I've been receiving advises that did not encourage doing this, I am wondering if that's the same case in this forum as well. 

What are the pros and cons of doing this, particularly when I apply to prestigious and competitive grad programs (which I refer to Research 1 universities, not only big name schools like Harvard and Yale)?

Note: I am an international student from Japan. This is my 8th year studying in the U.S (4 years in high school, another 4 years in the university). My GPA is 3.9, GRE is 158/160. 

 

[fuzzylogician]

With a GPA and GRE like yours, no one is going to care about one A-. Don't waste your time retaking the class for what will be no more than a slight and ultimately insignificant improvement. Instead invest your time in activities that matter, such as lab work, independent study, more advanced courses or seminars, etc. Or just give yourself a break, grad school will be hard enough work, you also need to learn to relax and pace yourself. 

[OhSoSolipsistic]

I agree. Your time is much better spent instead finding a good fit with a potential advisor and getting related research experience.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Also agreed. The difference between an A- and an A is not the difference between getting admitted and getting rejected, but trying to earn that A instead of building out your research experiences or being a little less stressed about school could hurt your application (depending on your current research experiences and how much time you plan to dedicate to the application process starting this semester).

[rising_star]

Depending on how your school deals with retaken courses, you may be worse off by retaking it. I say that because at some schools, when you retake a course, it shows that you've retaken it and doesn't show what you previously earned in that course. Consequently, someone looking at your transcript wouldn't know that you got an A- the first time and might (quite logically) conclude that you performed quite poorly (C or lower) the first time, which is why you decided to retake it. And I say they might logically reach that conclusion because typically students don't retake a course unless they earn a C or lower (in fact, some schools prohibit retakes from students who aren't in this position). 

The A- is the least of your worries. The fact that you're worried about it suggests to me that you may have some underlying doubt/concerns or imposter syndrome. All of those are things you should aim to tackle before applying as grad school will only exacerbate them.

[JessicaLange]

No

[THS]

Don't bother...it it was a C maybe, but retaking an A- for an A is over the top.