Easy Way Out

I can already tell I've got a potentially too full academic plate next semester. I've had more than one semester with 6 solid academic classes, and by the end I'm always swearing never to do it again. I have 5 solid classes and a fitness class, but the combination of classes and knowing how busy I'm going to be with the grad school apps and the job hunting and everything that comes with being an RA (namely having to be spur of the moment flexible and frequently being kept up at all hours of the night to deal with stuff).......I'm fearing I've set myself up for too much to be able to get the academic results I want.

So I'm faced with a decision.

Right now I have a "fun" class, my first intentionally-doesn't count for my major-just because I want to take it-elective credit class since I started college (and since sophomore year of high school for that matter, although my 7th IB subject was intended to be an elective that just happened to get me IB credit). It's political psychology and it appears to appeal precisely to my research interests. I'm fascinated by the relationship between citizen and state; how does the citizen contribute to government outcomes, how is the citizen shaped, how is their behavior as a citizen influenced, and in turn, what are the policy implications of all that. Fascinating. People think that because I'm a student of International Studies/Relations that I want to save the world, which dichotomously can only be achieved by either being a diplomat or being a certain breed of NGO running, non-profit loving, corporation hating, Peace Corps volunteering, UN working......person. I've come to find that I am centering on an unusual middle path between the two that is far less traversed and I think it has much to do with my research interests and the simple fact that I chose IR because I am, quite simply, interested in how the world works. My particular chosen angle on this happens to involve governments because they are an inevitable and often powerful presence in nearly everyone's lives and thus can be important to how we chose to live our lives and can be a mechanism to reach thousands, if not millions, of people at one time.

Now that I've basically written my personal statement all over again; political psych. Cool, want to take it, probably won't be massively difficult, but won't exactly be underwater basket-weaving either.


So do I drop it? Do I accept the simple fact that it is a luxury that I cannot afford and need to drop to free of time to attend to my other classes?

Another route is change my selection for my quantitative reasoning requirement. I've currently selected deductive logic. I almost chose philosophy instead of economics (and in retrospect, thank goodness I did) so I obviously have some penchant for it and thus would consider it a worthwhile and fulfilling course that would enable me to be better tutored in the practice of logic, an excellent life skill. But, despite the fact that my brain is fairly well attuned to the type of thinking required for the course, it still will be difficult, and the class doesn't give many A's.

So I'm considering instead taking the easy way out and taking something like.......college algebra just to get the requirement done.

This seems a bit backwards to me though since I've already taken calc and on principle have something against the idea of it.

So what's most important here?

Its my last semester. This semester was a disaster that I'm still beating myself up about, but it doesn't even compare to the nuclear destruction I did to my GPA last year. I have a particular goal GPA in mind that I'm not super excited about but can live with. Anything less than that is a prospect I'm currently not sure how to handle. In order to meet this goal my GPA has to be solid next semester. Not impossible, definitely not my highest ever, but nothing can go wrong. I can not afford any disasters or surprises and I don't want to set myself up for failure. At the same time, my academics are important to me and I'd hate to forfeit the pursuit of education in favor of my GPA.

But I keep coming back to the fact that this is my last semester, my last chance. There is no redemption after this point. Either it happens or it doesn't. And right now, walking out of UNC with my diploma in my hand knowing I reached my goal GPA is much more important to me than taking a certain class.

So I think I know I have to back down and change my schedule. I just haven't quite gotten to a point of action yet.....