Some questions on undergrad grades

[marmot]

Hello.

I took sophmore honors electromagnetism and honors multivariable calculus and I got a C+ in the first one and a B in the second one. I was really worried in em because i thought that maybe i should change my physics major. I tanked the first two tests but then busted my *** and was able to pass with a C+ (Although I did the calculations and thought I got a B :((((((((), Anyway, I don't think know I should drop physsics because it was an honors course and I think it was just a problem with my study habits, because I did just fine in the final and the last test. Multivariable calculus honors was mad crazy, so Idont feel that bad about a 3, although I think that if I had gotten better with my work ethic (I didnt do the homework for the second half of the semester, so there was a lot of cramming involved) I would have had a better grade.

I have a few questions.

Do admission committees care about taking honors courses or they just give a **** about gpa?

Should I chicken out from taking difeq honors in lieu of my grades?

how important is your first semester of sophmore year? I think I learned my lesson and I've been going this winter holidays through two classes I am going to take (modern physics and intermediate mechanics) and doing problems so that class would just be a review of the stuff I already did. My gpa right now is 3.49. Should I just keep with it and aim hard for my next sophmore semester, junior, and senior year?

 

[tmc]

You're here to learn physics. If you learn physics, you'll get in grad school.

So no, don't take the easy class just to get good grades, since you won't learn the right material and if the committee doesn't catch it here, they'll notice it from you failing those courses where you do need to know DEs.

 

[Dr Transport]

I had two semesters of poor grades during my freshman and sophomore years, I rebounded and went on to grad school for both a Masters and PhD. I did well enough in my last 5-6 semesters to graduate with better than a 3.4 (even with a couple of D's in the mix early on). Just do well in the folowing yeas and you'll be fine.