<p>Okay so basically the situation is this. She’s getting paid research in computational biology, is majoring in Computer Science, and she is definitely in the position of taking certain grad lvl courses in statistical genetics/computational biology soon. However, she gets a lot of parental pressure to have a near perfect GPA, and this is obviously distressing her a lot. I’m trying to tell her that her GPA is totally fine, and that she could easily get by with a lower GPA since she has research and can do grad-level courses. In fact it may be more advisable for her to spend more effort on research and less on classes. Sometimes, even an infinite amount of effort cannot earn you a 4.0, and it can be due to many reasons unrelated to basic intelligence. </p>
<p>Okay so what is your advice for her? Her parents care a lot about prestige, so I would suppose that getting into a prestigious grad school would be best for her. They’ve also pressured her to do med school in the past, but she and I feel that grad school would be more suitable for her personality type.</p>
<p>Her parents are right: getting a 4.0 GPA and going to prestigious schools is the Purpose of Life.</p>
<p>As for advice, keep reminding her that perfect grades should not be her number one goal. If you say something long enough, it starts to seep in.</p>
<p>striving for a 4.0 increases your chance of burning out. it also makes you focus on the wrong things. i feel like it makes you less likely to get into the program of your dreams – she should ‘sacrifice’ a 4.0 for a 3.8, and think more about research instead. nobody really looks at grades unless they’re bad.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous answers that from my experience, GPA is not the main issue in grad admission. I am international and GPAs are not easily converted, but my GPA is far from perfect and I got accepted to Stanford and Berkeley for Computational Biology (neither programs are called that way, but that is what I’ll end up doing). Your past research, current research ideas and people who know you are more important than your GPA.</p>
<p>Two things: First, be sure that grad school is the right path for your friend. If you go to grad school only for your parents these years may become very hard.</p>
<p>Second, especially in computational biology it might be very important how you apply, and this may vary greatly from university to university. Many universities don’t have a designated comp. bio program, though they are doing excellent work in that field. Depending what you want to do, it might be easier for you if you apply to biology programs rather than comp. science. Check with potential supervisors beforehand!</p>