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<p>Seriously? 3.8+ for grad school and jobs? Grad school in non-theoretical fields will accept someone with strong grades (say 3.6+, meaning lots of A’s with a fair sprinkling of B’s) and terrific research experience (something you can get if you really care and apply yourself), at least most of the time I think.</p>
<p>For theoretical fields, you probably are right that one should almost always be getting A’s to stay competitive. But then again, you have the chance to center your life around school a lot more, since you don’t have to do as much external research. And where there aren’t projects that are hands-on, there is more flexibility, and work is more about thinking and less time-consuming. So it balances out.</p>
<p>If you really like your major, and care about it, you’ll be fine. Now I can’t speak for paths where by designation, academic competition is the name of the game (premed, pre-Haas, etc come to mind). And yes, a lot of people want top positions in these fields. They should speak to someone knowledgeable to determine if this is right for them.</p>