My kid had 3.9 gpa with tough courses and took certain courses he didn’t think he would like just to find out if he liked the area, not with a goal of getting perfect gpa. I am saying don’t get into a mental frame of thinking you need perfect grades. I thought 3.9 gpa was perfectly fine to apply to the very top schools. It wasn’t going to be his gpa that was going to determine his rejection or denial.