"A" in Robotics = Lower GPA?

[Jon Stratis]

Honestly, I don't think there's much reason to worry about robotics bringing your GPA down closer to 4.0. If you're that concerned that "optional classes" you didn't have to take for graduation lowered your GPA and might affect your ability to get in somewhere, then you have ample opportunity to talk about! Make it a focus of one of your admissions essays (write about how the robotics classes impacted you, and end with a tag line "even though it lowered my GPA, it was well worth it"). When you visit the college and interview with someone there, bring it up in the interview - "i was wondering how my GPA compares to your typical applicant", and as that conversation progresses, "i knew it was going to lower my GPA, but I felt that taking this robotics course would help me because...".

Personally, I never found GPA to be much of an issue when applying to colleges, and I applied to some rather tough ones. The tough ones are all going to look at much more than just GPA, as others have said... And Schools that don't look past the provided GPA probably aren't going to be difficult for someone with a 4.0+ to get into!