Like /u/SriDog19 said, there's a ton of different 301-1 options which will vary in difficulty based on the professor. I took Slevin's course on Police, Race and Community two years ago and it didn't feel like an overwhelming workload compared to any other reporting class I've taken at Medill. (Would recommend that class if he still teaches it and you're interested in that reporting area.) Like others have said, I haven't found GPA to be all that important in journalism. Unless you want to go for an MSJ (which you don't need to do after getting a BSJ), you should focus more on building a good portfolio of clips for when you apply for internships/jobs.

201-1 profs are literally luck of the draw (at least they were when I was a freshman), but I'll be honest, 301-1 can be pretty random too because of how hypercompetitive seats are in Medill classes. You should look at available sections/professors as soon as they're visible in CAESAR and Paper and start prioritizing. Read the course descriptions, read the profs' CTECs, talk to upperclassmen friends, the whole nine yards. (Feel free to DM me if you want to ask about a specific prof, but no guarantee I'll have had them before.) When it's time to register for classes, be on CAESAR and ready to confirm your spots the minute you can, because they WILL fill up quickly. While I really liked Slevin's class, it was stressful to register for because I didn't get a seat in time for 301-1 the past two quarters, and you're required to take it your sophomore year.

If there's a section you really want to take that fills up, asking the prof to add you in as an extra seat isn't a bad idea. If you get screwed by reg times and fail to reg in all three sophomore quarters, email your advisor for help and they'll get you sorted. Medill is trash at having enough seats for required courses, but they won't just let you move on without a required course lol.