Due to medical problems that I suffered over several semesters, I have accumulated several Ws on my transcripts. To be specific, I have 8 Ws over three semesters. Other than the withdrawals, I am a very competitive applicant. How will this limit me in applying to medical schools? Any information from someone knowledgeable on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
Affects of "W" (Withdrawal) on Chances of Admission
- Thread starter casejam
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I have like a million W's and i gotten interviews and acceptances. None of the interviewers even asked about my W's. I freaking love W's, they're so much better than C's (or maybe even B's). Don't let these gunners scare you, W's are fine
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I withdrew 2 class while I was in college. I dropped Gen Chem 1 and Organic Chem 2. I was able to retake them to receives As, which is what I was told I must do in order to not have much attention paid to the drops. Needless to say, I have an acceptance, and I haven't been rejected (post-interview) from anywhere, and I have OOS invites, so I really don't think it hurt me too much.
Additionally, if you have legitimate family issues, medical schools will understand. The key is you have to show them you can rebound from the adversity and be a stellar candidate.
Additionally, if you have legitimate family issues, medical schools will understand. The key is you have to show them you can rebound from the adversity and be a stellar candidate.
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Yeap!!! They are absolutely okay. Especially if you have an explanation for them. I only got asked one about my one W,
and it was at a school I hated as soon as I stepped in it, and I knew I wasn't gonna go to anyways, because I had a better acceptance already
and it was at a school I hated as soon as I stepped in it, and I knew I wasn't gonna go to anyways, because I had a better acceptance already
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172858
I wouldn't worry to much about it as long as your 1) have a good explanation and 2) did somewhat well (A's, at the least B's) when you took the classes after the withdrawals.
I actually have 6 withdraws over 4 years, but had a very reasonable explanation (very personal) as well as made 5 A's and a B in those classes after the fact. Still got 11 interviews and 8 acceptances. The committees understand better than anyone that life happens -- all they care about is resiliency and performance.
I actually have 6 withdraws over 4 years, but had a very reasonable explanation (very personal) as well as made 5 A's and a B in those classes after the fact. Still got 11 interviews and 8 acceptances. The committees understand better than anyone that life happens -- all they care about is resiliency and performance.
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I have a couple of withdrawals due to medical reasons as well. I did get asked about them, but as TexasMD2B said, as long as you have a good explanation, and did well when you retook them, you should be fine.
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njbmd
W's don't affect your chances as long as you have a good explanation for them as you do. It certainly makes good sense to withdraw from any course that you know you cannot complete because of medical problems.
Hope your medical problems are under control and keep moving forward. Good luck!
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I also had many Ws. Mine was due to a health reason that I addressed in my personal statement. During my interviews no one specifically asked about my Ws. I think it really depends on what all the factors are. My GPA was pretty good and I had an upward trend which I think proved to ADCOMs that I could do the work. I think the MCAT will also be important for you. If you have an above average MCAT score you will prove that those Ws are just a fluke.
B
Blade28
As long as you've got a credible reason for the Ws, you'll be OK.
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What about dropping because a class is just way over your head? I'm a math major, so I wouldn't take this class again, but would replace it with one dealing with a completely different area of math. I have a decent course load otherwise, but this class is just driving me crazy.
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i think you will be ok =) i experienced something like that in college ---had a W that i had to petition really hard for..and some pretty awful grades when i was sick...i worried SO much about this--and it caused a lot of sadness and angst...but surprisingly i have still been considered at top schools and gotten an acceptance at a top choice..i believe my committee letter addressed my medical problems as they did come up in an interview--and my premed advisor knew my situation pretty well...so as long as you can show why that W or in someone elses case perhaps (like mine) why those bad grades are not indicative of your abilities--schools will listen ...
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i'm actually impressed by the number of people that say W's don't matter...i suppose most previous posters have more experience than me, but i had 2 w's on my transcript and my interviewers were concerned that this might reflect an inability to handle a lot of difficult classes at once like i would have to in medschool...("you can't W classes in med school, you know that right, dear?")
i to really explain the circumstances around it, i.e. scheduling conflicts, and I had documentation of the day i dropped the class etc etc
bottom line, i think you will be fine, but i don't think W's are anything to make light of as the previous posts seem to imply
i to really explain the circumstances around it, i.e. scheduling conflicts, and I had documentation of the day i dropped the class etc etc
bottom line, i think you will be fine, but i don't think W's are anything to make light of as the previous posts seem to imply
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I had 4 W's and they haven't come up in any of my interviews. And on top of that there was also no real reason for me getting the W's. I either missed the deadline or just lost interest in the class. You should be fine since you have a personal reason behind your drops.
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10Ws on my AMCAS. At least 8 of them for really good reasons.
I am a current M1. Don't sweat it. I wouldn't even waste space on your personal statement to write about them. I didn't, nor was I asked about them at interviews. I brought up my withdraws.
I am a current M1. Don't sweat it. I wouldn't even waste space on your personal statement to write about them. I didn't, nor was I asked about them at interviews. I brought up my withdraws.
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It's definitely a "red flag." Is there a logical explanation (personal/family/medical problem) that can be explained to adcoms? Did it happen a long time ago or was it more recent?
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It happened after my freshman year, before being premed and 7 Ws happened 3 semesters in a row. (I basically withdrew from 3 semesters). It was due to my father's health deteriorating very rapidly, and becoming fully encephalopathic for a while and never fully recovering. I've done pretty well since then with 6 A's out of the 8 prereqs and 3.9 junior year.
I did take a W in a bio lab course over the summer again though, that was just due to poor planning. I am thinking about dropping a class I am in right now, I am on the border of a B and C and I figure with 8 Ws already one more W wouldn't be as a bad as a C. Its a class called biometry, and it was supposed to be a bio stats class, but it has turned out to be more of an ecology class than anything and definitely was not what I was looking for.
I did take a W in a bio lab course over the summer again though, that was just due to poor planning. I am thinking about dropping a class I am in right now, I am on the border of a B and C and I figure with 8 Ws already one more W wouldn't be as a bad as a C. Its a class called biometry, and it was supposed to be a bio stats class, but it has turned out to be more of an ecology class than anything and definitely was not what I was looking for.
