3 W's This Semester as a sophomore.

[ohdangevo]

I dropped 3 courses this semester - orgo 2 and the lab and a language class.

Which totaled to be 3 W's. This really bought my whole self down. Do you think I should even continue on to be pre-med? Because im afraid it just ruled me out as a applicant. And i do want to be a doctor. My gpa is 3.1 ish and i plan to apply my senior year and take MCAT april of senior year.

Even if i can get my gpa up to a 3.5 senior year, i still will have these 3 W's on my transcript, I don't even know if i have a good enough reason for dropping these classes and the ADCOMS won't even bother considering me.

What should i Do?

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[45408]

Well, be realistic about all of this. You've got a 3.1 now, do you honestly believe you can do better after this? If yes, then no, you're not ruled out. If you lack the work ethic to really bust your ass from here on out, then don't even bother. The three W's wasn't very smart - why'd you drop so many classes? You can't be taking more than 10 credits now, which is a complete cakewalk. Dropping organic and the lab should've been more than enough to give you enough time to pick up the slack elsewhere.

What should you do? STUDY MORE. You're obviously not doing enough of it now.

 

[Code Brown]

I dropped 3 courses this semester - orgo 2 and the lab and a language class.

Which totaled to be 3 W's. This really bought my whole self down. Do you think I should even continue on to be pre-med? Because im afraid it just ruled me out as a applicant. And i do want to be a doctor. My gpa is 3.1 ish and i plan to apply my senior year and take MCAT april of senior year.

Even if i can get my gpa up to a 3.5 senior year, i still will have these 3 W's on my transcript, I don't even know if i have a good enough reason for dropping these classes and the ADCOMS won't even bother considering me.

What should i Do?

Not that this is the best solution, but I would drop everything this semester and take W's across the board. Then come up with a good reason for having to withdraw for the entire semester. This would be more reasonable than dropping only half your classes as this shows unpreparedness (is this a word?). Just my $0.02.

 

[ohdangevo]

if i blame it on depression, will the adcoms sympathesize or just rule me out, because it really is because of it , i don't know

 

[CalicoKat]

All right, I'm absolutely no expert on adcoms or how they consider each thing, but my inclination is to tell you to stick with premed if that's really your passion. If it's just something you're doing for the hell of it, there's no shame in backing out and saying that it's just not your cup of tea. On the other hand, if this was just a rough semester because of depression or sophomore slump or whatever, I would imagine that if you go full-speed ahead in your remaining years of college, bring up your GPA, and do respectably on your MCATs, some--probably not all--of the medical schools you apply to will be willing to overlook your withdrawing from 3 classes. If you make your summers count and try to get involved in all the things they look for (volunteering, research, whatever--there's no end to what they look for!), then you can always submit a letter with your application explaining the situation and how they might want to consider how you've improved rather than where you were. You can always explain it similarly in your interviews.
I just refuse to think that there hasn't been anyone who got into medical school who had an awful semester. We're not superhuman. I hope you're feeling better now...

 

[45408]

if i blame it on depression, will the adcoms sympathesize or just rule me out, because it really is because of it , i don't know

I doubt it'll help your case much. They'll just start to wonder if you'll do the same thing in med school.

 

[ohdangevo]

Yeah well, I'll give it my best shot, If i don't get in , I'll at least graduated with a B.S in biology and have a chance to shoot for an MBA program and turn to business(not as stressful as medicine and earning potential pretty good)

 

[DoctorV09]

Not that this is the best solution, but I would drop everything this semester and take W's across the board. Then come up with a good reason for having to withdraw for the entire semester. This would be more reasonable than dropping only half your classes as this shows unpreparedness (is this a word?). Just my $0.02.

i kind of agree with code brown, despite the lack of ethics that this may impose. it's easier to explain a whole semester wiped out rather than just half of your classes. on another note, i don't think it will completely destroy your chances of getting into med school, of course assuming that you do get that GPA up, kick ass on the MCAT and do some clinical work/volunteering/research. if there's a will, there's a way, right?

in terms of your depression, i'm sorry to hear that. anyone's who has been in that situation would understand how difficult things may have been for you; however, i fear that adcoms might not see it the same way and may blow you off. perhaps a better excuse or perhaps the reason that drove you into a state of depression? i'm not sure. either way, good luck to you! things will work out and don't stress too much over it, though of course that is easier said than done ....and on another note, if you are ever feeling really down, put on an episode of Family Guy...stupid humor is the best way to cheer up i can't help but laugh my ass off when watching that show

 

[ohdangevo]

I only took 3 classes this semester - i dropped 2 classes, which is orgo 2 with lab and a language class - it added up to 3 W's

im left with a 5 credit class which is intro bio , and thats what i'm taking now and its the only thing .

And its too late to drop everything, deadlines have passed.

Should i apply to at least 25 schools? Am i bound to get one acceptance if i bring up gpa and good mcat and volunteer/research

 

[DoctorV09]

I only took 3 classes this semester - i dropped 2 classes, which is orgo 2 with lab and a language class - it added up to 3 W's

im left with a 5 credit class which is intro bio , and thats what i'm taking now and its the only thing .

And its too late to drop everything, deadlines have passed.

Should i apply to at least 25 schools? Am i bound to get one acceptance if i bring up gpa and good mcat and volunteer/research

there's no guarantee, of course...but if you really do get that GPA up, get above a 30 on the MCAT and do the volunteering/research, I think you will still be considered competitive. definitely apply EARLY and 25 schools is probably a good number, but make sure you apply to schools that are realistic (i.e., a lot of unranked schools....because remember pretty much all US med schools are awesome) along with some reach schools that we all fantasize about going to. Good luck!

 

[Will Ferrell]

hey dude, don't worry. People F*** up. All those W's won't look pretty, but they definately look better than 3 D+'s. The number on your GPA is much, much, much more important. Just get your mind right, bust your ass off, and they'll forgive you. If you dropped those classes because you were near failing, you made the right choice.

 

[~~premed82~~]

Co-signing what this poster said, if it was due to a potential failure, then you did the right thing.

hey dude, don't worry. People F*** up. All those W's won't look pretty, but they definately look better than 3 D+'s. The number on your GPA is much, much, much more important. Just get your mind right, bust your ass off, and they'll forgive you. If you dropped those classes because you were near failing, you made the right choice.

 

[45408]

well, you'd better get an A in bio now

 

[Ross434]

If you get your GPA up, one bad semester isnt going to hurt you. DONT make it a habit, though.

People (adcoms) know that sometimes you run into unforseen circumstance. If you can make up a reason (or maybe you have a reason) why you had some kind of problems this semester, they'll realize that its not a reflection on your character or abilities, rather, just what you were going through. (ie: death of a family member, working a full time job, etc etc.)

 

[AlterEgo]

I had 3 Ws my sophomore year. Two the first semester, one the second semester. No one EVER asked about them - though I did mention some medical difficulties that year in my personal statement, but it was stuff like appendicitis and hypothyroidism not like cancer or anything. At the end of my soph year of college my GPA was a 3.29.

I changed my major after my sophomore year to Biomedical Engineering and it was at this time that I decided to try for med school. I worked my ass so hard the last two years - I had been slacking the first two because I had no direction. My GPA just looking after my soph year was cum 3.9 (just last 2 years).

I graduated with a total cum GPA of 3.67 and I scored a 37 on the MCAT (I studied hard three months straight).

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I had 3 Ws my sophomore year. Two the first semester, one the second semester. No one EVER asked about them - though I did mention some medical difficulties that year in my personal statement, but it was stuff like appendicitis and hypothyroidism not like cancer or anything. At the end of my soph year of college my GPA was a 3.29.

I changed my major after my sophomore year to Biomedical Engineering and it was at this time that I decided to try for med school. I worked my ass so hard the last two years - I had been slacking the first two because I had no direction. My GPA just looking after my soph year was cum 3.9 (just last 2 years).

I graduated with a total cum GPA of 3.67 and I scored a 37 on the MCAT (I studied hard three months straight).

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

The point is:

--you need SOME excuse for dropping classes, medical or otherwise
---appendicitis and hypothyroidism is a valid excuse when compared to

"i couldn't handle the load--it was too hard" or
"i had no motivation to study"

--you need to be able to demonstrate some disability on your application other than lack of effort

 

[ohdangevo]

I had 3 Ws my sophomore year. Two the first semester, one the second semester. No one EVER asked about them - though I did mention some medical difficulties that year in my personal statement, but it was stuff like appendicitis and hypothyroidism not like cancer or anything. At the end of my soph year of college my GPA was a 3.29.

I changed my major after my sophomore year to Biomedical Engineering and it was at this time that I decided to try for med school. I worked my ass so hard the last two years - I had been slacking the first two because I had no direction. My GPA just looking after my soph year was cum 3.9 (just last 2 years).

I graduated with a total cum GPA of 3.67 and I scored a 37 on the MCAT (I studied hard three months straight).

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

did you have to send your medical records with your applicatino to medical school

 

[OSUdoc08]

did you have to send your medical records with your applicatino to medical school

You are required to send your medical records to the school, just like any other undergrad or graduate school. All schools maintain a health record for you and require that information.

You are implying that you would lie to the school, and that is a very bad idea.

By the way, school admissions committees read these forums, so I would be careful about what you say.

 

[ohdangevo]

i'm sorry , i wasn't trying to imply anything, but shouldn't you be on the D.O forums?

all i know is that i have to work hard from now on and see where it takes me

 

[samenewme]

The point is:

--you need SOME excuse for dropping classes, medical or otherwise
---appendicitis and hypothyroidism is a valid excuse when compared to

"i couldn't handle the load--it was too hard" or
"i had no motivation to study"

--you need to be able to demonstrate some disability on your application other than lack of effort

I disagree. It is important before you go forward to figure out what happened, beyond, "I messed up". Figure that out, get the depression treated, change your major, organize your study habits--whatever you have to do be ready to pursue this goal and be successful. Even take a semester off if you need to do that to really get straightened out. Then start up again when you're ready to come back strong.

It doesn't entirely matter why you messed up (although a DUI, for example, would be pretty tough to deal with). What matters at this point is how you solve the problem, what you learn from it, and how strongly you come back from it.

That's your task here:
1. figure out what happened.
2. figure out what to do next.
3. do it well.
then later, 4. be prepared to talk about what you learned from this experience.

You can come back from this if you do well from here on out and make the rest of your application strong so this semester stands out as an anomaly in an otherwise very good record.

 

[OSUdoc08]

i'm sorry , i wasn't trying to imply anything, but shouldn't you be on the D.O forums?

all i know is that i have to work hard from now on and see where it takes me

1. I was a pre-allopathic student, and was involved in the application and interview process at both M.D. and D.O. schools. You don't have to listen to someone who has been through the process you are going through, but don't attempt to insult those that try to help.

2. The student doctor network was initially founded by/for osteopathic students only---they graciously allowed allopathic students and all pre-medical students to use their forum (the website used to be www.osteopathic.com ---type it in and it will bring you here)

 

[jcfly21]

Hi
I have actually read in many medical school handbooks and in the us news that most schools dont look down upon w's in the beginning of a students undergraduate career. If they see that you got out of classes and took a break or came out strong in your junior and senior year with all a's they will see it as you knew you werent ready for that course load and you did the responsible thing and got out of the classes. Once you felt that you were ready to take the course load you went for it and did good. I have a few w's on my transcript becuase all i did was screw around freshman year ( i was pre law ) and i have been getting straight a's ever since. I have contacted a lot of medical school admissions offices about this and they all pretty much give me the same answer that i just explained to you. If your gpa is about 3.4 and your mcat above 30, i dont think the w's will play a role at all. Just stay tough and bust your ass your last two years. I would rather bust my ass for four years in undergrad and 4 years in med school for a life time of happiness!

 

[45408]

i'm sorry , i wasn't trying to imply anything, but shouldn't you be on the D.O forums?

all i know is that i have to work hard from now on and see where it takes me

who cares where he posts?

 

[AlterEgo]

did you have to send your medical records with your applicatino to medical school

I really did have appendicitis and hypothyroidism. No one asked for medical records, no one asked for reasons for the Ws, and my PS was definitely not focused around my illness that year.

The medical records you need for medical school are shots and stuff like that. They don't do a medical background check - that would be illegal as that is confidential information.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I really did have appendicitis and hypothyroidism. No one asked for medical records, no one asked for reasons for the Ws, and my PS was definitely not focused around my illness that year.

The medical records you need for medical school are shots and stuff like that. They don't do a medical background check - that would be illegal as that is confidential information.

On the medical records for school, they ask about your medical history, which includes an appendectomy or hypothyroidism. I suppose you could lie about your medical history, but I wouldn't want a physician who lied to get into medical school.

 

[Dr2010]

hey guys so not to sidetrack from the op, I wanna get your input on something as well.

Im currently a sophomore at UCLA currently takin org chem 1 a research class english and spanish. set to finish my prereqs by next summer (Im applyin june of my senior yr)

anywho...heres my situation. Last winter quarter, I seriously thought that medical school was not for me. I was turned off by the fact that so many of my classmates were blatanly cheating on labs and had access to so much information that they really shouldnt have...one girl pulled out 5 previous copies of one lab report...needless to say I got really turned off by the whole I'm willing to cheat notion from so many of my classmates even ppl who i thought would not stoop that low. So i was always interested in law as well and I thought i might give that a shot. In winter quarter i became pre econ and i dropped my gen chem 2 class which i wasnt doing very well in..i was on track for a c- (got a W)..Spring quarter comes and I end up taking only GE's...over the summer i realized that medical school is my passion and that if i work hard i dont need to worry about others. I had done pretty well my freshmen year GPA wise. So fall quarter this year, I take physics A, the 3rd math class, and bio 1 I got a C C and B- respectively. partly because i really didnt focus on school due to some medical issues with family members i was dealing with at home, i wasnt very focused. Now my gpa is on the rise and Im gettin more involved with clinical EC's and EC's i enjoy...my question will those C's and a W come back to haunt me...especially for california schools...thanks guys..sry for the long post.

 

[ohdangevo]

On the medical records for school, they ask about your medical history, which includes an appendectomy or hypothyroidism. I suppose you could lie about your medical history, but I wouldn't want a physician who lied to get into medical school.

Excuse me? Why do you keep on pursuing that i would lie of a medical illness in my situation? Thats pretty weak of you. I think you should rethink your cynical and sarcastic remarks and not post troll. Take it to the D.O forums - Your profession.

These kind people have helped me with genuine advice. Please stay away thanks

 

[OSUdoc08]

Excuse me? Why do you keep on pursuing that i would lie of a medical illness in my situation? Thats pretty weak of you. I think you should rethink your cynical and sarcastic remarks and not post troll. Take it to the D.O forums - Your profession.

These kind people have helped me with genuine advice. Please stay away thanks

You told me you would lie when you instant messaged me.

My profession is medicine, and I considered both types of physicians. I was in your shoes before, and if you are going to insult me, I won't give you advice over instant messenger, as you requested I do before.

You need to look up the definition of trolling on this forum, and go ahead and look up flaming while you do.....

 

[Dr2010]

interesting assertion...why would u lie in the first place...ohdang sometimes ppl who have rarely experienced medical difficulties dont understand those who have and how it affects their lives

 

[ohdangevo]

Sorry OSUdoc , but i think you should stop being cynical and actually understand that not all people lie about their situation. You as a future doctor should realize that, and be more warm of a person's problem. Better than learn that in the 3rd year of d.o school when you start working in the clinical field with patients who are people. You cant treat everybody with cynicism.

 

[Dr2010]

so any one got any input about my situation...

 

[OSUdoc08]

Sorry OSUdoc , but i think you should stop being cynical and actually understand that not all people lie about their situation. You as a future doctor should realize that, and be more warm of a person's problem. Better than learn that in the 3rd year of d.o school when you start working in the clinical field with patients who are people. You cant treat everybody with cynicism.

I don't even know what you are talking about. I was advising you that you should not lie, and be honest. You should work as hard as you can to bring your grades up.

It appears as though you are only arguing with yourself.

 

[eulogia228]

Step #1 to get yourself into medical school: Stop asking for advice on these forums. Did you notice the range of answers you received above? It was absolutely ridiculous. You received answers like, "Just drop the whole semester, it's much easier to explain a semester off than 3 Ws on your transcript." A few posts above that, one poster basically said, "Sorry, but I think 3 Ws is pretty much endgame." Really, you should stop asking for advice here. I'm very sad to say this but premeds will only try to dissuade you from pursuing medicine further. This thread is a VERY good example of that. 3 Ws in sophomore year is NOT the nail in your coffin to a US allopathic school. Will the Harvard admissions committee look favorably on this? No. If you get your act together, can you still get admitted to a US allopathic program? Yes. I'm sorry, but you won't find any encouraging advice on these boards.

Step #2: Adcoms do peruse these message boards so be very careful of what you say if you do choose to reveal more about your situation, what you plan to do, etc.

Step #3: Do some soul-searching and find out what you really want to do and how you can go about achieving your goals. If being a physician is your goal, I think you can achieve it with right amount of hard work and "fire in the belly." Only YOU know what you should be doing with your time, what courseload you can handle, whether you can pull yourself together and get through this process, etc.

Best of luck to you son. Here's hoping you make it.

 

[DoctorV09]

Step #1 to get yourself into medical school: Stop asking for advice on these forums. Did you notice the range of answers you received above? It was absolutely ridiculous. You received answers like, "Just drop the whole semester, it's much easier to explain a semester off than 3 Ws on your transcript." A few posts above that, one poster basically said, "Sorry, but I think 3 Ws is pretty much endgame." Really, you should stop asking for advice here. I'm very sad to say this but premeds will only try to dissuade you from pursuing medicine further. This thread is a VERY good example of that. 3 Ws in sophomore year is NOT the nail in your coffin to a US allopathic school. Will the Harvard admissions committee look favorably on this? No. If you get your act together, can you still get admitted to a US allopathic program? Yes. I'm sorry, but you won't find any encouraging advice on these boards.

Step #2: Adcoms do peruse these message boards so be very careful of what you say if you do choose to reveal more about your situation, what you plan to do, etc.

Step #3: Do some soul-searching and find out what you really want to do and how you can go about achieving your goals. If being a physician is your goal, I think you can achieve it with right amount of hard work and "fire in the belly." Only YOU know what you should be doing with your time, what courseload you can handle, whether you can pull yourself together and get through this process, etc.

Best of luck to you son. Here's hoping you make it.

AMEN!