Deaths in the family affecting grades

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xnfs93hy

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I had three deaths in my family this semester and it affected my grades; so, I had to take two withdrawals this semester. I feel like this is not a valid excuse, but it really rattled me mentally and physically, as I am close with all of my relatives. Is this something that will haunt me when I am applying for medical school? I figured that taking a W was better than getting failing grades. My GPA is competitive, otherwise. I'm holding steady at a 3.8.

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#1 2 Ws are fine. Most people would never notice unless you point it out
#2 Deaths in family, can be a big blow to anyone. Taking the Ws was smart.
#3 Your 3.8 is fine.
#4 You are fine.
#5 Move along.
 
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Related question: a friend of mine has a 3.5 with a huge upward trend (after she got on the right ADD meds at the start of her junior year, she finished with a 3.9 her last two years).

She's got one blemish to that upward trend, which is a 3.4 the semester her grandfather died. Is this something she should address in her application next year?
 
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Very sorry for your losses. No, this won't hurt you if you can return to your normal level of excellence. Hang in there!

I had three deaths in my family this semester and it affected my grades; so, I had to take two withdrawals this semester. I feel like this is not a valid excuse, but it really rattled me mentally and physically, as I am close with all of my relatives. Is this something that will haunt me when I am applying for medical school? I figured that taking a W was better than getting failing grades. My GPA is competitive, otherwise. I'm holding steady at a 3.8.
 
Related question: a friend of mine has a 3.5 with a huge upward trend (after she got on the right ADD meds at the start of her junior year, she finished with a 3.9 her last two years).

She's got one blemish to that upward trend, which is a 3.4 the semester her grandfather died. Is this something she should address in her application next year?

just like the OP, schools know stuff happens. one blip on the radar is not enough to worry about. just bounce back and you'll be fine.
 
Taking a leave of absence wouldn't be a bad idea if you think you need it.
 
Sorry for your loss. Don't worry about Ws. You don't even need an excuse for them. I had plenty of Ws one semester because I had to move to another state. No one asked about it on the interview trail at all.
 
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