How bad are Ws on transcripts

[browneyes124]

Hey guys,
I just need some advice. I've been reading a lot on here about having W on your transcript and some people say it isn't a big deal but some people have been saying it is and it was brought up in their interviews and it seemed like the interviewers thought they couldn't handle medical school cause they drop a class. 1 was my first semester of college. I had a terrible professor and I know everyone says that but honestly all his exam averages were in the 40s and I was also taking another difficult class at the time and I knew if I continued to take both I'd end up getting Cs or worse in both so I dropped the first one to focus on the other one and ended doing really well in the second one. I am going to retake the first class this summer. I also dropped a literature class during a summer because I got really overwhelmed. I was working, taking other online classes, volunteering at a hospital and also doing research. I knew the best thing would be to drop it instead of getting a low grade in it. I intend to take the class again though.
So is this really a big deal? I mean just two classes the WHOLE time I've been in school?
Do you think it'll effect how interviews go or will be brought up?
Thanks!

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[Bethany555]

In my opinion, a W is better than a C no matter how many W's you already have. Every school views it different. 1-2 usually isn't a big deal, but any more and some schools may see it as a red flag (although not nearly as bad as having a bunch of C's, D's, or F's bringing down your GPA). I know people with 5+ W's that got into top schools that never had it brought up. From now on, try to avoid W's if possible and show consistently good grades.

 

[desiredmembername123]

1-2 at the beginning of your studies is NDB. A pattern of sprinkled W throughout your 4 years of undergrad shows that either A) you have a bad idea of how much you can handle or poor foresight or B) lack persistence and crumble at the first sign of difficulty. Of course, having the foresight to leave a class you will get a C in is better than getting a C. I would argue that at around 3 W it starts becoming better to get a B than to create a W pattern.

 

[WedgeDawg]

My rule of thumb is better than a C, worse than a B, but too many of them are worse than too many Bs

 

[toddgurley]

I got a W because I was hospitalized for 2 weeks out of my 10 week quarter. I went to college so I know a little math - that calculates to about 20% of my class time spent hooked up in a bed. It would be unfair indeed if this was what made me less competitive to other applicants - especially if they see grades are doing well before and after the hospitalization happened. There will be a chance to explain your W's barring the fact that your cGPA/sGPA are high as to make it a W an exception.

 

[browneyes124]

So you don't think have a few will effect how many interviews you get and stuff?

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

A few Ws here and there won't hurt you. It only gets bad when you have a pattern of taking them (taking them in hard classes you might get a B or heavens forbid a C in)
If it's for factors outside school (like withdrawing from all or most classes in a semester) then for the most part adcoms will just want to see that whatever problem was has been overcome and isn't going to effect you in med school

 

[eteshoe]

So you don't think have a few will effect how many interviews you get and stuff?

Anecdote here: I had 2 or 3 W's and didn't effect my interview chances. Now that may be because the rest of my profile was strong.

 

[browneyes124]

Anecdote here: I had 2 or 3 W's and didn't effect my interview chances. Now that may be because the rest of my profile was strong.

Were they brought up?

 

[eteshoe]

Were they brought up?

One interview did - I told them that I had taken on more than I could handle well (it was my first quarter sophomore yr and it was a 400 level math class and boring literature elective). I made up for it in the subsequent quarters and it wasn't too big of a deal.

 

[Goro]

An entire semester of Ws is usually explainable to illness or life incidents. They're OK.

I got a W because I was hospitalized for 2 weeks out of my 10 week quarter. I went to college so I know a little math - that calculates to about 20% of my class time spent hooked up in a bed. It would be unfair indeed if this was what made me less competitive to other applicants - especially if they see grades are doing well before and after the hospitalization happened. There will be a chance to explain your W's barring the fact that your cGPA/sGPA are high as to make it a W an exception.

 

[AggieDoc45]

I had a W in Anatomy, a class you think would set off alarm bells! It was never brought up in any interviews, and I'm heading to Med school in a month on a partial ride to a great school. As long as your GPA and MCAT are solid, I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[Amelie.]

I had 3-5 Ws.
I can't remember exactly how many. They weren't lumped together either, I tried as best as I could to explain them vaguely in my PS and they were never brought up in any interviews. I wouldn't worry about it too much.


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[Amelie.]

I had a W in anatomy too... and ya no comments.


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[XxThaDoggxX]

Had 2 W's....1 in Ochem pt. I and another W in Ochem pt. II...was never brought up in any of my interviews.

God I hated Ochem...

 

[akwho]

I had a W in yoga because I failed the Yoga midterm and had to withdraw, still got into med school. Memorizing 40 Sanskirt transliterations should definitely be taught in advanced yoga.