How big of a factor will 15 W’s from 7 years ago will be for medical school acceptance?

[La Roue de Fortune]

How big of a factor will 15 W’s from 7 years ago will be for U.S. medical school acceptance? About 7 years ago, I withdrew from 3 semesters from two different colleges due to financial reasons, I did get two classes done with an A. None of those classes were science.

Since then I was active duty in the military, and recently honorably separated, and I now have 1 semester done. I still have a 4.0. I want to get into medical school, and I am not sure how worried I should be about the 15 W’s from that time.

Thank you.

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[Dr. Anonymouss]

I think you’ll have a lot of explaining to do. I could understand one semester where you withdraw and have all 5 w’s but how did you let this happen 3 different times? I think it sounds like more than just finances was an issue because you wouldn’t have kept returning to school.

 

[A_Knowbody]

Agree with above. I'd question your foresight, judgement, commitment, dedication, and ability to persevere. I would be fairly worried about 15 W's. I imagine anyone who reads your application will want an explanation - and a good one at that - as they will have to defend you to their peers against many candidates who have 0 (or only a handful) W's.

On the plus side, it was 7 years ago and you're still early in the process / schooling and can put together a strong application that indicates you have grown and changed from your old self. But don't let time discount the optics of this. You'll need a strong explanation of your prior decisions, coupled with evidence to your growth.

 

[GreenDuck12]

I think it is safe to say that a sustained period of academic achievement combined with the time since your previous withdrawals and you service to your country will outweigh concerns that an adcom will have by the withdrawals. Its important to keep in mind that adcoms wont see your Ws until they take a look at your transcripts. By that point, they will have already seen many of the other pieces of your application (GPA, MCAT, personal statement, military service, and your explanation of that period of financial insecurity). I wouldnt stress over it. Avoid having more Ws in the future and do well in your classes and you will be fine. Best of luck to you!

 

[Goro]

How big of a factor will 15 W’s from 7 years ago will be for U.S. medical school acceptance? About 7 years ago, I withdrew from 3 semesters from two different colleges due to financial reasons, I did get two classes done with an A. None of those classes were science.

Since then I was active duty in the military, and recently honorably separated, and I now have 1 semester done. I still have a 4.0. I want to get into medical school, and I am not sure how worried I should be about the 15 W’s from that time.

Thank you.

First off, many thanks for your service to our country.

That was htis, this is now, and the you of now can handle med school.

So, the Ws will be ignored.