take a W or stay in the class...

[Omidjoon]

its my freshman year. I am in a biology class with a first year professor and i'm bearly pulling a C (something about having to prove himself to other teachers), i still have 1 more exam and a final (the final also replaces our lowest test grade) and lab is 1/3 of our grade (i have a 90 in there). Should I stick it through and shoot for the sky or should i take a W.


BTW
If i drop i will be ineligible to transfer to the school of my dreams (UT-Austin) in the fall and thus ruining my entire college career ;-)

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[OSUdoc08]

its my freshman year. I am in a biology class with a first year professor and i'm bearly pulling a C (something about having to prove himself to other teachers), i still have 1 more exam and a final (the final also replaces our lowest test grade) and lab is 1/3 of our grade (i have a 90 in there). Should I stick it through and shoot for the sky or should i take a W.


BTW
If i drop i will be ineligible to transfer to the school of my dreams (UT-Austin) in the fall and thus ruining my entire college career ;-)

You can retake a C. You can retake a W.

This difference is that medical schools don't know whether you dropped out with a C, D, or F.

It is basically like a "no contest" plea in court. People assume that you are actually guilty.

Suck it up and take the C. The W could look really bad on your transcript. Especially if you couldn't make it though your freshman year without dropping out.

 

[Dr.D-man]

You can retake a C. You can retake a W.

This difference is that medical schools don't know whether you dropped out with a C, D, or F.

It is basically like a "no contest" plea in court. People assume that you are actually guilty.

Suck it up and take the C. The W could look really bad on your transcript. Especially if you couldn't make it though your freshman year without dropping out.

I agree, however, you must do everything you can to pull your grade up. An F would leave nothing to assume.

 

[kaikai128]

...and dont sell yourself short. Take a step back and look at your study skills. How much time are you devoting to this class? Could you devote more? Would a group help you? Are you keeping ahead of the readings BEFORE they are lectured on?

Like you said, you have two more tests yet, I would be willing to bet that you could still get a B if you did really well on them. Just as much as this professor has to prove to someone else, you have to prove it to yourself that you can do well even in a class that is meant to make people fail.

On a side note, a C is not the end of the world on your transcript. I had 2 Cs (1 of which was my first semester of freshman biology) and was not even asked aobut them during interviews. I was, however, asked about the one W I had on my transcript during an interview.

Study hard and good luck....Just don't W out if it would keep you out of your "dream" school.

 

[v-lander]

How bad is a 'W' and what does it say to schools/how do they interpret it? I never thought anything of it until recently when I heard of a classmate deperately trying to get a 'W' off of his transcript. I guess I've never even bothered to learn what it means because I've never had one until now. Thanks

 

[hatchmar]

I'd think a W looks better than an F.

 

[fateema368]

I'd think a W looks better than an F.

I think the adcoms would tend to agree with you, but see how it goes- if you can swing a decent grade on the final you should be okay. People apply with W's on their transcript every year some get in some don't that's the nature of the game, do what feels best.

 

[deleted9493]

that you should do your best and not worry about the C. College can take some adjusting in terms of study habits and priorities and adcoms know this...they do, however, want to see students who are diligent in pursuing improvement. An upward trending grade point average is always a positive thing--so do your best in the class and pursue your dreams.

 

[Ypo.]

If you think you might get lower than a C I would advise withdrawing and just retaking. However, if you can get a C-just stick with it and make sure that you apply yourself better from now on. In my freshman year I got an F in a class because I quit going and didn't withdraw (this was before I was thinking about medical school)-then I retook the class, got a W, then retook it one more time before getting a B in it. Believe me its better to have a W than an F, but one C isn't going to kill you, especially if its at the beginning of your college career.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

It doesnt matter. I had a W, F, D, C- and Im 100% in the DO app process.


Of course I retook those classes and got a 96% percentile score in the particular section of the MCAT where those classes fell.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I'd think a W looks better than an F.

If you retake the course, the F won't appear on the transcript for AACOMAS.

Secondly, it doesn't appear that this person is remotely close to recieving an F. Examine the OP's statement more closely.

 

[Dr Sum Day]

its my freshman year. I am in a biology class with a first year professor and i'm bearly pulling a C (something about having to prove himself to other teachers), i still have 1 more exam and a final (the final also replaces our lowest test grade) and lab is 1/3 of our grade (i have a 90 in there). Should I stick it through and shoot for the sky or should i take a W.


BTW
If i drop i will be ineligible to transfer to the school of my dreams (UT-Austin) in the fall and thus ruining my entire college career ;-)

I have quite a bit of W's on my transcripts, but I have good excuses for all of them, mostly for military reasons. I recently dropped one of my grad courses b/c my mother has lung cancer, so I could visit family for 5 weeks. Oh, and I did get into a DO school, but I have mostly A's in the sciences with no so good mcat...yucky test...can I blame my nagging wife who was emotionally supportless of my goals??? "Get a job damn it! Quit worrying about med school!"

Anyway, if you have a good reason to drop besides not studying enough, then, take the W.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I have quite a bit of W's on my transcripts, but I have good excuses for all of them, mostly for military reasons. I recently dropped one of my grad courses b/c my mother has lung cancer, so I could visit family for 5 weeks. Oh, and I did get into a DO school, but I have mostly A's in the sciences with no so good mcat...yucky test...can I blame my nagging wife who was emotionally supportless of my goals??? "Get a job damn it! Quit worrying about med school!"

Anyway, if you have a good reason to drop besides not studying enough, then, take the W.

Yes, but realize that a few C's are okay.

 

[Dr Sum Day]

Yes, but realize that a few C's are okay.

I agree, too. I know my response was not all and encompassing. I guess we'd have to know the rest of the OP's grades, etc.

 

[Booyakasha]

Like dpw68, I would take the W if you have a good reason for dropping it other than "I was going to get a C." For example, this semester I was taking 20 credit hours and was enrolled in a graduate level philosophy class that was a bit over my head and would have required a lot of work regardless of the grade I would have received. My huge class load was keeping me out of the lab, where I really enjoy being, and to make matters worse, I discovered that I had mono. So I took the W instead of sacrificing valuable time on something that I didn't really see benefiting me all that much. Most advisors and professors, most of whom I respect very much and know a lot about admissions, backed up my decision. (I think there is a section on the application to allopathic schools where you are asked to explain any withdrawals from classes. I am not sure about osteopathic applications though.)

With that said, if the only reason you have for taking a W is that you are going to get a C, then I think it would be wise to stay in the class. Unless, of course, your character is one that permits coming up with good stories...