5 Ws in one semester

[Fakesmile]

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[plzNOCarribbean]

UM, this seems like a SERIOUS issue that should take precedence over your grades. I am pretty sure adcoms will understand. I don't want to compound your problems but I find it astounding that some premeds are SO worried about grades/school that they will completely put everything aside, in this case (their health and personal well being) to get into medical school. Medical school will always be there. Your health and well being might not if you don't address the issues

If you feel like you can go back to school and be okay then yeah, don't withdraw. But if this seems like a reoccurring thing, I would recommend you seek good, long term help for your depression problems so that they do not escalate and get worse. goodluck.

 

[OrangeandMaroon]

As a background, I'm in my senior year and I have a GPA of 3.69. I've not had any W yet in my undergrad career, but now I'm considering to drop all my courses under extenuating circumstances due to some major depression, which caused me to be hospitalized at a psychiatric emergency for three days (from last Saturday to this Monday). I could've stayed longer at the hospital if I wanted to, but I didn't want to fall behind in my school work any longer. I'm finding myself extremely depressed again, with some serious obsession, regret, etc. over my past failures, grades and future, so I'm actually considering being hospitalized again to receive treatment and this time some anti-depressant medications.
Also, as for the explaining, would adcoms have any stigma or negative opinions toward my depression and hospitalization being the reason for dropping all the courses? Also, how would adcoms view 5 Ws in one semester?
It's highly likely that I can ace two or three out of the five courses, but the reason I'm considering to drop all of them is so that I can submit an appeal for a full tuition refund; additionally, I just want to take some rest from all the school stuff. I'll return the next spring semester.

It seems as if you need to get some help. At this point don't worry about how the Adcoms are going to view your transcript. Lack of mental stability will surely be more detrimental to your chances of acceptance than withdrawing a semester. Despite what premeds sometimes think, there are things more important than medical school, namely your health!

Take what time you need and then when you are ready, finish up your course work and tackle the application process.

As a side note, I just spent some time reading your rather interesting thread history after I noticed you were the same person whom authored today's earlier thread, "worst semester ever". Indecisiveness seems to be your trademark.

 

[Chevy Chase Fan]

Why are you so depressed?

 

[Fakesmile]

Why are you so depressed?

Hard to answer because it's not just one problem that's making me so sad. I have some personal problems that's been bothering me since I was in middle school (eg. I'm not straight and no one around me knows about it, which leads to various other problems: I can't be who I really am => can't build true relationships => feel lonely, etc.), compounded with recent academic crash (making a poor choice of courses to take for this semester and getting below-average marks on all midterms except for one course which will likely kill my upward GPA trend, which is important for me to maintain considering my horrible first two years of undergrad, as I said in my other thread).

 

[BeachBlondie]

Well, you posted earlier and it started out as a couple of W's, and I see now that the situation is far more drastic than was originally assumed by anyone who responded to your prior posts.

Bottom line: go do right by you. This is a serious illness that is currently having a drastic effect on your health, and certainly your peace of mind. Please, please, PLEASE do not think TWICE about prolonging your emotional agony for the sake of a few grades.

You're sick. And you need time to be well again. After all, how can you expect to heal others when you're battling something of this magnitude? You know, as well as we all do, that if you're going to do medical school right, you've got to be there 100%, guns a-blazin'. I hope you heed all of our advice when we tell you that it's not worth it to worry about academics at this point.

...think of how much easier it will all be when you come back with a clear mind.

Hang in there.

 

[wristbandMD]

Well, you posted earlier and it started out as a couple of W's, and I see now that the situation is far more drastic than was originally assumed by anyone who responded to your prior posts.

Bottom line: go do right by you. This is a serious illness that is currently having a drastic effect on your health, and certainly your peace of mind. Please, please, PLEASE do not think TWICE about prolonging your emotional agony for the sake of a few grades.

You're sick. And you need time to be well again. After all, how can you expect to heal others when you're battling something of this magnitude? You know, as well as we all do, that if you're going to do medical school right, you've got to be there 100%, guns a-blazin'. I hope you heed all of our advice when we tell you that it's not worth it to worry about academics at this point.

...think of how much easier it will all be when you come back with a clear mind.

Hang in there.

I agree completely. Your health and well-being should be your number one priority. Do what is best for you and take some time for yourself.

I hope everything gets better. Best of luck.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Please stop thinking about ADCOMS and medical school and go take care of yourself. You are much more important than a few grades or some apparent blemish on your record. Seek the help you need and then come back and do what you need to do to go to Medical School.

 

[Fakesmile]

Please stop thinking about ADCOMS and medical school and go take care of yourself. You are much more important than a few grades or some apparent blemish on your record. Seek the help you need and then come back and do what you need to do to go to Medical School.

I'm still very hesitant because I'm doing well in other areas of my life (eating, sleeping, etc.) and I'm not as mentally troubled as some of you may seem to be thinking.. Also, my family is against my withdrawing from the semester and going back to the hospital for treatment. If I decide to take anti-depressants, then this may forever remain on my medical records, which may follow me for the rest of my life, getting in the way of things like getting a job or applying to med school due to social stigma against mental disorder. My family just wants me to drop a course or two but not all of them.. But then if I don't drop all of them, then I won't get any tuition refund.. It's hard to decide what to do.

 

[katiemaude]

I sympathize with your struggle to make a decision about what to do - it's hard to make decisions when you're already depressed.

I wouldn't focus on adcoms and I wouldn't focus on the tuition refund either. If you drop out of all your classes, it should be because you need to go into treatment full-time right away. Did the hospital refer you to a psychiatrist? I would start there. Discuss this decision with the person coordinating your treatment. If he/she thinks you can be an outpatient for the next month and still take a few classes, you can do that. Regardless, I think taking a full course load is going to be tough while you're focusing on getting better.

 

[WorldChanger36]

Health first.... School second. Find yourself a good mental health councillor to sit down with and help work these things out. They will most likely recommend a psychiatrist that can prescribe to you so you can get some peace and be able to work through this. AFTER you have that settled out ask your professors if they could give you a set of I grades so you can finish later. At least some of them should so you can have some of that pressure off your back. Then sit down with your new councillor and work out life.
Depression is a sickness and like all sicknesses they get worse if you don't take care of it. If the I grades don't work take the Ws and retake the semster later. Explaining what happened to adcoms is easier if you retake the classes you Withdrew from and do well.

 

[eablackwell]

I agree with most of the other posts here: take care of yourself first, and seek help from a doctor about your depression.

I took 5 Ws in a semester when I withdrew for health issues. I am sitting on a first round acceptance to one of my top choice schools. Get yourself well, then finish the pursuit of your dream.

 

[Fakesmile]

I agree with most of the other posts here: take care of yourself first, and seek help from a doctor about your depression.

I took 5 Ws in a semester when I withdrew for health issues. I am sitting on a first round acceptance to one of my top choice schools. Get yourself well, then finish the pursuit of your dream.

I'm considering to really withdraw from the semester and get treatment. But then, I know of many people who have similar problems as I do and still not depend on any medications but just suck it up and go through them by their own will. Also, there have been many times in the past like this where I was really depressed but then just persevered and then things worked out at the end. If I withdraw and see a psychiatrist, I may feel bad about myself and feel like a quitter/weak-willed person. So this makes me constantly hesitate to take any action.

 

[LizzyM]

Withdraw. Explain when it comes time to apply that you had an exacerbation of a chronic condition (or just say that you developed a severe condition) that required hospitalization to bring under control. You will (God willing) be able to say that the condition has been well controlled since then and that you are not anticipating further problems but that you have come to understand that good self-care and guidance from your physician are important to your continued well being.

You are under no obligation to disclose what your chronic condition is (it could be diabetes or Crohn's disease or any number of things) and your medical records are not open to adcoms.

The important part is to get treatment.

Two people I know well have a semester of Ws due to accidents resulting in long hospitalizations. It is more common than you might imagine.

 

[Fakesmile]

Withdraw. Explain when it comes time to apply that you had an exacerbation of a chronic condition (or just say that you developed a severe condition) that required hospitalization to bring under control. You will (God willing) be able to say that the condition has been well controlled since then and that you are not anticipating further problems but that you have come to understand that good self-care and guidance from your physician are important to your continued well being.

You are under no obligation to disclose what your chronic condition is (it could be diabetes or Crohn's disease or any number of things) and your medical records are not open to adcoms.

The important part is to get treatment.

Two people I know well have a semester of Ws due to accidents resulting in long hospitalizations. It is more common than you might imagine.

Lizzy, I have decided to submit the withdrawal form tomorrow (though I'm still uncertain if my decision is the right one). This will give me 5 Ws for this semester. I hope I won't regret my decision later..

 

[Fakesmile]

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