Concerns about my not-so-glamorous transcript

[nature88]

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I already got my first degree in engineering and have decided to go into pharmacy about a year ago. I am 7 classes away from finishing my prereqs (basically another year) and so far I have a 3.9 GPA on my science and math classes that are required for pharm school. My concern is my record from my first degree. I got quite a large number of W's (10 ish) and I think I was on academic probation for one term (although I am not really sure since it doesn't list on my transcript). But I still managed to graduate with a 3.3 cumulative GPA. I have real work experience with my first degree, and 200 hrs of volunteer experience in the pharmacy and related heathcare settings.

I had my grades informally evaluated by one of the schools I plan to apply to and that person recommended that I give a reason for the large number of W's on my transcript. I wonder how important that is becase that was already a couple years ago. My recent grades for all my science classes for the past one year already show that I am capable of doing well.

What's your take on this? Would my not-so-glamorous transcript from my first degree hurt my chance of getting in?

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Added info: Since some of you mentioned that I should be prepared to tell them what happened with all those W's, now my question is should I be totally honest? I really didn't have any good reasons. I simply screwed up. It was my first time away from home and meeting all those people including my first ever boyfriend. I registered for all kinds of classes and ended up not showing up so I had to withdraw them.

 

[GatorRxGirl]

You should definitely be ready to talk about all those W's.

 

[diastole]

At least your transcript is filled with Ws. My school had no Ws unless you withdrew from the whole quarter and a grade replacement policy. I used Fs as a tool to improve my GPA. If I wasn't confident and thought I would get a C or possibly worse going into a final, I would just take an F and retake the class later. I have no clue why I thought that was a good idea but what's done is done. I graduated in the early 90s so I'm going to use the dumb kid defense if I am asked about it.

In your case, it was pretty recent so I would come up with a good reason for the Ws. Your current GPA shows you are capable of doing the work but the Ws make you look like you may throw in the towel at anytime. I would have a good explanation prepared and emphasize that your situation is different now and you are fully committed to finish.

 

[Farcus]

You should tell them what was going on in your life at the time. No school is going to let someone with 10Ws in without questioning. I myself have 2 Ws and that is the most I'll ever get since I"m not dropping anymore classes.

 

[IrishRxMan]

You were young and far away from parents. Nobody will be surprised that a young college kid away from home will do some foolish things. I would explain that you were young and didn't really understand how much it would hurt to get the W's but that you are a different student now, as is reflected by the GPA you have from your pre-reqs. Not everyone rode on a cloud to pharmacy school with everything going perfectly. Even when people get in, they still have bumps in the road. As long as you can explain what caused the bumps and what you did to prevent those in the future/how you grew from those bumps you will do fine. The biggest thing is that you looked at the situation and learned from mistakes made.

 

[FLPharm2Be]

To the OP, your path to pharmacy is pretty close to mine. I graduated with my not so stellar engineering gpa (my engineering gpa is less than yours) a few years ago and also worked as an engineer. I started taking night classes after 6 months as an engineer for pharmacy school and fully resigned a year or so later to finish the pre-reqs. I, like you, did really well in the pharmacy pre-reqs and I think that is how I was accepted. It definitely can be done, upward trends (and a good pcat) can minimize not so perfect transcripts. Good luck in the application. 🙂

 

[mrblah]

I already got my first degree in engineering and have decided to go into pharmacy about a year ago. I am 7 classes away from finishing my prereqs (basically another year) and so far I have a 3.9 GPA on my science and math classes that are required for pharm school. My concern is my record from my first degree. I got quite a large number of W's (10 ish) and I think I was on academic probation for one term (although I am not really sure since it doesn't list on my transcript). But I still managed to graduate with a 3.3 cumulative GPA. I have real work experience with my first degree, and 200 hrs of volunteer experience in the pharmacy and related heathcare settings.

I had my grades informally evaluated by one of the schools I plan to apply to and that person recommended that I give a reason for the large number of W's on my transcript. I wonder how important that is becase that was already a couple years ago. My recent grades for all my science classes for the past one year already show that I am capable of doing well.

What's your take on this? Would my not-so-glamorous transcript from my first degree hurt my chance of getting in?

*************
Added info: Since some of you mentioned that I should be prepared to tell them what happened with all those W's, now my question is should I be totally honest? I really didn't have any good reasons. I simply screwed up. It was my first time away from home and meeting all those people including my first ever boyfriend. I registered for all kinds of classes and ended up not showing up so I had to withdraw them.

definitely be honest about your W's if you have to explain them (you should), because your current grades is proof that you aren't a slacker, and that you are a motivated individual who can overcome their slacker tendencies 🙂. You have to remember its better to turn something negative into something positive (you also control the conversation), than let those W's speak for themselves (in which you don't know if adcom can see the improvement).