Difference between P/NP and W?

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jankodejenko

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Is it better to get a Pass instead of a W? What do adcoms think when they see it?

Let's say the class is physiology - which is a pre-req for SOME dental schools.

thanks.
 
P: the student was trying to avoid the letter grade, likely because it was low

W: the student was trying to avoid the letter grade, likely because it would have been low

Hope that helps!
Okay, cause I always thought a P would look better as it implies a C letter grade the lowest, whereas a W could imply possibilities of an F or D grade
 
neither looks good for a science class like physiology, but if youve taken enough upper level bio courses and have done well, then I think pass might look better, as you can make it seem like you're taking an extra bio class just to learn more and be better prepared for dental school but don't necessarily want a grade in it, whereas a withdraw shows that you obviously was doing poorly in the class. But if you can get a B- or above in the class, then its most likely best to just take the letter grade.
 
neither looks good for a science class like physiology, but if youve taken enough upper level bio courses and have done well, then I think pass might look better, as you can make it seem like you're taking an extra bio class just to learn more and be better prepared for dental school but don't necessarily want a grade in it, whereas a withdraw shows that you obviously was doing poorly in the class. But if you can get a B- or above in the class, then its most likely best to just take the letter grade.
what if my GPA is borderline getting into dental school, and a B- would drag it down even more. should I save my gpa?
thank you for the input I really appreciate it!
 
what if my GPA is borderline getting into dental school, and a B- would drag it down even more. should I save my gpa?
thank you for the input I really appreciate it!
The thing is if you make the course pass/fail, the general assumption is that you got a C in the class, so if you get above a C, generally it is better to take the letter grade. But if you can give me numbers of how low your GPA will be with a B- in the class, I can better answer your question.
 
Given that + the fact you have prior W's on your transcript, neither option really looks good. I'd probably go with the P but either way it's going to be pretty transparent to an adcom looking close enough that you were dodging the grade.
Even if the W's were in non-science courses from my undergrad 3-4 years ago? I'm a non trad and finished my core pre-reqs all the way thru (no W's) in 2 consecutive years after i graduated.
 
Take the P.
Some classes don't offer letter grades and only give out P/F, adcoms don't know what your circumstance was... but W's are widely known as a bad thing.
For example, my indoor cycling class and intro to engineering class was P/F only... All my other grades were letters.
 
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