Dropping a class and getting a W

[PreMedHopeful]

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Hello, I'm a freshman in college and am not doing so well in Chem 2, which is an honors class, but nonetheless, I was going to drop it and get a W and take it over the summer at a community college or should I take it at a state school or should I stay in the class (grade is less than C)

your input is appreciated

 

[ICmyFuture]

drop it for sure, one W won't hurt you.

 

[megamega]

I would drop it, then figure out what I did wrong, then study harder or do whatever to make sure that it doesn't happen again. I had a W grade early in my freshman year too and it didn't hurt me, but you should take it seriously and not let it happen in the future. But, then again, if you have a good reason for the W it may not be too bad.

 

[EMmedic]

One W will not hurt your chances, but a D will. That being said, when you take it over, either take it over again at your own school or one of equal caliber. Admissions committees can see right through a "W" then retaking at a community college. It screams, "I wasn't doing well so I'm going to withdraw and try to take it somewhere I think the class will be less rigorous." Take the W and retake it but put everything you have into kicking butt this time.

 

[BlueElmo]

Is there anything you can do to get a C-? Then you can just switch to P/NP and that should look much better than a W. But if there is no way, ditto on what others said.

 

[cubssox2000]

If you really think you can't get that grade to at least B-, then drop and retake some other time/place. One W on your transcript will not ruin you, and in the same vain, one C will not either. If you think you can pull the B, stay in the class.

 

[ngkats]

Take the W. Most med schools will not except less than a C in a prereq.

And I don't think taking a prereq at a community college will suffice. It might have to be at a university. Other posters should be able to tell you if that's correct.

 

[twoinone]

How bad will it hurt if one gets a W in a upper level science course the semester prior to applying with no previos Ws in the record? Also, when seeing Ws on the transcript will the adcoms be cautious about the student's ability to handle med school?

 

[redlight]

How bad will it hurt if one gets a W in a upper level science course the semester prior to applying with no previos Ws in the record? Also, when seeing Ws on the transcript will the adcoms be cautious about the student's ability to handle med school?

no, when they see "W"' and you have Cs on your record, they probably think you super tanked that class. if you have mostly good grades im sure they see it as a C or something- not great, but noone is perfect.

honestly, why would anyone be nit-picky about one W in one course? again, no one is perfect. tons of people get in w/ some C's or a W or so, which is REALLY supposed to be there for D's and F's, but its no biggie as long as W's don't become routine. learn from that mistake and move on.

 

[redlight]

One W will not hurt your chances, but a D will. That being said, when you take it over, either take it over again at your own school or one of equal caliber. Admissions committees can see right through a "W" then retaking at a community college. It screams, "I wasn't doing well so I'm going to withdraw and try to take it somewhere I think the class will be less rigorous." Take the W and retake it but put everything you have into kicking butt this time.

completely agree. a D will kill your gpa but a W wont. plus, maybe it's just me, but a D as a grade looks really really bad.. worse than a W for sure imo

 

[njbmd]

Hello, I'm a freshman in college and am not doing so well in Chem 2, which is an honors class, but nonetheless, I was going to drop it and get a W and take it over the summer at a community college or should I take it at a state school or should I stay in the class (grade is less than C)

your input is appreciated

Very poor move to withdraw from a university class and the retake it at a community college. If you must withdraw, then do your retake at your present university. If you are planning on transferring to that "state" university, then retaking your course there is OK but don't "college shop" especially where the pre-med courses are concerned. Figure out why you are not doing well in this course, fix your deficiencies, retake and get an A. Also, try not to have any more "W" grades on your transcript.

 

[EMmedic]

How bad will it hurt if one gets a W in a upper level science course the semester prior to applying with no previos Ws in the record? Also, when seeing Ws on the transcript will the adcoms be cautious about the student's ability to handle med school?

If it eases your mind, I had a W on my transcript when I applied to med school. It really wasn't an issue and I was never asked about it.

 

[brudog59]

Hi guys, I saw this post when deciding on whether or not I should take a W for my course. Though today I realized that I might be able to drop the course without a "W", I would still really appreciate any feedback you guys could give.

I'm in an SMP and retaking a course that I only got a B- last last year. That may seem a bit extreme, but it is a medical school course and I really wanted to demonstrate my ability by retaking it and getting an A.

Well....so much for that idea. We just got our first exam grades back and my score was so low that the highest possible grade for me to get would be a B+....leaving no chance to show marked improvement on my transcript. Its quite embarrassing actually.

Now here's my question. Today is the last day to drop without a "W"- should I do it or no??

Here are what I think are the pro's to dropping the course:

1. I would have more more time to devote to the MCAT (MAY 28)- which needs to go up like 10 points to have a "decent" application.
2. There would be no paper-trail of having retaken the course
3. Dropping the course will not have a huge impact on my GPA
4. I could easily retake the course at another University with different teaching staff.

Cons:

1. The professor is my advisor (though definitely not my biggest supporter)
leaving little substance for him to write me a letter of recommendation for Med school. That said, I have other authors that are much more supportive and could write excellent letters, so I'm not too worried about this.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

UPDATE: So I got the W from dropping Chem 2 Honors second semester last year...and then now I am taking Chem 2 at a local community college because my undergrad college rejected the syllabus of a state school since it didn't match in terms of curriculum....

I'm getting a B or C at the community college...is this a problem...I'm so scared?!!!!!! Already the W and now a C? I hate chem 2 and the multiple choice is messed up🙁