Had a huge slip up, W in Transcript. Should I be seriously worried?

[KennyV]

Over the past summer I took English composition 101 along with A&P (at a 4 year university) . The classes went really smoothly I got an A in A&P and I THOUGHT I would get an A in English composition.

I didn't though, I completely slipped up and forgot to turn in a major assignment at the end of the class. The teacher tried contacting me the entire week I was a the Bahamas which was to no avail and ended up withdrawing me from the class.

Since I assumed I was going to get an A in the class ( I had A's on all my assignments,) I didn't really bother checking my grades till now. Now its definitely too late to try to reverse that withdrawn on my transcript.

Is this withdrawal on a English summer class going to affect my chances significantly at DO and Allopathic schools? This is the only non graded item on my transcript besides a Pass or fail on a completely medically irrelevant course. Would retaking the course and getting an A on it offset the W?


I'm super nervous about all of this affecting my chances.
My cGPA is around 3.6-7. sGpa= 3.3-.5. A lot of extracurriculars and internships to supplement it.

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[galaxyx]

you should just be happy the prof withdrew you instead of giving you a bad grade.. w>>>>>>F

 

[Dmr6186]

Wow you're lucky. Most professors would have probably given you the F. Consider yourself fortunate in this.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

I had a W in a pre-req and wasn't asked about it once during my interviews. Granted it could be a "red flag" and have kept me from receiving additional interviews, but it really didn't seem to be an issue.

 

[Jas1360]

One W doesn't matter. 20 Ws brings questions.

Like everyone said, you are very lucky you got a W instead of F.

 

[KennyV]

I appreciate the responses, and I do know I'm quite lucky for the most part.

but right now i'm looking for a little guidance.

What should I do if this is brought up in the interview? Should I retake it, knowing I will probably get an A on that course? is withdrawing from an English Course going to be a huge red flag?

 

[Jas1360]

I appreciate the responses, and I do know I'm quite lucky for the most part.

but right now i'm looking for a little guidance.

What should I do if this is brought up in the interview? Should I retake it, knowing I will probably get an A on that course? is withdrawing from an English Course going to be a huge red flag?

I highly doubt it will be brought up. I would probably just say that you decided to finish your summer break in the Bahamas instead of taking English classes.

Only retake it if you need the class for a school requirement or as a premed requirement. Otherwise, forget about it and relax.

 

[AdrianVeidt]

nobody cares about a W

 

[Akali]

I personally got into medical school (one of the least competitive allo schools in the states) with like 2 or 3 FW's.

Why the **** were you in the Bahamas during class though lol. I can not feel sorry for you at all. Obviously you will have to explain the W, obviously it is a red flag, and obviously you should not mention that you got it because you were in the Bahamas.

 

[Jas1360]

I personally got into medical school (one of the least competitive allo schools in the states) with like 2 or 3 FW's.

Why the **** were you in the Bahamas during class though lol. I can not feel sorry for you at all. Obviously you will have to explain the W, obviously it is a red flag, and obviously you should not mention that you got it because you were in the Bahamas.

There is a big difference between a W and a FW.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I had a W in a pre-req and wasn't asked about it once during my interviews. Granted it could be a "red flag" and have kept me from receiving additional interviews, but it really didn't seem to be an issue.

To offer a counter-anecdote, I have a friend who withdrew out of biochem, applied to low tier schools, and had a few interviews where he got asked about it. However, I suspect the W in biochem got a lot of attention because it's one of the first classes you have to take in med school, so any sign that a student can't handle it is going to get focused on. I'd imagine that the farther removed your W's are from med school-relevant courses, the better.

OP, I wouldn't worry too much about the W. It's in English and you can just take the class again. Get an "A" and I doubt anyone will care. If you really want to wipe that W away, take English composition II (or something similar if your school doesn't have it), get an A in that, and nobody will even think twice about the W.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Bro, only 1 W? You must be doing college wrong.

 

[Jas1360]

To offer a counter-anecdote, I have a friend who withdrew out of biochem, applied to low tier schools, and had a few interviews where he got asked about it. However, I suspect the W in biochem got a lot of attention because it's one of the first classes you have to take in med school, so any sign that a student can't handle it is going to get focused on. I'd imagine that the farther removed your W's are from med school-relevant courses, the better.

OP, I wouldn't worry too much about the W. It's in English and you can just take the class again. Get an "A" and I doubt anyone will care. If you really want to wipe that W away, take English composition II (or something similar if your school doesn't have it), get an A in that, and nobody will even think twice about the W.

Yes, withdrawing from science, especially biochem is going to raise questions. Especially if you did not retake it.

 

[Akali]

There is a big difference between a W and a FW.

Yes, there sure is. I wasn't implying there isn't. Thank you Mr. Obvious.

Of note, they were in one semester and my second year where I had an absolutely ridiculous course and E.C. load. I of course got A's in the same courses the next semester. My, glowing, LOR's also came from one of the professors of those courses, who I did research with, and my boss at the peer tutoring center where I worked tutoring other students in those classes.

 

[Jas1360]

Yes, there sure is. I wasn't implying there isn't. Thank you Mr. Obvious.

I just think that for a summer English class it is no big deal to say, I decided to withdraw from a class so I could take a vacation instead. Obviously you could not say that for a FW.

Especially during the summer. There is a much smaller window for withdrawing from classes before they show up on a transcript.

 

[Jas1360]

Yes, there sure is. I wasn't implying there isn't. Thank you Mr. Obvious.

Of note, they were in one semester and my second year where I had an absolutely ridiculous course and E.C. load. I of course got A's in the same courses the next semester.

I was not saying anything about you. Only that it would be harder in your situation than OPs situation. Still possible? Yes, you are proof of that, but I am sure you know how much harder you had to work to make up for it.

 

[Akali]

I was not saying anything about you. Only that it would be harder in your situation than OPs situation. Still possible? Yes, you are proof of that, but I am sure you know how much harder you had to work to make up for it.

Yeah, that was the point of my post Trying to encourage OP.

 

[Jas1360]

Yeah, that was the point of my post Trying to encourage OP.

I know, I am sorry my response came off the wrong way. I only disagreed about how he could explain the W in the unlikely event that he was asked.