Hairy Transcript due to Health Issues

[deleted728364]

Hello,

I was hoping you could give me an idea of how my transcript will be viewed by an adcom. Apologies in advance for rambling.

I have a 3.75 cGPA and a 3.82 science GPA. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from a semester (sophomore fall) for health issues. Further, I didn't get proper treatment for the following two years, so my sophomore spring and junior fall semesters each have W's. I got a D during my junior spring semester in a 1 credit hour lab. At this time, I switched treatment again and finally found an effective treatment. The following semester I got a 4.0.

Unfortunately (again), I took the MCAT before getting proper treatment. I only prepared for three weeks, and did not do very well as a result. I plan on retaking it now that I'm feeling a lot better.

Finally, I spent the Spring of 2017 (meant to be my final semester) on an graded (academic credit) research internship outside of the country. I admit that part of my motivation for doing so was to "reset" and come back to school when I felt "myself" again. How will a random 1 credit hour semester be regarded by an adcom?
I am taking a fifth year, and retaking the mcat in the summer of Spring 2018.

Two things concern me:
1) My 3.75/3.82 won't be seen as such.
2) My claim that (improper treatment for) health issues affected my performance will not completely make up for my W's and D.
3) My first-time MCAT will negatively affect my application despite my claim that health issues affected my performance.

I am also concerned that an adcom will see my transcript and question my judgement and desicion making abilities ("Why didn't he take incompletes?" "Why didn't he withdraw from school until his health issues were resolved?"). Honestly, I feel like I listened to my parents too much. My Dad felt that the school would frown upon me requesting disability services, and that a medical withdrawal would look even worse. I don't want to blame him, but he pressured me into taking the MCAT before I was prepared. If I would have listened to myself, I would have stopped school entirely until I was 100% again. I'm aware that I can't just blame all of my problems on my family; I hope it doesn't sound like I am.


Thanks for any input.

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[GonefromTX]

I dont think your W's mean much, as long as you didn't get like 6 of them. Others may have had a different experience but I had 3 Ws in undergrad and got 7 interviews, and my Ws have never come up during the med school interviews. I also took 12-13 hour semesters everytime and took 6 hour classes almost every summer at community college. One time I got a W in a 6 hour spanish class and ended up having a 6- hour semester. Again, never came up at any interview. Point is, I just dont think too many adcoms scrutinize your transcript in detail aside from looking at your GPAs.

It doesn't matter what you got in that 1 hour class, as long as your GPA is good. Look at the big picture, you've got a solid 3.75/3.82.

And yeah its totally fine to withdraw from school for a semester. Plenty of people do that for unforeseen reasons. Again, probably most adcoms won't even catch it on your transcript. If any does, just give your perfectly rehearsed story on your reasons at the appropriate timing.

Take the MCAT again when you feel totally prepared. Make sure you are consistently hitting your target score on practice tests before you take the real thing. I dont know your exact score, but if u can get a decent MCAT score you'd be a great applicant (assuming youre not from California).

 

[efle]

So how many Ws total, like 2-3? A 3.8 with a few W's really doesn't need any explaining. Do well on your MCAT retake and I don't think you need to worry about convincing anyone of anything.

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I was hoping you could give me an idea of how my transcript will be viewed by an adcom. Apologies in advance for rambling.

I have a 3.75 cGPA and a 3.82 science GPA. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw from a semester (sophomore fall) for health issues. Further, I didn't get proper treatment for the following two years, so my sophomore spring and junior fall semesters each have W's. I got a D during my junior spring semester in a 1 credit hour lab. At this time, I switched treatment again and finally found an effective treatment. The following semester I got a 4.0.

Unfortunately (again), I took the MCAT before getting proper treatment. I only prepared for three weeks, and did not do very well as a result. I plan on retaking it now that I'm feeling a lot better.

Finally, I spent the Spring of 2017 (meant to be my final semester) on an graded (academic credit) research internship outside of the country. I admit that part of my motivation for doing so was to "reset" and come back to school when I felt "myself" again. How will a random 1 credit hour semester be regarded by an adcom?
I am taking a fifth year, and retaking the mcat in the summer of Spring 2018.

Two things concern me:
1) My 3.75/3.82 won't be seen as such.
2) My claim that (improper treatment for) health issues affected my performance will not completely make up for my W's and D.
3) My first-time MCAT will negatively affect my application despite my claim that health issues affected my performance.

I am also concerned that an adcom will see my transcript and question my judgement and desicion making abilities ("Why didn't he take incompletes?" "Why didn't he withdraw from school until his health issues were resolved?"). Honestly, I feel like I listened to my parents too much. My Dad felt that the school would frown upon me requesting disability services, and that a medical withdrawal would look even worse. I don't want to blame him, but he pressured me into taking the MCAT before I was prepared. If I would have listened to myself, I would have stopped school entirely until I was 100% again. I'm aware that I can't just blame all of my problems on my family; I hope it doesn't sound like I am.


Thanks for any input.

This is what Ws were created for, and your transcript would tell a story exactly identical to what you have told us here.

So chill, because you have shows that once you got treatment, that you can handle med school.

Now, some secondaries will ask about gaps or bad grades. If you had mental health issues, you can spin it without having to say specifically what they were.

As an aside, by taking the Ws you displayed good judgement. Many people try to bulldoze thier way through and simply end up with bad grades and severe GPA damage.

 

[deleted728364]

So how many Ws total, like 2-3? A 3.8 with a few W's really doesn't need any explaining. Do well on your MCAT retake and I don't think you need to worry about convincing anyone of anything.

For the medical withdrawal, I have 6 W's (all courses for that semester). I have 2 more W's in others semesters. Total of 8 W's.

 

[deleted728364]

I dont think your W's mean much, as long as you didn't get like 6 of them. Others may have had a different experience but I had 3 Ws in undergrad and got 7 interviews, and my Ws have never come up during the med school interviews. I also took 12-13 hour semesters everytime and took 6 hour classes almost every summer at community college. One time I got a W in a 6 hour spanish class and ended up having a 6- hour semester. Again, never came up at any interview. Point is, I just dont think too many adcoms scrutinize your transcript in detail aside from looking at your GPAs.

It doesn't matter what you got in that 1 hour class, as long as your GPA is good. Look at the big picture, you've got a solid 3.75/3.82.

And yeah its totally fine to withdraw from school for a semester. Plenty of people do that for unforeseen reasons. Again, probably most adcoms won't even catch it on your transcript. If any does, just give your perfectly rehearsed story on your reasons at the appropriate timing.

Take the MCAT again when you feel totally prepared. Make sure you are consistently hitting your target score on practice tests before you take the real thing. I dont know your exact score, but if u can get a decent MCAT score you'd be a great applicant (assuming youre not from California).

The medical withdrawal shows up as a bunch of withdrawals (6) for a single semester. But from what you're saying, I guess that's not an issue.

 

[efle]

For the medical withdrawal, I have 6 W's (all courses for that semester). I have 2 more W's in others semesters. Total of 8 W's.

Hm, that is a fair number of W's. I think a lot is riding on your MCAT score in Spring. Strong performance there and your high GPA will not have that much doubt around it.

 

[deleted728364]

Hm, that is a fair number of W's. I think a lot is riding on your MCAT score in Spring. Strong performance there and your high GPA will not have that much doubt around it.

Is my transcript too concerning for ranked reach schools? Depending on my MCAT, I think I'll be fine for my state schools, but I'm not too sure about the more selective schools.

 

[efle]

What do you mean by ranked reach schools? You won't know where you are competitive at all until you have your MCAT score, like that is what will determine what is or isn't a reach for you.

 

[deleted728364]

What do you mean by ranked reach schools? You won't know where you are competitive at all until you have your MCAT score, like that is what will determine what is or isn't a reach for you.

By reach schools I mean the schools that are reaches for everyone, regardless of their MCAT - Top 20 schools. If I do really well on the MCAT and meet the median for Top 20 schools (516+), will they still see my transcript as a flight risk? I feel like they'd be harder to convince than my (far less competitive) state schools.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

My wife and I both had at least a semester of Ws for medical reasons and both were successful.
A bigger stumbling block for you right now is the MCAT. You really need to nail your retake.
with medical Ws adcoms will want to see that whatever issue cause your poor performance or need for leave won't recur during medical school.

 

[efle]

By reach schools I mean the schools that are reaches for everyone, regardless of their MCAT - Top 20 schools. If I do really well on the MCAT and meet the median for Top 20 schools (516+), will they still see my transcript as a flight risk? I feel like they'd be harder to convince than my (far less competitive) state schools.

I actually think the prior low MCAT might be a bigger issue for the top programs than the withdraws related to medical problem. But this is all theoretical and something to worry about much later, after first jumping up to the top ~5% with the retake MCAT score