How bad is a "W" on your transcript ? Is it better or worse than a "B"?

[BooMed]

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It was ... glad I could make someone laugh! 🙂

Oh thank god!

 

[OSUdoc08]

That is funny coming from you.

You're the one PMing me about it. Think about that one.

 

[Still learning]

I think a B is better than a W, but I don't think either makes a huge difference. I have 1 W on my transcript. In 5 interviews I've only been asked about it once. My explanation - the only shifts available for the ED research position I wanted conflicted with the class time so I decided to postpone for a semester seemed to be acceptable. Of course I haven't heard from that school yet. For all my other interviews the major concern was the D I got in first semester orgo - way more of a red flag than the W. If there had been an option for W when I took that class I would have. I had all sorts of stuff going on that kept me out of class and studying. My only saving grace was that when I retook Orgo 1 and 2 I was one of the top 5 students in the class both semesters.

 

[Scoot]

I think the reason why we are arguing here over the nature of a W is because we all perceive differently as to what is med school.

Some of us are looking into exceptional med schools such as Harvard, Duke, Wash U and hates anything under an A and ofcourse in their mind, getting into a medical school with a B is farfetched especially if you're competing against those whom probably do have straight A's.

Then there are those whom are more down to earth and are looking into the rest of the medical schools where the average gpa is around a 3.5-3.6 and this is attainable only with a few B's sprinkled throughout the transcript. So to those, not getting into medical school because you have a B is absurb.

W's however will mar some application more than others. It again depends on what medical schools you are looking into. Mayo Clinic will look at a W differently then a DO school or a lower ranked school. Some schools put less emphasis on some aspects of the transcript. I think it's all relative.

Thank you for this, I've been sitting here trying to figure out how I could possibly convince someone that I don't think W's are that bad because I have something close to 20 W's and already have acceptances and interviews to top schools. I now realize that some people would never be convinced (nor should they) that a W would not negatively impact their application.

I actually think that my W's reflect a part of my personality that could be thought of as highly desireable in a cadidate...You know we just don't get much forewarning about the nature or organization of the classes we are expected to sign up for and excel in (much less the personality and competency of the instructors), so, what if we don't like a class?? Are we really supposed to always defer to someone else's judgement about what we should learn and how we should learn it? Now, before someone exagerates this statement for their own purposes, I realize that this is sort of what it means to be a student, but, don't we pick majors and (to some degree) which classes we take? What if major defining characteristics of the learning experience of a class are omitted from the little blurb they call a class description? I just don't see the problem with excusing myself from a class that I do not feel benefits me in some important way.

 

[ChocolateKiss]

a W is significantly more damaging than a B. a B is a good grade. a W will be a red flag and require you to explain it to med schools when you apply. definitely stay away from the Ws if you can.

However, a W won't be factored into your GPA, whereas a B will. If you are trying to get as close to a 4.0 as possible, the B will make your life that much harder...

 

[dilated]

Some of us are looking into exceptional med schools such as Harvard, Duke, Wash U and hates anything under an A and ofcourse in their mind, getting into a medical school with a B is farfetched especially if you're competing against those whom probably do have straight A's.

I got an interview at Duke (and other schools similar to Duke). I have 6 Ws across 3 semesters. I was asked about it once so far (out of 6 interviews) and have acceptances to top 20s.

I think a lot of it depends on your mcat. If your mcat isn't particularly good, they will question whether or not your GPA is real due to the Ws. If it is, they will just take it as evidence that you had some outside problem. It's a negative of some flavor, but it's nowhere near as significant as paranoid rule-obsessed premeds would have you believe.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I got an interview at Duke (and other schools similar to Duke). I have 6 Ws across 3 semesters. I was asked about it once so far (out of 6 interviews) and have acceptances to top 20s.

I think a lot of it depends on your mcat. If your mcat isn't particularly good, they will question whether or not your GPA is real due to the Ws. If it is, they will just take it as evidence that you had some outside problem. It's a negative of some flavor, but it's nowhere near as significant as paranoid rule-obsessed premeds would have you believe.

Whether or not you were asked about the W, it is still worse than a B.

 

[dilated]

Whether or not you were asked about the W, it is still worse than a B.

That is your opinion. I can guarantee if I had 6 more Bs instead of Ws there is no chance in hell I would have gotten a Duke interview.

 

[OSUdoc08]

That is your opinion. I can guarantee if I had 6 more Bs instead of Ws there is no chance in hell I would have gotten a Duke interview.

Ok.

It's true for every school except for Duke.

😴

 

[The Madden Bus]

That is your opinion. I can guarantee if I had 6 more Bs instead of Ws there is no chance in hell I would have gotten a Duke interview.

What were your 6 Ws in?

 

[dilated]

Ok.

It's true for every school except for Duke.

😴

Try Duke, Stanford, Yale and Columbia, for starters. How many of those would I have gotten with a 3.4 science GPA from all those Ws being Bs? Throughout this thread you've made sweeping generalizations which you've provided no evidence for at all. And no, I'm not saying my interviews are anything special (because interview invites are not), but I've got personal experience that counters your unsupported claims. If you've got any kind of evidence to the contrary let's hear it.

 

[OSUdoc08]

Try Duke, Stanford, Yale and Columbia, for starters. How many of those would I have gotten with a 3.4 science GPA from all those Ws being Bs? Throughout this thread you've made sweeping generalizations which you've provided no evidence for at all. And no, I'm not saying my interviews are anything special (because interview invites are not), but I've got personal experience that counters your unsupported claims. If you've got any kind of evidence to the contrary let's hear it.

Getting 6 B's does not equal a 3.4 science GPA.

That would mean you took 10 total classes in college.