How bad will W's on transcript hurt me?

[Preemiemama]

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Hi everyone. I am making myself a nervous wreck wondering how bad the W's on my transcript will hurt me during the review process.

Long story in a nutshell is when I returned to college I took their remedial/developmental mathmatics ( Algebra) I took them at a CC prior to transferring to the 4 yr university program where I am now. I took and passed the university level math and taking precalc now, and doing okay with it.

On my transcript it will show as a W on the Intermediate Algebra, Microbiology and Psychology. All at the CC. I retook the courses, passed them and transferred.

My daughter had a terrible, terrible accident during the semester where the W's show. She fell nearly 9 feet OUT of the attic and broke multiple bones. Needless to say, school went immediately on the back burner. That's a terrible fall for an adult, but worse for a small child. It was awful. As bad as it was, she survived. After alot of ortho surgeries,plastic surgeries and physical therapy, life has returned to normal. Well, semi normal anyways! She still has physical therapy 3 times a week. The only bones she didn't break were her femur and tib/fib. The ortho surgeon said maybe this summer he will release her from the physical therapy. That would be great!

I re-took the classes I withdrew from though. I did well. I just hope that I will have an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw from the classes. It was an emergent situation. I hope that I will be allowed an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw.

Will it be ok?? I'm really worried it will hurt me during the process. My GPA is great, I'm doing fine. The University of Memphis didn't question it but I know it will come up during the interview process. I just hope it doesn't count against me too much.

What do you all think? Thanks! 😕

 

[relentless11]

Normally i'd say that W's are bad. In your case, although W's still aren't a good thing, you have a fully valid reason for them. Here's what could be done:

1) Since you had 3, although not neccessarily a good thing, I think you're fine because it was in the past. Just don't get anymore. I think your final years at the 4-year university will vindicate you.

2) Since you had a valid reason, you can mention in a sentence that you had to withdraw those classes to take care of your injured daughter. Suggest you try to make it as positive as possible. Like i said, although it is a valid reason, you always want to not use it as a "excuse". I personally don't see it as an excuse, but you don't want to emphasize it so much that it sounds like one ya know? Say something along the lines of, made you better in some way, and point out you have never had any W's since then.

So yea you'll be fine. I'm in the same position. Had got 3 W's way back freshman year when I had to work to support my family. Needed to add more work hours so had to drop the class. Well that was like 1998..lol. So today doing grad school now, the people at our med school said..."don't sweat it" . Anyway I'm sure others have other thoughts as well, since I know a few people in these forums have been through a lot, and still got into med school.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
There are plenty of people who have been accepted to medical school with "W"s on a transcript. Try not to get any more. Once is a fluke but several times is a pattern. Glad to hear your child is OK.
njbmd 🙂

 

[jays2cool4u]

Once is a fluke but several times is a pattern.

I agree. However, a W looks a lot better than an F.

Jays2cool4u 😎

 

[WestTexasRambler]

 

[Beau Geste]

Hi everyone. I am making myself a nervous wreck wondering how bad the W's on my transcript will hurt me during the review process.

Long story in a nutshell is when I returned to college I took their remedial/developmental mathmatics ( Algebra) I took them at a CC prior to transferring to the 4 yr university program where I am now. I took and passed the university level math and taking precalc now, and doing okay with it.

On my transcript it will show as a W on the Intermediate Algebra, Microbiology and Psychology. All at the CC. I retook the courses, passed them and transferred.

My daughter had a terrible, terrible accident during the semester where the W's show. She fell nearly 9 feet OUT of the attic and broke multiple bones. Needless to say, school went immediately on the back burner. That's a terrible fall for an adult, but worse for a small child. It was awful. As bad as it was, she survived. After alot of ortho surgeries,plastic surgeries and physical therapy, life has returned to normal. Well, semi normal anyways! She still has physical therapy 3 times a week. The only bones she didn't break were her femur and tib/fib. The ortho surgeon said maybe this summer he will release her from the physical therapy. That would be great!

I re-took the classes I withdrew from though. I did well. I just hope that I will have an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw from the classes. It was an emergent situation. I hope that I will be allowed an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw.

Will it be ok?? I'm really worried it will hurt me during the process. My GPA is great, I'm doing fine. The University of Memphis didn't question it but I know it will come up during the interview process. I just hope it doesn't count against me too much.

What do you all think? Thanks! 😕

I've got 3 or 4, spread out over 12 years. I have good explanations for them, as do you. We'll see how it goes next year.

 

[Khenon]

Like someone mentioned above, the problem with W's is having a pattern of them. Someone who drops out of classes regularly gives the appearance that they're scatter-brained, flaky, or just can't handle the workload/stress. If you don't have a "pattern" (which it doesn't appear that your do) then likely your W's won't make a bit of difference. I could see it possibly coming up during the interview (and you appear to have a good explanation), but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[kimmcauliffe]

What do you all think? QUOTE]

Depends on the circumstances. Of which I'm sure you'll get a chance somewhere along the road to explain.

 

[mj1878]

I agree. I had several Ws, but most of them were while I was in the music school. When I decided to go premed, I dropped a bunch of them and it was too late to retroactively withdraw. Don't worry about it. Let your overall GPA and MCAT show them what you're made of. We're all human and have to withdraw from a class sometimes because of reasons unfathomable to others, but unavoidable to ourselves.

 

[satsuma]

The thing about the pattern is absolutely true. I have W's on my transcript from a period of family crisis as well and I've been accepted. Your track record since the time of the W's will compensate for it and when it's time to apply, if you can find a way to allude to your past academic difficulties as being related to your child's accident, that will help alot. Once you have interviews, you're given plenty of opportunity to explain these things. What you need to do is strategize your primary app such that it answers the questions and doubts of the adcom preemptively...then you'll get the interviews that will let you defend your app more thoroughly.

Hope that made some sense.

 

[wook]

Hi everyone. I am making myself a nervous wreck wondering how bad the W's on my transcript will hurt me during the review process.

Long story in a nutshell is when I returned to college I took their remedial/developmental mathmatics ( Algebra) I took them at a CC prior to transferring to the 4 yr university program where I am now. I took and passed the university level math and taking precalc now, and doing okay with it.

On my transcript it will show as a W on the Intermediate Algebra, Microbiology and Psychology. All at the CC. I retook the courses, passed them and transferred.

My daughter had a terrible, terrible accident during the semester where the W's show. She fell nearly 9 feet OUT of the attic and broke multiple bones. Needless to say, school went immediately on the back burner. That's a terrible fall for an adult, but worse for a small child. It was awful. As bad as it was, she survived. After alot of ortho surgeries,plastic surgeries and physical therapy, life has returned to normal. Well, semi normal anyways! She still has physical therapy 3 times a week. The only bones she didn't break were her femur and tib/fib. The ortho surgeon said maybe this summer he will release her from the physical therapy. That would be great!

I re-took the classes I withdrew from though. I did well. I just hope that I will have an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw from the classes. It was an emergent situation. I hope that I will be allowed an opportunity to explain why I had to withdraw.

Will it be ok?? I'm really worried it will hurt me during the process. My GPA is great, I'm doing fine. The University of Memphis didn't question it but I know it will come up during the interview process. I just hope it doesn't count against me too much.

What do you all think? Thanks! 😕

Dude/dudette:

I had a W on my transcript and was accepted into school. You've got a good explanation for it. I'd be prepared to discuss it, but that's as far as I'd worry. You won't know until you try.


Wook