How does a W affect my chances when applying to a competitive med school?

[cookie3315]

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I am in my second semester of college, and I am struggling badly with an ecology class---estimate a C in the course. I am confident that I can do well if I withdraw and retake it later, but is it worth the W on my transcript? I got a 4.0 last semester and am doing okay in the rest of my courses. My dream med schools are NYU or Albert Einstein. Since I am only a freshman, I reasoned that if I do really well for the rest of my undergrad years, it would be alright because it shows improvement, but I wanted to gain some other perspectives. Thank you for any insights 🙂

 

[einvincible12]

Doesn't matter

 

[AJS59]

I am in my second semester of college, and I am struggling badly with an ecology class---estimate a C in the course. I am confident that I can do well if I withdraw and retake it later, but is it worth the W on my transcript? I got a 4.0 last semester and am doing okay in the rest of my courses. My dream med schools are NYU or Albert Einstein. Since I am only a freshman, I reasoned that if I do really well for the rest of my undergrad years, it would be alright because it shows improvement, but I wanted to gain some other perspectives. Thank you for any insights 🙂

Given that it's not a pre-req, I think a W is okay.

 

[Goro]

I am in my second semester of college, and I am struggling badly with an ecology class---estimate a C in the course. I am confident that I can do well if I withdraw and retake it later, but is it worth the W on my transcript? I got a 4.0 last semester and am doing okay in the rest of my courses. My dream med schools are NYU or Albert Einstein. Since I am only a freshman, I reasoned that if I do really well for the rest of my undergrad years, it would be alright because it shows improvement, but I wanted to gain some other perspectives. Thank you for any insights 🙂

It's a common pre-med delusion that a W is the same as an F.

Yours is a nothingburger.

BTW, you can get into med school even with Fs on your transcripts.

 

[LizzyM]

As long as you don't apply with a 4.0 and more than one W, you'll be okay. It is when it looks like you withdraw to avoid any grade lower than an A that adcoms begin to worry about perfectionism which is a very bad trait in a medical student.