Transcript Question

[ecc311]

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Post grad, I enrolled in a course at an extension school but dropped during add/drop to focus on the MCAT (will, of course, be adding this as an institution attended in AMCAS but no courses associated with it (no GPA impact). Post MCAT, I then enrolled in an online biochem at a separate institution but took a W to enroll at an in person course. This gives me a total of three schools post grad, one without classes, one with a W and one where I will earn an A. I am an otherwise strong applicant (516 MCAT, 3.95 GPA). Does this kill my app?

 

[saltykiosk]

It's just a W, it won't kill you app, you'll be fine

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Post grad, I enrolled in a course at an extension school but dropped during add/drop to focus on the MCAT (will, of course, be adding this as an institution attended in AMCAS but no courses associated with it (no GPA impact). Post MCAT, I then enrolled in an online biochem at a separate institution but took a W to enroll at an in person course. This gives me a total of three schools post grad, one without classes, one with a W and one where I will earn an A. I am an otherwise strong applicant (516 MCAT, 3.95 GPA). Does this kill my app?

 

[ecc311]

I figured I was overthinking this, which is what I assume you’re saying here 😂

 

[polymerization]

You do not have a transcript to transmit from a school you did not take classes at... no need to report that school to AMCAS since you did not actually attend.

You do have to report the W but considering you have an A at the most recent institution, it is unlikely to be a point of contention. If anything, the biggest headache will be administrative for you, all of that work to transmit an extra transcript and the fees associated for a class for which you didn't receive credit. On the off chance that you are asked, I think your reasoning is acceptable. It makes sense to want to take hard sciences in person.

So... you're fine.

 

[ecc311]

You do not have a transcript to transmit from a school you did not take classes at... no need to report that school to AMCAS since you did not actually attend.

You do have to report the W but considering you have an A at the most recent institution, it is unlikely to be a point of contention. If anything, the biggest headache will be administrative for you, all of that work to transmit an extra transcript and the fees associated for a class for which you didn't receive credit. On the off chance that you are asked, I think your reasoning is acceptable. It makes sense to want to take hard sciences in person.

So... you're fine.

Thanks for your detailed answer, I really appreciate it. I have a blank transcript and was planning to send that as AMCAS says to report “any school you enrolled in at least one course.” Is that over reporting?

 

[polymerization]

Thanks for your detailed answer, I really appreciate it. I have a blank transcript and was planning to send that as AMCAS says to report “any school you enrolled in at least one course.” Is that over reporting?

I don't know the nitty gritty procedural language about what you're supposed to report to AMCAS. Understanding the broad strokes made me feel confident that spending $10 to transmit a blank transcript at a school I ultimately did not attend would probably be unnecessary from AMCAS's point of view. I was verified and admitted to MD schools.

To be clear, the AAMC is very happy to accept all of the information you feed it. However, navigating bureaucracies like this, it is better to be judicious about what you choose to share. Be protective of your information; do not give more than what is asked for.

Here's a simple way this can go south: you submit this blank transcript and send your primary over to be verified. Someone at the verification office says, OK, this person reported a school but their official transcript is totally empty. They also do not see courses listed in your course list from that institution. Now they are flagging and holding your application to clarify with clearinghouses, institutions, maybe even ask you personally, etc. They move on to the next application and you're held in another queue for who knows how long. Your issue would be no problem at all, but there may be others in the queue who indeed have a lot of problems that require a lot of resources.

In bureaucracies, you think something that would take 10 minutes would be done immediately... however, when they choose to start is totally irrespective of that. Could be something they iron out right away, could be something they hold up for days, weeks, months. You just don't know, and nobody here can tell you for sure.

Comb through the AMCAS policies with a fine-toothed comb and see if you feel comfortable not reporting the school given your situation. I personally think you should be fine, but I'm just a guy on the internet.

 

[ecc311]

Hi Folks-- question about a transcript. I enrolled at an extension school for a single class but dropped before the add/drop. I have an official transcript for this school but it is blank. For reporting this, do I just put the school under institutions attended, put no coursework for it, and then send in the blank transcript. Or do I need to list the course as withdrawn due to this policy: "A course entry should not be made if the course was dropped within the normal drop-add period and does not appear on your transcript. The courses from which you made unofficial or administrative withdrawals will be included in your AMCAS GPAs if your school included them in its GPA.If you withdrew entirely from a school before completing courses for a specific term, you must still list each course for which you were registered that term, with Withdrawal as the Special Course Type. If the school does not issue transcripts for students who withdraw entirely, you must ask the registrar’s office to send an official letter (with an AMCAS Transcript Request Form attached) indicating that no transcript is available because of institutional policies." I called AMCAS and they were largely unclear. What would you all do? Anyone been in a similar situation?

 

[wysdoc]

yes, according to the AMCAS Guide 2027 version which you can now download to your desktop
Colleges:

"In this section, list every postsecondary institution where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if the
credits were transferred, no credit was earned, or you withdrew. Postsecondary institutions include, but are
not limited to, all colleges or universities, including community colleges, in which you were enrolled in a degree,
credit, or certificate program."

 

[ecc311]

yes, according to the AMCAS Guide 2027 version which you can now download to your desktop
Colleges:

"In this section, list every postsecondary institution where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if the
credits were transferred, no credit was earned, or you withdrew. Postsecondary institutions include, but are
not limited to, all colleges or universities, including community colleges, in which you were enrolled in a degree,
credit, or certificate program."

I appreciate the reply! So just list the school, add no coursework, and then send the transcript? I don't want to mark the class W unnecessarily...

 

[wysdoc]

I appreciate the reply! So just list the school, add no coursework, and then send the transcript? I don't want to mark the class W unnecessarily...

if you withdrew, your transcript will show a W.
Put everything the way it appears on each transcript for a smooth verification of your AMCAS primary app.
A W is not an F, nobody cares

 

[ecc311]

if you withdrew, your transcript will show a W.
Put everything the way it appears on each transcript for a smooth verification of your AMCAS primary app.
A W is not an F, nobody cares

Sounds good, I appreciate it. The transcript is completely blank— I was just worried since I dropped my only course I “withdrew for the term” as it was the only course I took at that school and would need to list it as a W. I will just submit it blank, list no coursework and report as an institution attended.

 

[Goro]

Post grad, I enrolled in a course at an extension school but dropped during add/drop to focus on the MCAT (will, of course, be adding this as an institution attended in AMCAS but no courses associated with it (no GPA impact). Post MCAT, I then enrolled in an online biochem at a separate institution but took a W to enroll at an in person course. This gives me a total of three schools post grad, one without classes, one with a W and one where I will earn an A. I am an otherwise strong applicant (516 MCAT, 3.95 GPA). Does this kill my app?

You're overthinking, and this is a nothing burger.

 

[polymerization]

Hi Folks-- question about a transcript. I enrolled at an extension school for a single class but dropped before the add/drop. I have an official transcript for this school but it is blank. For reporting this, do I just put the school under institutions attended, put no coursework for it, and then send in the blank transcript. Or do I need to list the course as withdrawn due to this policy: "A course entry should not be made if the course was dropped within the normal drop-add period and does not appear on your transcript. The courses from which you made unofficial or administrative withdrawals will be included in your AMCAS GPAs if your school included them in its GPA.If you withdrew entirely from a school before completing courses for a specific term, you must still list each course for which you were registered that term, with Withdrawal as the Special Course Type. If the school does not issue transcripts for students who withdraw entirely, you must ask the registrar’s office to send an official letter (with an AMCAS Transcript Request Form attached) indicating that no transcript is available because of institutional policies." I called AMCAS and they were largely unclear. What would you all do? Anyone been in a similar situation?

Can you clarify whether you dropped the class within the first week of the term, or do you mean you dropped prior to the W deadline, which usually comes around midterms?

If it was the first week of the term, you did not technically enroll for the purposes of AMCAS. It will not populate on your transcript, and will likely create confusion if you document a withdrawn course that does not appear on an official transcript.

 

[ecc311]

Can you clarify whether you dropped the class within the first week of the term, or do you mean you dropped prior to the W deadline, which usually comes around midterms?

If it was the first week of the term, you did not technically enroll for the purposes of AMCAS. It will not populate on your transcript, and will likely create confusion if you document a withdrawn course that does not appear on an official transcript.

I dropped before the add/drop period. I contacted AMCAS and they said to send a blank transcript (which is what I have, just says my name and nothing else). My worry was that I technically “withdrew entirely from a school before completing courses for a specific term, you must still list each course for which you were registered that term, with Withdrawal as the Special Course Type.” But my understanding is that’s for people who just withdraw from a whole term and would have W’s or don’t due to school policy but should.

 

[polymerization]

I dropped before the add/drop period. I contacted AMCAS and they said to send a blank transcript (which is what I have, just says my name and nothing else). My worry was that I technically “withdrew entirely from a school before completing courses for a specific term, you must still list each course for which you were registered that term, with Withdrawal as the Special Course Type.” But my understanding is that’s for people who just withdraw from a whole term and would have W’s or don’t due to school policy but should.

Very weird response from them, but OK.

If just registering for a course requires notation, every pre-med going through the mad dash of adding and dropping courses throughout add/drop week would need to list not just the courses they actually took in the end, but every other course they technically registered for and dropped while trying to put together a final schedule... including switching between sections offered at different times. That would be logistically impossible to keep track of on the student side and impossible to verify on AMCAS's side.

I agree that it wouldn't be a W. But I am perplexed that they are asking you to send a blank transcript. The National Student Clearinghouse likely would not identify you as a student of that school or be able to generate a transcript for you.

On the practical side, it sounds like you're going to report it, which, I guess makes sense purely to comply with their directive. But more philosophically, what an interesting and redundant loophole in procedure. AAMC must justify the insane fees for primary verification somehow. Grumble, grumble, ensh*ttification of the medical school admissions process, grumble grumble...

 

[ecc311]

Very weird response from them, but OK.

If just registering for a course requires notation, every pre-med going through the mad dash of adding and dropping courses throughout add/drop week would need to list not just the courses they actually took in the end, but every other course they technically registered for and dropped while trying to put together a final schedule... including switching between sections offered at different times. That would be logistically impossible to keep track of on the student side and impossible to verify on AMCAS's side.

I agree that it wouldn't be a W. But I am perplexed that they are asking you to send a blank transcript. The National Student Clearinghouse likely would not identify you as a student of that school or be able to generate a transcript for you.

On the practical side, it sounds like you're going to report it, which, I guess makes sense purely to comply with their directive. But more philosophically, what an interesting and redundant loophole in procedure. AAMC must justify the insane fees for primary verification somehow. Grumble, grumble, ensh*ttification of the medical school admissions process, grumble grumble...

You, my friend, are having all the same thoughts I’ve had over the last two weeks trying to figure this out.

From the practical side, I’m feeling more confident after speaking to people in this forum that the admissions committee will look at that, see no coursework, and merely ignore it or understand that it was just a course dropped during add/drop, and then look at the withdrawal with the immediate reenrollment in biochem in person and understand that I withdrew to optimize a learning environment. Otherwise strong, applicant, and hopeful this doesn’t really harm anything.