I'm from a canadian university thinking about applying to the states for MD. Throughout my research it has been noted several times that W is apparently frowned upon by american med schools (not so much in canada). Because i've never done my undergrad in the states, what exactly does W mean? In canada, we have two kinds of withdrawal. WD = withdrawal with no penalty, just shows up on your transcript; and WF = withdrawal fail - shows up at 32% on transcript (late withdrawal). Is W the same as WD? And if so, would having WD on my transcript adversely impact my chances of getting into an american med school even if i have a decent GPA?
Is a W really that bad on your transcript?
- Thread starter starxlit3
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"Is W the same as WD? And if so, would having WD on my transcript adversely impact my chances of getting into an american med school even if i have a decent GPA?"
Yes, in your case a W in the U.S. is equivalent to a WD. Neither one of them should factor into your GPA. And I can't speak for everyone, but many posters have said they weren't asked about W's during any of their interviews, so I think a W here or there shouldn't hurt you at all. Now if you fail out of a whole semester, then you've got some explaining to do
Yes, in your case a W in the U.S. is equivalent to a WD. Neither one of them should factor into your GPA. And I can't speak for everyone, but many posters have said they weren't asked about W's during any of their interviews, so I think a W here or there shouldn't hurt you at all. Now if you fail out of a whole semester, then you've got some explaining to do
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Well..
WD = W.
WF = Looks worse than just a W
It depends on how many you have and what your overall stat's are. The general consensus is that they can be red flags but unless you have more than 5 (depending on the situation) then it shouldn't become a deal breaker.
However you already have the fact that you're Canadian against you lol. (As in you're not a US resident so you won't get preference) So if you have a lot of W's then they may not be as lenient with you.
WD = W.
WF = Looks worse than just a W
It depends on how many you have and what your overall stat's are. The general consensus is that they can be red flags but unless you have more than 5 (depending on the situation) then it shouldn't become a deal breaker.
However you already have the fact that you're Canadian against you lol. (As in you're not a US resident so you won't get preference) So if you have a lot of W's then they may not be as lenient with you.
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W is US schools have no effect on your GPA or transcript. Having a couple won't hurt, but if you're having W's each quarter, you'll have to explain yourself. It will NOT adversely impact your chances of getting into a US medical school to have just ONE withdrawal.
thanks for the replies guys 🙂 really appreciate it 🙂
I don't have that many... i have two. One from second year first term for a statistics course... (I'm not sure if this counts as a pre-req for US med schools...) but I retook the course the following term and got 100... (I had a really bad day on the midterm and got a 50 so I dropped right after that)... the second one was from third year first term for a health course that I thought I was interested in but ended up hating (never retook it again).
I think my gpa is okay otherwise... although I'm not too sure about US med schools.. in canada anything above a 3.9 is fairly competitive?
I don't have that many... i have two. One from second year first term for a statistics course... (I'm not sure if this counts as a pre-req for US med schools...) but I retook the course the following term and got 100... (I had a really bad day on the midterm and got a 50 so I dropped right after that)... the second one was from third year first term for a health course that I thought I was interested in but ended up hating (never retook it again).
I think my gpa is okay otherwise... although I'm not too sure about US med schools.. in canada anything above a 3.9 is fairly competitive?
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You should be fine! If you have a 3.9 then that is very solid-- the average in the U.S. is a 3.7
