Need Advice gpa (3.8) but 5 withdraws?

[Sunshine1234]

I have a 3.8 gpa and I haven't gotten my mcat score back yet but I scored 512 plus on all my practice exams. I did really bad first semester sophomore year where I got a BC (basically a c+ since the a BC is 2.5) in organic chem and got B's in a couple of other classes. I got really scared since my sophomore gpa dropped .12 points. So second semester I dropped o chem 2 (didn't even take a midterm) and a language class and became a part time student.
1st semester junior year I tried taking o chem again and got scared (dropped o chem 2 again before even taking 1st midterm), a 2 credit leadership class and 3 credit social science class (i dropped the leadership class and social science class because i was scared i wasn't going to get an a) and i became a part time student again.

looking back on it that was probably not the best decision and i should've just taken the possible b.

Later on (after i became a part time student the second time) I went to a therapist and learned I had depression (had since high school) and learned to deal with it and I learned to deal with imperfections (i was an extreme perfectionist).

My question is I feel like my academic record looks spotty. What would you suggest i do to make it look like I'm a strong student (and not a quitter)? I'm not against taking a gap year to improve my application

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[878956]

Keep the GPA high. Do whatever you can to protect your GPA. It is much better to get a W than to get an F. Be smart.

 

[LizzyM]

Given that you had a health issue that had gone un-diagnosed and untreated and you eventually were treated for that health condition, you can offer that explanation if anyone asks why you withdrew from so many classes as an undergrad. There is no reason to disclose the specific condition, that's private. You can say, "I had some health issues but I was fortunate to eventually get a treatment plan that worked and made things much more bearable." People deal with stuff like this all the time including Crohn's disease and other digestive issues, migranes, and gynecologic issues.

 

[Styrene]

I have a 3.8 gpa and I haven't gotten my mcat score back yet but I scored 512 plus on all my practice exams. I did really bad first semester sophomore year where I got a BC (basically a c+ since the a BC is 2.5) in organic chem and got B's in a couple of other classes. I got really scared since my sophomore gpa dropped .12 points. So second semester I dropped o chem 2 (didn't even take a midterm) and a language class and became a part time student.
1st semester junior year I tried taking o chem again and got scared (dropped o chem 2 again before even taking 1st midterm), a 2 credit leadership class and 3 credit social science class (i dropped the leadership class and social science class because i was scared i wasn't going to get an a) and i became a part time student again.

looking back on it that was probably not the best decision and i should've just taken the possible b.

Later on (after i became a part time student the second time) I went to a therapist and learned I had depression (had since high school) and learned to deal with it and I learned to deal with imperfections (i was an extreme perfectionist).

My question is I feel like my academic record looks spotty. What would you suggest i do to make it look like I'm a strong student (and not a quitter)? I'm not against taking a gap year to improve my application

Seconding @H20_Jay — Keep the GPA as high as possible. I had a similar situation except seven WFs instead of Ws, and my II results were extremely discordant with my stats and experiences: 36 As in a row after my screw up, 99%ile MCAT, publications, leadership, long-term meaningful volunteering with measurable results...but only a few IIs. So make sure you keep the GPA.