Should I withdraw from a class?

[gagaooolala]

Hi everyone,

I'm an MD/PhD applicant in this cycle (entering year 2015), and I've gotten interview offers at UMichigan, UPenn, Cornell, Duke, Case Western, and Stanford so far (which makes me keep pinching myself because I think this is a dream). However, I'm also taking a psychology/sociology seminar this semester to fulfill some graduation requirements, and this seminar meets once a week. Unfortunately, schools tend to schedule their interviews on the same days of each week, which means I have to miss this seminar quite often this semester. I talked to the professor about it, and he became unhappy with me and essentially said it would be very difficult for me to make up the missed classes. Do you guys think it would be better to withdraw from the class than to get grade like a C? How do medical schools view a W in a non-science class, as I was told medical schools receive your final transcript?

Thanks so much in advance everyone!

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[hoihaie]

you should withdraw and take it next semester

 

[wxman393]

Is this class absolutely required to graduate or you can you choose another? If so, can you take it in the spring? It would most likely be wiser to withdraw than to have a C bring down your GPA, especially if you can knock out all of your interviews prior to the spring semester. If you are asked about a W, you have a good explanation. You tried to work something out with your professor and it wasn't worth the risk. On top of that, your professor could choose to fail you if you miss too much class time.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Id withdraw. No one will care about it.

 

[gagaooolala]

you should withdraw and take it next semester

Unfortunately the class is only offered in the fall.

Is this class absolutely required to graduate or you can you choose another? If so, can you take it in the spring? It would most likely be wiser to withdraw than to have a C bring down your GPA, especially if you can knock out all of your interviews prior to the spring semester. If you are asked about a W, you have a good explanation. You tried to work something out with your professor and it wasn't worth the risk. On top of that, your professor could choose to fail you if you miss too much class time.

The class isn't required to graduate, I could take another class in the spring the fulfill the requirement. However, it wouldn't be the same class in the spring as the class is only offered in the fall.

I'm going to talk to a pre-health advisor at my school on Monday to see what she thinks, and then talk to the professor and see if it is worth it to withdraw. The overall consensus so far seems to be to withdraw, and that's relieving!

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

You should involve an administrator, an advisor, or at least a professor who knows you to get their input. You are asking this professor to go out of his way because of your schedule and poor planning. It's quite possible you can work this out, but it's much better to have your professor on your side.

ETA: sorry, didn't see you decided to speak with someone about this. I would only withdraw if you have a clear plan for what to expect next semester.

 

[gagaooolala]

You should involve an administrator, an advisor, or at least a professor who knows you to get their input. You are asking this professor to go out of his way because of your schedule and poor planning. It's quite possible you can work this out, but it's much better to have your professor on your side.

ETA: sorry, didn't see you decided to speak with someone about this. I would only withdraw if you have a clear plan for what to expect next semester.

I was originally planning on becoming a part-time student in the next semester, so I could easily take up full-time and take a class that fulfills the requirement. I suppose my main question is whether or not a W on my transcript would be bad enough to affect any acceptances I might (hopefully!) receive later on.

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

Some med schools, like Einstein, want to know the circumstances of the Ws. Having to postpone a class to allow you to interview for next year sounds legitimate to me. Too bad you didn't know how things would pan out so you could have withdrawn before it shows up on your transcript.

 

[womanofscience]

You should withdraw. If you can't attend, then it is wise to forego this class. I had to withdraw from a non-science course since the professor scheduled me at 9:30 pm at night...and I wasn't too comfortable with that arrangement.