Special Circumstances section

[Elisaveth]

I dropped two courses in the middle of the semester last semester because my car broke down and I couldn't make it to campus on time for labs and discussion. I retook the classes and did fine, but I'm wondering if I ought to use the special circumstances section to explain why I have those W's on my transcript.

 

[pharmerbird]

I wouldn't. That's not really a special circumstance. That situation is just something came up you had to drop the courses, & then you retook them. They will probably overlook the W's

 

[beancounter123]

Did you drop those courses before or after the drop date deadline? If it was beforehand then I must say that's pretty unfair on the school's part to keep tabs on your every dropped course.

 

[gopher13]

I wouldn't include that in the special circumstance section. I would include that in your supplemental application when they ask the question "is there anything else you would like to say"

 

[Elisaveth]

The supplemental application for the school I'm applying to doesn't actually provide a space to explain that.

 

[BadgerPharm]

Contact the school's pre-pharm advisor or admissions counselor. They will be able to give you a direct answer on what they're looking for, and that's what they're there for. Helping prospective students...at least I hope so.

My biggest piece of advice (which seems like basic knowledge) to everyone going through the admissions process: If you have any questions, open the lines of communication with the school(s) you are interested in. The sooner, the better. In my experience, the staff has always provided me with insightful tips into their admissions and seem more than happy to do so. I recognize SDN as an invaluable resource at this point in the game; however, very rarely will you receive the specific answer you are looking for on SDN. There is just too much variability between schools to get an end all answer.

Best of luck!