Taking a w

[MountieEh]

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Im changing majors from business administration to chemistry. But the thing is, im doing horrible in accounting, its almost certain that i'm going to fail the class. Since i won't need it for my chem major im considering just dropping it and taking the W instead of an F.

Would love some advice before i make the decision.
Thanks in advance guys.🙂

 

[seelee]

Im changing majors from business administration to chemistry. But the thing is, im doing horrible in accounting, its almost certain that i'm going to fail the class. Since i won't need it for my chem major im considering just dropping it and taking the W instead of an F.

Would love some advice before i make the decision.
Thanks in advance guys.🙂

One or two Ws are not a big deal. Multiple Ws especially in the same course are a red flag. As long as you do well in the rest of your classes you should be fine.

I would be prepared to explain the W in an addendum to your application though, be sure to put a positive spin on it. " I discovered that my passion was science rather than business...etc."

 

[MountieEh]

One or two Ws are not a big deal. Multiple Ws especially in the same course are a red flag. As long as you do well in the rest of your classes you should be fine.

I would be prepared to explain the W in an addendum to your application though, be sure to put a positive spin on it. " I discovered that my passion was science rather than business...etc."

Thanks a lot, great advice! Ya i was gonna say something along those lines to interviewers 🙂

 

[angst019]

I took a W in OChem Lab and no one seems to care so far. If its a required class you need to communicate your willingness to take it in the near future, but if it's business classes I wouldn't worry.

 

[jgauger]

I took a W in dynamics for the same reason, I was doing poorly and engineering wasn't my passion. I haven't applied yet, so I guess we'll see next summer/fall. Just from talking to different advisors I've gotten the impression that it isn't a big deal though. I hope they're right. I would take a W over an F everytime.

 

[fastboyslim]

I thought a W was worse than what you guys are making it seem. I mean, people take Ws when they're seriously considering the possibility they might get a D or F.

 

[apumic]

I thought a W was worse than what you guys are making it seem. I mean, people take Ws when they're seriously considering the possibility they might get a D or F.

They're certainly not a positive, but if you only have one or two, it's not going to kill you. It's making a habit of getting Ws (i.e., 3+ or 2 in the same class) that will get significant negative attention.


...So OP, I think taking the W is fine as long as you don't make a habit of it or have a pattern of Cs or something that would be cause for concern otherwise. A W is basically a D/F that does not affect your GPA. The fact that it doesn't affect your GPA means it doesn't hurt you in the same way a D/F would and, as a result, is a far better outcome. Granted, I'd probably take a C over a W, esp. since it's quite possibly you could pull a B- out of a C if you work hard enough.