Thinking of dropping a class, looking for some input.

[Silverflash]

Hey guys. So here's my situation. I'm a senior pre-med who is taking a gap year (meaning I did not apply last cycle, and am instead applying after I graduate in May). This is my last semester. I'm a Neuroscience major with a 3.91 combined GPA, 3.92 sGPA, 34 MCAT (10/13/11).

I realized last semester that I only needed one more class to get a Biology minor, so I signed up for a Parasitology class. This put me at 18 hours. I'm taking a number of other hard, upper level neuroscience classes this semester. I realized pretty early on that the Bio class was going to be harder than I thought, and I came close to dropping it during the free add/drop period, but decided to keep it in order to get the Bio minor.

Well, I got an 80 on the first test. Not up to my standards, but not horrible. I could have studied more and done better, which I vowed to do next time. Unfortunately, the second test was this week, during which I had 4 other tests. One of these is for an extremely difficult class that I need in order to graduate, and I spent most of my time on it. (That test is tomorrow morning, wish me luck!) I've received almost no sleep the past few days and just had the Parasitology test this morning.

In short, it was a disaster. It was an extremely difficult test that I didn't study enough for, despite my best intentions. It might as well have been rocket science.

I'm now considering dropping the class (receiving a W) in order to preserve my GPA. While I will wait to do anything until I get my grade back after spring break, I can't imagine having done well enough to make anything but a C a possibility and an F a scary if distant second.

To graduate Magna Cum Laude at my school you need a 3.85, so I would really like to keep above that, and I'm not sure it's possible with my other hard classes AND this optional Bio class dragging me down. I've never got a W before, though, and I don't know how it might affect my application. Plus, I don't get the Bio minor, which while not super important to me or med schools is something I'd like to have.

TL;DR: Do I take a W to preserve my GPA, or do I stay with a very hard class to hopefully get a C/C+ and a Bio minor?

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[Reckoner]

No one will care about the minor, and a single W won't be a deal-breaker by any means. I say drop the class

 

[Silverflash]

Bump for any other opinions?

 

[baconshrimps]

No one will care about the minor, and a single W won't be a deal-breaker by any means. I say drop the class

+1

 

[infinitessimal]

If the bio minor is not super important to you or med schools, why is it something you'd like to have? Is it simply because you only need one more class and have worked so hard thus far, and it would be a shame to not make it to the finish line? If so, I understand the feeling, but you just need to let it go. Getting that "minor" checkbox is not worth a C, bringing down your GPA, stressing you out your last semester and likely bringing down your other grades, etc.

You will probably be asked for your reasons behind the W, but that beats the initial first impression of seeing a low grade.

 

[snowflakes]

I had a similar GPA and a W in a BCPM course. 10+ interviews and not one single person has asked me about it. I think when you have a strong GPA, people are more likely to overlook a W as an anomaly.

 

[Silverflash]

If the bio minor is not super important to you or med schools, why is it something you'd like to have? Is it simply because you only need one more class and have worked so hard thus far, and it would be a shame to not make it to the finish line?

Yeah, this is the reason. When you're a non-Bio major pre-med, you take so many Biology classes anyways that it feels... frustrating to have it go "unnoticed." I realize that it's probably silly to think that sort of thing, but there it is. I had actually taken a few extra Bio classes past the base requirements (and done well in all of them), so I just wanted a way for them to "matter." I was also only one class away from a Chemistry minor, but I picked Bio. (I sure regret it now!)

Oh well. Still haven't made the final decision (and I would, of course, appreciate more input). I'll update/bump the thread after spring break when I get my grade back.

 

[Lucca]

Yeah, this is the reason. When you're a non-Bio major pre-med, you take so many Biology classes anyways that it feels... frustrating to have it go "unnoticed." I realize that it's probably silly to think that sort of thing, but there it is. I had actually taken a few extra Bio classes past the base requirements (and done well in all of them), so I just wanted a way for them to "matter." I was also only one class away from a Chemistry minor, but I picked Bio. (I sure regret it now!)

Oh well. Still haven't made the final decision (and I would, of course, appreciate more input). I'll update/bump the thread after spring break when I get my grade back.

W>sub B grade. That's my policy.

 

[knv2u]

No one will care about the minor, and a single W won't be a deal-breaker by any means. I say drop the class

 

[ObLaDi]

Drop it.

 

[knv2u]

If the bio minor is not super important to you or med schools, why is it something you'd like to have? Is it simply because you only need one more class and have worked so hard thus far, and it would be a shame to not make it to the finish line? If so, I understand the feeling, but you just need to let it go. Getting that "minor" checkbox is not worth a C, bringing down your GPA, stressing you out your last semester and likely bringing down your other grades, etc.

You will probably be asked for your reasons behind the W, but that beats the initial first impression of seeing a low grade.

If that's his only W and his GPA is otherwise strong, I doubt he will even be asked about it in an interview.