"W" on your transcript

[Highspirits]

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Hi everybody,

I am a new member to this forum. If this question has been asked before, please excuse me.

My question is how bad it is to have a "W" (withdraw) on your transcript? One of my friends told me that a "W" is even worse than a bad grade.

I am currently thinking to withdraw from a lab.

Thanks.
🙂

 

[LauraMac]

It's kind of early in the semester to drop already. Are you really doing that poorly in the lab right now? If you are and are sure you can't do better, then withdraw. Just make sure you ace it next time you take it.

-Laura

 

[Highspirits]

Thanks for the reply.

I actually did OK so far. However, I am taking 4 labs this semester, and I have to spend hours to write those lab reports. I am currently taking a MCAT review class, and I can never keep up with their schedule.

I am wondering if a "W" is worse than a B.

This lab is a prerequisite for med schools, and I am going to apply this year. Does it matter if I take it after I apply?

 

[LP1CW]

A "B" won't kill you. It's fine. It's only a lab which is worth like 1 point or credit, so don't fret over it.

A "W" won't kill you either. Truthfully, it's the whole package.

 

[CalBeE]

If you're expecting a B then don't drop the class. Unless you seriously need to raise your GPA, a B won't hurt you, trust me.

I remember getting a B in Organic Chem 1 and I was sorta upset at the time. Now when I look back it's rather silly. Adcoms look at patterns, not individual grades.

And too many W will raise questions just like having bad grades like C's and D's, so you want to be selective in terms of which classes to withdraw.

 

[exmike]

I had two W's, along with a bunch of other bad marks. It can be made up.

 

[Amy B]

W's aren't a kiss of death. But neither is a B. If you think you can get a B, then keep going and at least you will have that lab out of the way.

I have 2 W's over my 4 years as undergrad. I withdrew from my master's program because we moved away. That left me with 6 W's in the same semester. I wrote in my essay a short sentence telling why I had those, and I have yet to be asked about any of my W's.

My point is take the B if you can. A few W's are fine, but when you start getting a number of them, especially in science or math courses, that is when the red flags go up in the adcoms eyes.

 

[CalBeE]

oh and an alternative (but won't apply to your lab I think) is to change the grading to Pass/Fail. At least at my school, you can change from letter grading to Pass/Fail up to 2 weeks before finals.

I did that for 2 classes throughout my undergrad years. One was for a research course (I found out that I couldn't work well with that professor, so I switched lab the quarter after), and the other one was for a history G.E. class.

Neither was an issue I think.

 

[HollyJ]

If it's one W, I don't think it matters at all. If it's going to be your seventh or eigth, then it will be a problem.

 

[fullefect1]

I will probably end up Withdrawing from this evil professor. She is there to give everyone in the class a bad grade. I can't stand people like this, and she also really sucks at teaching. No one can even read what she writes on the board.

 

[Brickhouse]

I had an entire quarter of W's my freshman year - I dropped out of school! Didn't seem to hurt me that much, I made up for it with good marks upon graduation. Some schools will ask you to explain them. We're all human - you bit off more than you could chew and you're fixing it. I think that's legitimate. Just don't make a habit of it!

G'luck!

 

[oldtimer]

I had more W's than I can count on one hand. I had to withdraw one semester. Just expect to be asked about it at your interviews. One interviewer even remarked that it was smart of me to get all W's than to get all bad grades for that semester.

 

[Kalel]

Yup, I agree with the previous posters. I recall my pre-med advisor telling us all that one or two sporadic W's that can be explained away are better then a bad grade. If you end up with W's every other semester or so, then you might run into trouble. I also think that withdrawing one whole semester if you have a good reason is acceptable too.

 

[Optimist]

A W is a little worse than a B. Adcoms will probably assume you were getting a C or D and withdrew as a result.

But then again, it's not that bad. Just don't make a habit of it. One or two in an entire college career can easily be explained away by saying you wanted to devote more time for your other classes/volunteering, etc.

I withdrew from 2 classes, and it never came up in my 2 interviews.

 

[Highspirits]

Thanks for all the advice.

It is really nice to be a member of this forum.

😀

 

[SunnyS81]

I want to serve as an example of why getting a W is bad idea....

I did it in French I...........a class that gives 60% A's, yet my lab partner and I both withdrew........we were looking at D's.........

If you want to break into a top 5 school, I suggest you not withdraw.......it'll be your kiss of death..........I'm pretty sure I didn't get into Harvard or Penn because of it........if I had only applied to Hopkins or Duke.......maybe they pick up slackers with W's......

-One disappointed Med student

p.s. I'm being completely sarcastic. Don't take a W every semester like one of my old roommates, but don't take a D or F on account of it.......

 

[Samus Aran]

Originally posted by Highspirits

I am wondering if a "W" is worse than a B.

Since when are B's considered bad??? As far as I know a B is still "above average..."

 

[pekq]

Stanford used to have a policy where you can withdraw and not have it show up on the transcript. It was how someone I knew ended up with a 3.9+.

As for me, I withdrew from 2 classes and was grilled about both of them at NJMS. Since my experience was so bad at NJMS, I subsequently withdrew from NJMS. I was also asked about one of the withdraws at RWJ. I have yet to be asked about my withdraws anywhere else though.

I guess if you want to maintain a 3.9, then withdraw from that course you are getting a "B" in. Otherwise, a "B" won't hurt that much.

 

[gary5]

Getting a B in a lab is no big deal at all. It's your overall GPA and science GPA that matter. The average student accepted to med school has a 3.5.

 

[Blade28]

An odd "W" or two isn't going to kill your app. I think I was told by some advisor back in college that he recommended one "W," max, per year (we were on the quarter system).