Will one "W" inhurt you?

[calvinhobbes]

I am currently in Statistics - and If I end up doing poorly, I think I may want to get that W instead of that C.

Question is, is Stats really required? I already took Calculus, got an A in it.
So If i decide to take that W in Statistics, will it hurt my "math" requirement for pre-med; and will that one W hurt my chances?

Thanks!

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[Mastac741]

I don't know if they'll keep you out of med school, but they certainly don't look good. I say stick it out and smack the final and get a B. Go talk to your TA's or professor.

Dropping a class is the easy way out.

 

[cureious]

Just having one W is not going to hurt you. I had three W's myself including one in Calculus II (which is a required course at some medical schools and I ended up taking this class the next semester and getting an A) and I have received numerous interviews. However, most medical schools require statistics. So while you may take a W now, eventually you are going to have to take that class again and actually get a letter grade. Also, you should check the medical schools' websites to see what their exact rquirements are.

Side note:
I was never asked once in any of my interviews about my W's on my transcripts.

Good Luck!

 

[eekonomics]

I am currently in Statistics - and If I end up doing poorly, I think I may want to get that W instead of that C.

Question is, is Stats really required? I already took Calculus, got an A in it.
So If i decide to take that W in Statistics, will it hurt my "math" requirement for pre-med; and will that one W hurt my chances?

Thanks!

Having a "W" in stats can't look good, considering the amount of scientific articles you'll be reading/analyzing in medical school. I agree with the earlier poster: stick it out, and get a B.

 

[calvinhobbes]

Thanks everyone, I think I will certainly stick it out and study a lot harder... the first test I didn't study for, that's why.

Thanks!

 

[Funky]

No, it won't hurt you that much.

 

[mikeinsd]

what schools exactly require statistics...? I got scared last year when a friend told me the same thing, that "most med schools require statistics" but this is simply not true, I applied to 20 some odd schools and never took it, nor did i ever see anything about it being required... so who are these :most medical schools?"

oh and far as the one W - i think it wont be a big deal, as long as you retake and get a good grade

 

[Green Pirate]

Having a "W" in stats can't look good, considering the amount of scientific articles you'll be reading/analyzing in medical school. I agree with the earlier poster: stick it out, and get a B.

so it would be better to get a B in a class like statistics than get a W...that's interesting. I would think if you feel you can get an A next semester, then just take the W now and try again. Colleges don't know why you withdrew...you might have had work-related issues or something of that nature. If you get a good grade later, I don't think they'd view you as weak.

 

[NCF145]

I am currently in Statistics - and If I end up doing poorly, I think I may want to get that W instead of that C.

Question is, is Stats really required? I already took Calculus, got an A in it.
So If i decide to take that W in Statistics, will it hurt my "math" requirement for pre-med; and will that one W hurt my chances?

Thanks!

No. I have a WP and currently have 2 acceptances.

 

[jjmack]

do a search people ask this all the time. I had one W and no one asked me about it once. Just make sure you have an answer if someone does ask you.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

I took a W in Stats.

The next semester, I retook it and got an A.

I have since been accepted by multiple schools (3 of which were "ranked," if you're into that sort of thing).

Take the W, retake the class, and relax about it. Not one single person ever brought up my W in an interview or otherwise. Ever.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

what schools exactly require statistics...? I got scared last year when a friend told me the same thing, that "most med schools require statistics" but this is simply not true, I applied to 20 some odd schools and never took it, nor did i ever see anything about it being required... so who are these :most medical schools?"

oh and far as the one W - i think it wont be a big deal, as long as you retake and get a good grade

Yeah, there's no way most med schools require stats. Most med schools don't require any math at all, though many recommend it. For that matter, who requires Calc II?

 

[TMP-SMX]

Yeah, there's no way most med schools require stats. Most med schools don't require any math at all, though many recommend it. For that matter, who requires Calc II?

Very few schools. I wish I didn't take it. I have a D the first time around and then an A- to show for it.

 

[byong_soo]

not a big deal at all

 

[eesh72]

What if you withdraw from the same class twice?
I took an online 6 week intensive math class last semester, and withdrew because when it started I working very hard in chem and bio and didnt want to withdraw from one of them and be a semester behind...I have it again this semester. It is supposed a full semester blended(partially online) course(instead of 6 week totally online). Turns out that its the same exact thing as last semester, only its the entire semester instead of six weeks. I can't learn math from a computer. Will it be awful if I withdraw again, and take it in a completely-non-online setting next semester, and get an A?

 

[lakersbaby]

i was asked about my one W at my loma linda interview. that was not fun

 

[etf]

Side note:
I was never asked once in any of my interviews about my W's on my transcripts.

me neither; i wasn't asked about my w, or any of my 3 c's (one of which was in statistics), or about any of my grades for that matter. then again, none of my interviews yielded acceptances.

 

[greg1184]

W won't hurt you. Be ready to explain the circumstances of it in an interview.

It is better to get a 4.0 and have one withdrawl, then to do badly in that class and then have to justify it.

 

[Max8]

I have 1 W and never took stats. Nobody's asked about the W and none of the schools I applied to seemed the least bit perturbed about the lack of statistics in my undergrad education.

Withdraw. Much better than to get a C.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

What if you withdraw from the same class twice?
I took an online 6 week intensive math class last semester, and withdrew because when it started I working very hard in chem and bio and didnt want to withdraw from one of them and be a semester behind...I have it again this semester. It is supposed a full semester blended(partially online) course(instead of 6 week totally online). Turns out that its the same exact thing as last semester, only its the entire semester instead of six weeks. I can't learn math from a computer. Will it be awful if I withdraw again, and take it in a completely-non-online setting next semester, and get an A?

Yikes!

In all honesty, this would not look good. Not at all.

If I were you, I'd go to the Math Dept and ask if you can hire an upperclassman to tutor you in order to get through this. I'm generally not a fan of excessive tutoring, but yours is not a good situation.

 

[rickthetwinkie]

One W may not hurt. But when it comes up in an interview, you want to have a coherent intelligent response(not excuse). I think the article on the front page of SDN explains that nicely.

 

[ambidigital11]

This isn't relevant to W's, but since we're talking about math so much..I got a C in calculus last semester (senior year), and I've never gotten one before. Do you guys think that since this is a premed requirement to the places I'm applying, this could revoke my acceptances?

I hope not, though it might require some explanation...thanks!

 

[sekem]

no

 

[hermit]

You guys kill me.

OP - if you really think a B is better than a W as these fools would have you believe, you deserve the lower GPA they tricked you into.

 

[karmega5]

Make nice with someone at a med school you want to go to and ask them. A lot of the pre-med forums held by schools and such are a good place to go to ask for advice, or try asking the adcoms on here.
Honestly, I don't think a B is all that bad, but then again, in my interview, I was asked about Cs, but not about my W.

This thread made me remember that for my first two years, I was convinced that schools calculated a W as an F in GPA. Someone (advisor?) told me that if you withdraw, they assume you were failing anyway, and so calculate it that way. Just take all advice with a boulder of salt.

 

[JohnnyOU]

They don't care about a few W's.
I had some and got into my top choice.

 

[dannylee718]

Not only will a "W" inhurt you, it will also outhurt you too.