Worried about grades and withdrawals?

[dvmcatdog]

Hello!

You guys have always helped me on here in the past, so I figured I would write this post and see what other people think. My family never went to college so they don't really understand.

In the middle of college I withdrew from 3 courses, I ended up not needing them because I was transferring schools and they didn't want or need them but I found out shortly after the drop date had passed. I wasn't trying to get the excess credit hours fee Florida has on top of not needing them. So I went full time at my job since I wasn't going to school that semester if that matters.

Fast forward to this semester, I haven't withdrawn from any courses since then. Now I'm not doing so well in two classes. I'm taking 6 classes, I have A's in 4 of them, and D's in the other 2. I don't want 2 D's on my transcript, it would bring down my already low GPA as well. Would it be better to just withdraw, take them again next semester and ace them?

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[deleted676737]

Hello!

You guys have always helped me on here in the past, so I figured I would write this post and see what other people think. My family never went to college so they don't really understand.

In the middle of college I withdrew from 3 courses, I ended up not needing them because I was transferring schools and they didn't want or need them but I found out shortly after the drop date had passed. I wasn't trying to get the excess credit hours fee Florida has on top of not needing them. So I went full time at my job since I wasn't going to school that semester if that matters.

Fast forward to this semester, I haven't withdrawn from any courses since then. Now I'm not doing so well in two classes. I'm taking 6 classes, I have A's in 4 of them, and D's in the other 2. I don't want 2 D's on my transcript, it would bring down my already low GPA as well. Would it be better to just withdraw, take them again next semester and ace them?

I would personally withdraw unless you are confident that you can bring those grades up to Cs in however much time is left in your semester. I definitely think that adcomms would much rather see Ws and a retake than Ds or Fs, especially if your GPA is already on the low side. Just make sure that you really knock those classes out of the park next time. That said, five Ws is a smidge on the excessive side, so you may want to use the explanation statement to address what happened when you apply.

 

[dvmcatdog]

I would personally withdraw unless you are confident that you can bring those grades up to Cs in however much time is left in your semester. I definitely think that adcomms would much rather see Ws and a retake than Ds or Fs, especially if your GPA is already on the low side. Just make sure that you really knock those classes out of the park next time. That said, five Ws is a smidge on the excessive side, so you may want to use the explanation statement to address what happened when you apply.

I never really knew how to write explanation statements. Would I be like:
Spring 2014: I withdrew from 3 courses, I ended up not needing them because I was transferring schools and they didn't want or need them but I found out shortly after the drop date had passed.
Summer 2015: My grandfather passed away and it affected my grade in bio which I ended up with a D but I retook and got a B.
Fall 2016: I loaded myself with 6 classes along with extracurriculars and volunteer work but I retook the classes and I would mention whatever grade I got.
Obviously, it would be worded much better though.

 

[dvmcatdog]

I would personally withdraw unless you are confident that you can bring those grades up to Cs in however much time is left in your semester. I definitely think that adcomms would much rather see Ws and a retake than Ds or Fs, especially if your GPA is already on the low side. Just make sure that you really knock those classes out of the park next time. That said, five Ws is a smidge on the excessive side, so you may want to use the explanation statement to address what happened when you apply.

I've also heard that sometimes using the explanation statement can reflect badly on the applicant. I don't know how true this is, I worry about that as well.

 

[deleted676737]

I've also heard that sometimes using the explanation statement can reflect badly on the applicant. I don't know how true this is, I worry about that as well.

*shrug* Didn't seem to hurt me. I honestly don't think I would've gotten accepted without it as I was really not a strong applicant academically (was accepted outright to ISU and accepted off of the waitlists at MWU and Glasgow). I think a lot of it is in the approach that you take; I'd post mine here but my VMCAS application is no longer accessible.

Tone is really important. Don't simply write about the obstacles that you faced and why you ended up withdrawing or underperforming in classes--you also need to punctuate it with what steps you have taken to ensure that it does not happen in the future and preferably use real, concrete evidence to demonstrate that. As a hypothetical example, don't just say that you ended up withdrawing because your grandfather passed away; follow up with that by talking about how you tried again next semester and pulled an A, demonstrating that you've overcome that difficulty in your life and bounced back and have proven that you have truly mastered the material. It also shows resilience, which is a good quality to have as a medical professional.

 

[dvmcatdog]

*shrug* Didn't seem to hurt me. I honestly don't think I would've gotten accepted without it as I was really not a strong applicant academically (was accepted outright to ISU and accepted off of the waitlists at MWU and Glasgow). I think a lot of it is in the approach that you take; I'd post mine here but my VMCAS application is no longer accessible.

Tone is really important. Don't simply write about the obstacles that you faced and why you ended up withdrawing or underperforming in classes--you also need to punctuate it with what steps you have taken to ensure that it does not happen in the future and preferably use real, concrete evidence to demonstrate that. As a hypothetical example, don't just say that you ended up withdrawing because your grandfather passed away; follow up with that by talking about how you tried again next semester and pulled an A, demonstrating that you've overcome that difficulty in your life and bounced back and have proven that you have truly mastered the material. It also shows resilience, which is a good quality to have as a medical professional.

What was your GPA if you don't mind me asking?

 

[deleted676737]

What was your GPA if you don't mind me asking?

I was accepted with a 3.2. I have a post in the 2020 Successful Applicants thread if you want to see how my other stats stacked up: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ts-class-of-2020.1171065/page-2#post-17425128

 

[dvmcatdog]

I was accepted with a 3.2. I have a post in the 2020 Successful Applicants thread if you want to see how my other stats stacked up: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ts-class-of-2020.1171065/page-2#post-17425128

My GPA is around the same! I love how many different veterinary experiences you have. How did you manage to get all of those? It's kind of hard in Florida.
Also, how do you like Iowa? It's one of the schools I am applying to.