I know having a W on your transcript is definitly not a good thing! How will this effect a applicants chances of getting in if you have a hand full of W's from past screw ups??
I had one W. I signed up for University Physics because College Physics was full. Because it was calculus-based, I did horribly. The university allowed me to withdraw. It was easy to explain. A "handfull" of Ws might look bad, and you might have some explaining to do. Prepare a really good answer.