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I am considering dropping a course and I was wondering if Ws on a college transcript are going to have any serious negative consequence when it comes to getting into graduate school later on.
I have considered all other factors (including drop rules and financial aid impact and all that) and it is looking like it will make more sense to drop this class than continue forward. The only thing I am not sure about is how it looks when applying to grad school, but in that case, isn't a W still preferable to a C?
The thing is, I am changing my major soon so this class will no longer be a degree requirement fulfillment for me. It will be irrelevant. I got behind and since there are only 3 grades in the class (3 exams, no papers or anything else), I'd have to get 100% on the remaining exams to even manage a low B. Yeah I should know better. I am normally a much better student!
That depends on many factors (e.g. type of grad program, ranking(s) of the grad school(s) that you are applying)
My background is in Economics so I can only base my experience on this. A C is considered a really awful grade, especially in a relevant class. It seems that getting a W then do well is preferable to getting a C.
What type of grad program are you interested in? I'm asking this because students in certain disciplines tend to have a lower undergrad GPA (e.g. engineering) than others (e.g. medicine).
Personally, if a class will be irrelevant to me then I'd definitely drop it instead of getting a C (or worse, a failing grade) and waste no more time on it.
But you said "I'd have to get 100% on the remaining exams." It looks like there are 2 exams remaining and you did really awful on your first midterm since you said you'd "have to get 100% on the remaining exams to even manage a low B." Is the class curved?
I am considering dropping a course and I was wondering if Ws on a college transcript are going to have any serious negative consequence when it comes to getting into graduate school later on.
I have considered all other factors (including drop rules and financial aid impact and all that) and it is looking like it will make more sense to drop this class than continue forward. The only thing I am not sure about is how it looks when applying to grad school, but in that case, isn't a W still preferable to a C?
The thing is, I am changing my major soon so this class will no longer be a degree requirement fulfillment for me. It will be irrelevant. I got behind and since there are only 3 grades in the class (3 exams, no papers or anything else), I'd have to get 100% on the remaining exams to even manage a low B. Yeah I should know better. I am normally a much better student!
I am thinking the W is better than a GPA hit... ?
Considering that MIT students withdraw from courses all the time (to avoid Fs), and they tend to get into most grad programs they apply to; I would say it is not a problem.
Ok, honestly a W is not a big deal to grad programs. And if you like (or the programs ask) you can always explain the W in your SOP, addendum to SOP, or somewhere else in the application packet.
A W is viewed in many different ways. It is generally assumed that the student withdrew because the student was failing the course. In this instance, the W would only be better than a C if the student retook the course and received an A or B.
Withdrawing from the course because it will no longer apply to your new major is a good idea as far as undergrad is concerned. How it applies to grad school solely depends on your reasoning and what the admissions committee is looking for. Some may view the W as the mature, reasonable, thing to do and others may see it as making things easier for yourself, that you lack tenacity.
As for GPA: your SOP, LORs and depending on program; research experience hold more weight than your GPA. Some programs do have strict GPA and GRE cutoffs, but most do not and will still consider your application if you have strong LORs, a well written SOP, and research (depending on program) even if you have a 2.XX GPA.
That depends on many factors (e.g. type of grad program, ranking(s) of the grad school(s) that you are applying)
My background is in Economics so I can only base my experience on this. A C is considered a really awful grade, especially in a relevant class. It seems that getting a W then do well is preferable to getting a C.
What type of grad program are you interested in? I'm asking this because students in certain disciplines tend to have a lower undergrad GPA (e.g. engineering) than others (e.g. medicine).
Personally, if a class will be irrelevant to me then I'd definitely drop it instead of getting a C (or worse, a failing grade) and waste no more time on it.
But you said "I'd have to get 100% on the remaining exams." It looks like there are 2 exams remaining and you did really awful on your first midterm since you said you'd "have to get 100% on the remaining exams to even manage a low B." Is the class curved?
First question; Master's in Special Education or something similar to that. I want to also prepare to do ABA therapy (working with kids with autism) which should be part of whatever program I choose as a certification option.
Second question: I don't think it's curved. He does give extra credit points here and there so I could theoretically get higher than a 100 on the 2 remaining tests but I don't want to bet on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv
Considering that MIT students withdraw from courses all the time (to avoid Fs), and they tend to get into most grad programs they apply to; I would say it is not a problem.
Ok, honestly a W is not a big deal to grad programs. And if you like (or the programs ask) you can always explain the W in your SOP, addendum to SOP, or somewhere else in the application packet.
A W is viewed in many different ways. It is generally assumed that the student withdrew because the student was failing the course. In this instance, the W would only be better than a C if the student retook the course and received an A or B.
Withdrawing from the course because it will no longer apply to your new major is a good idea as far as undergrad is concerned. How it applies to grad school solely depends on your reasoning and what the admissions committee is looking for. Some may view the W as the mature, reasonable, thing to do and others may see it as making things easier for yourself, that you lack tenacity.
As for GPA: your SOP, LORs and depending on program; research experience hold more weight than your GPA. Some programs do have strict GPA and GRE cutoffs, but most do not and will still consider your application if you have strong LORs, a well written SOP, and research (depending on program) even if you have a 2.XX GPA.
Thanks for this. I have other W's on my transcript and I never worried much about them, I just made sure I wasn't going to owe money if I dropped, and made sure it didn't affect my completion rate. This time I ended up reading something about W's being "bad" for people with grad school plans and it worried me but I can't do anything about the W's already there. They are spread out over the entire time I've been back to school, part time and full time since 2008. One of my W's was an exercise class that was literally kicking my butt, I thought I was going to DIE. I thought I was in pretty good shape prior to that class but it was like boot camp, insane! I dropped then took swimming instead for my physical activity necessary credit.
I am exempt from the six drop rule because I originally started school back in 1990. Guess there is one good thing to come from that!
I really don't want to drop this one (it is very interesting, actually) but I think I will be sorry if I don't. I am also starting a flex class this week so I will have even more going on, and I am finding it harder to focus the longer I am in school, I just want to get it FINISHED and the more I stress about it the more I am likely to slack off, perversely enough.
I have until March 21st to decide so I will hopefully see an advisor before then anyway.
Well I suppose I exaggerated a bit. I would need a 95 on each remaining test to get a B in the class (yes, I did abominably!).... to me anything less than a B and I might as well go for a W. I could bust butt and manage a B, or reduce my stress load overall and just drop it. I hate deciding.
Can you reasonably pull a C? A C is not going to keep you out of grad school as long as you have a strong GPA. And for some grad programs you just need an okay GPA.
Can you reasonably pull a C? A C is not going to keep you out of grad school as long as you have a strong GPA. And for some grad programs you just need an okay GPA.
Yes, I could pull a C but I am really stressed about my GPA. I transferred from a community college, and so I have an overall GPA then an institutional one and they use both, separately and together for various things.
My first semester, I got a C in an elective class and then Bs in everything else and so my institutional GPA is a 2.70 and my overall is a 3.17. I haven't had anything below a 3.0 in a long time and I don't want a 2 point anything. If I can bring it up, I can qualify for a couple of honor societies with potential scholarship opportunities for my final year, which I really could use.
If I keep the class and get a C, then get As and Bs in my other classes I will have an institutional GPA between a 2.86 and a 3.0, but if I drop the class I should have a 3.15. Or a 3.0 worst case scenario. Point is I think the C will bring it down unless I get all A's in my other courses this semester.
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Yeah I should know better. I am normally a much better student! 
I thought I was in pretty good shape prior to that class but it was like boot camp, insane! I dropped then took swimming instead for my physical activity necessary credit.
and then Bs in everything else and so my institutional GPA is a 2.70 and my overall is a 3.17. I haven't had anything below a 3.0 in a long time and I don't want a 2 point anything. 
If I can bring it up, I can qualify for a couple of honor societies with potential scholarship opportunities for my final year, which I really could use. 
