For all you college people out there, I'm wondering how bad a "W", Withdrawal looks on your college transcript??? Reason I ask is I'm thinking about dropping my Spanish 2 class and just taking it in the summer. This is probably one of the worst semsters for me with 3 upper level classes for my major(Sociology) and an upper level requirement. I'm not lazy when it comes to school, but I do know my limits, and I really don't want to seriously jeopardize my entire GPA because of this extra class. I already have a "W" on my transcript from my first semster, I'm wondering if another one will make my transcript not look as great. I plan on going to grad school after I graduate, so thats why I have this concern. I have a hard enough time taking placement tests, that I don't need this to further increase my chances of not getting in. I would talk to my advisor but he was really rude to me the first time I met him, and I just prefer not to see him. Well any college alumni or students, let me hear your thoughs on my situations, I have about 5 days to drop this class. :nixweiss
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How bad do Withdrawals look on your transcript?
- Thread starter JaCkaL829
- Start date
GoodnClean
New member
It depends. It will always be something you'll have to explain, not really on job interviews as they really just look at the GPA (if they look at all) but when applying to graduate school. It doesn't look as bad (nor does it effect your GPA) as an F or a D. An interview like that is a sales meeting, you're selling yourself. If you believe in yourself you can talk your way out of a W for sure, or even an F or D.
First advice, ditch the advisor. Are you allowed to pick your advisor? An advisor is SO important in college. My major didn't require me to have one I just needed to meet with a Psych professor at the end of every semester to sign off on my course choices and release my registration hold. Otherwise I just figured it out on my own and it was SO hard. There is a lot of beurocracy and red tape in a University or College and you NEED a good advisor you can trust, be honest with, and be comfortable with to steer you through.
IMHO starting a business is nowhere near as complicated as graduating from college and I've done both. People pay thousands of dollars to advisors when starting a business, they're right there for you at no charge when you're in college, use em! You're gonna need recomendations anyways, gotta get in tight with these people.
Do you go to Rutgers?
First advice, ditch the advisor. Are you allowed to pick your advisor? An advisor is SO important in college. My major didn't require me to have one I just needed to meet with a Psych professor at the end of every semester to sign off on my course choices and release my registration hold. Otherwise I just figured it out on my own and it was SO hard. There is a lot of beurocracy and red tape in a University or College and you NEED a good advisor you can trust, be honest with, and be comfortable with to steer you through.
IMHO starting a business is nowhere near as complicated as graduating from college and I've done both. People pay thousands of dollars to advisors when starting a business, they're right there for you at no charge when you're in college, use em! You're gonna need recomendations anyways, gotta get in tight with these people.
Do you go to Rutgers?
Having had to examine many transcripts, I can tell you that it is bad but hardly crippling. Unless you're applying to Med School, where they just use crude formulae for gpa cutoffs most grad programs in the social sciences, psych and the hard sciences look at the whole range of things on your transcript.
The most important: Have you taken advanced courses in your area and done well? Have you done research as an undergrad? Can you get a professor to write a detailed letter about you? HOw high did you score on the GRE? In technical subjects -- such as demography, economics, or the natural sciences, -- how much hard math you've taken will also count a lot.
Absent these things, even a 4.0 won't help you get into the very top programs. With good answers to all of the above, you can make up for a checkered grade sheet.
The most important: Have you taken advanced courses in your area and done well? Have you done research as an undergrad? Can you get a professor to write a detailed letter about you? HOw high did you score on the GRE? In technical subjects -- such as demography, economics, or the natural sciences, -- how much hard math you've taken will also count a lot.
Absent these things, even a 4.0 won't help you get into the very top programs. With good answers to all of the above, you can make up for a checkered grade sheet.
Steve: I go to Montclair State University in upper NJ. I'm not sure if I can really get a new advisor. I rarely seek academic advising because my major program is very cut and clear on what classes to take. I will look into talking to him though and seeing what he has to say.
jvcn: Ya, I''ve been taken sociology classes and have been doing good with them. My cummulative GPA is 3.3 which I intend on getting up a little more. I'm sure I can get a recommendation and I've never taken the GREs. I'm sure the W won't help the situation, I was just wondering the severity of it.
jvcn: Ya, I''ve been taken sociology classes and have been doing good with them. My cummulative GPA is 3.3 which I intend on getting up a little more. I'm sure I can get a recommendation and I've never taken the GREs. I'm sure the W won't help the situation, I was just wondering the severity of it.
I can't speak for Sociology, but it is important that you find a professor who has succeeded in getting students into top grad programs and ask him/her specifically what you need to do.
Most students are poorly informed about grad school. It's a whole different ball game and decent grades are often not enough. There is a real advantage to graduating from the heavyweight private and public schools (because the courses they take are more closely tied to what is hot in grad school) and you'll often need 98+ percentiles on the GRE just to stay in the running. A 3.3 from schools other than MIT, Caltech, or Chicago is borderline I'd say.
If all a prof writes is that so and so is a bright kid with good grades, that student will be shut out of many good programs, unless the letter writer is a god in the field.
Good luck and bless you for trying.:up
Most students are poorly informed about grad school. It's a whole different ball game and decent grades are often not enough. There is a real advantage to graduating from the heavyweight private and public schools (because the courses they take are more closely tied to what is hot in grad school) and you'll often need 98+ percentiles on the GRE just to stay in the running. A 3.3 from schools other than MIT, Caltech, or Chicago is borderline I'd say.
If all a prof writes is that so and so is a bright kid with good grades, that student will be shut out of many good programs, unless the letter writer is a god in the field.
Good luck and bless you for trying.:up