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Withdrawals :(


lbub

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Hello everyone

My GPA is a 3.95 but I have withdrawn from two full-time semesters in a row.  The only justification I can give is that there was a death in my immediate family and that I was in a state of poor mental health, making careless and inexplicable decisions.  I was a math major at the time and not really feeling it.  Last semester I finally stuck around, taking nothing but philosophy courses (because I still need many electives), making all As and finding them extremely enjoyable.

Now, it's a little early, but I'm entertaining the idea of shooting for grad school in philosophy.  I should graduate next fall.  But even if I do everything else right -- make the As, do well on the GREs, write a thesis, craft a beautiful WS, get awesome letters -- is there anything to do about the black hole in the middle of my transcript, other than mention that it was due to personal issues, long since resolved? 

I should mention that I go to a regular old state university, so I don't have prestige on my side.  I would probably apply to a MA program first and gamble for a few outside scholarships.  Would it help my case to take more philosophy the spring after I graduate and apply?  Or take a productive gap year and reapply if I get shut out or don't get funding?

Of course, there may be other things to do to mitigate the effect of a big chunk of W's.  Just trying to get a wide range of advice -- I'll be talking to faculty as well.  Thank you guys for any help you can give!

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Will you have earned a degree in philosophy when you graduate? If not, you might consider waiting to graduate in order to earn the undergraduate credential in philosophy, particularly if you haven't yet done much coursework in philosophy, and you're considering doing more coursework in philosophy after graduation anyway. It'll give you more practice in crafting a strong sample, and more time to obtain strong letters, as well as put some more solid work between you and the withdrawals. Also, it's worth keeping in mind that it can be more difficult to get guidance on your writing sample or to obtain letters after you've left academia (in the case of taking a gap year) if you're not nearby or in contact with professors.

As for the specific issue of the W's on your transcript, I think I would do everything possible to make your application strong, as you've mentioned: earning good grades in your remaining courses (particularly in philosophy), obtaining good letters, scoring well on the GRE, and writing a strong sample. I'd consider asking your letter writers to explain the W's; if there's a reasonable explanation that your letter writers can address (a death in the family and mental health challenges), then that will help. Also, a strong finish on your part will help show that you've put these issues behind you.

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Thank you for the advice, hector!  I will have a degree by that time if I use all of my general elective credits on philosophy, which I may as well do. 

Didn't consider asking my letter writers to mention it, that is a good idea.

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  • 2 months later...

You know that if you had a death in the family that is a really really good excuse, right? That kind of thing naturally leads to emotional and mental challenges. Its traumatic. Its what lead me to take extra time finishing my MA thesis, really! Your letter writers can explain that. And if you end up getting an MA, the Ws will get further and further to the past anyway. 

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