Withdraw in undergrad academic history?

[ayan0624]

Hi all,

I just have some question about W on the transcript. I already had one W from my freshmen year, which was a social science intro course. I don't worry too much about this W, but I am thinking about withdrawing from another course this time...

This course itself is pretty much anthropology course, but it's crosslisted w/ ARHA, so I opted to take a course credit in ARHA.

But it turns out that the course is HORRIBLE; the prof is not clear but demands so much from the students. It will ruin my gpa if I keep the course for sure.

The course is not relevant to my concentration (Western), but I am worried since anyways it is recorded as "arha" course in my transcript.

Is there anyone applied to grad school with Withdraw in one's transcript? I don't know which one is better... Getting credit, but probably ruin my gpa VS Getting W in 200 lvl arha course.

Any advises will be welcomed! thanks

[Herbie]

I have a W on my transcript. It's in.. Western Philosophy II, I believe. The course said it was open to non-Majors, but the professor thought otherwise.

Are you an ART History major, or just a History major? If you're just a History major, I don't see the issue. W's can imply many things . . hardship, etc. It's the excessive W's that require explanations.

[fullofpink]

I have 3 W's and my application is super strong. If you have a strong app, I hardly think it matters.

[lilacpear]

Hi all,

I just have some question about W on the transcript. I already had one W from my freshmen year, which was a social science intro course. I don't worry too much about this W, but I am thinking about withdrawing from another course this time...

This course itself is pretty much anthropology course, but it's crosslisted w/ ARHA, so I opted to take a course credit in ARHA.

But it turns out that the course is HORRIBLE; the prof is not clear but demands so much from the students. It will ruin my gpa if I keep the course for sure.

The course is not relevant to my concentration (Western), but I am worried since anyways it is recorded as "arha" course in my transcript.

Is there anyone applied to grad school with Withdraw in one's transcript? I don't know which one is better... Getting credit, but probably ruin my gpa VS Getting W in 200 lvl arha course.

Any advises will be welcomed! thanks

I guess it really depends on the number of Ws and the kind of courses you are withdrawing. Withdrawing art history courses means one thing, withdrawing, say, required algebra means another. It is always preferable to have a W than a D or an F in your transcript, that's for sure, but, for the purposes of not turning your transcript into a potential red flag, it is really in your best interest to keep the number of Ws to an absolute minimum.

Also, the frequency of course withdrawals is important... for example, six withdrawals within a single semester could suggest you have experienced a major issue that forced you to drop the semester (in which case, the number of Ws could be completely justifiable), while the same number of Ws sprinkled throughout your undergraduate transcript could suggest you may have trouble finishing what you started. The former is much easier to explain and defend than the latter in a statement of purpose.

I realize you are only talking about two Ws here, so my example may not be the most accurate in relation to your situation. However, I exaggerate with a purpose.... I think it's valuable to consider how every aspect of your graduate school application could be interpreted by an admissions committee, and, with that in mind, it is always best to err on the side of caution.

Hope this helped.

lp