<p>I'm currently a freshman at a prestigious liberal arts college in Massachusetts. I felt pressured by my family to be pre-med. So I decided to take Biology 101, despite the fact that I never liked math or sciences, preferring subjects like history and English instead. Halfway through the semester, I decided I really disliked Biology, so I withdrew from the class incurring a W on my transcript. I am doing well in my other classes which are in the social sciences and the humanities. Now I am considering law school, but I am worried about how the W would look on my transcript for Bio 101. Im worried that the W coupled with the fact that I don't plan on taking anymore science or math classes might put me at a disadvantage in law school admissions. Would law schools look unfavorably on an applicant who took courses primarily in the social sciences and humanities, while taking very few classes if any in math and hard sciences? Ive heard that law schools look at course difficulty in evaluating transcripts and many people seem to believe that all humanities and social science classes are easy, while all math and science classes are difficult. Therefore, students who major in the humanities or social sciences are less intelligent. Would law school admissions officers think similarly?</p>
<p>if law schools looked down on those who took social sciences and humanities the overwhelming majority of those in law school wouldn't be there.
study what you are interested in. you are a first semester freshman -- college is supposed to be about finding what it is you are interested in -- don't let fears about law school admissions paralyze you from getting what YOU want to out of your college experience.</p>
<p>and please don't consider law school just because you have decided against medical school -- being a lawyer is very demanding and most prospective lawyers know little about what is actually involved in the practice of law -- before deciding if you want law school, think carefully about why you think you want to be a lawyer and learn as much as you can about what lawyers do. and also give yourself a chance to consider other career paths -- you are just starting your college career -- there are a lot of career paths out there besides medicine and law that you may not yet be aware of.</p>
<p>So should I worry about taking classes in a diverse range of subjects? Or take classes only in the subjects that I know I will do well in.</p>
<p>Don't worry one iota about the "W." First take a variety of classes to find where your interests, then specialize. Don't just take courses b/c you think you'll get a good grade in; instead, take courses that you enjoy and the grade'll take care of itself. Major in whatever you enjoy most, law school acceptance'll be based on GPA/LSAT. Might as well enjoy life now, b/c most folk do not like law school and hate the profession that much more. Good luck.</p>
<p>you should worry about getting out of college what YOU want to get out of college. no one else can answer that for you.</p>
<p>do you like am'erst?</p>
<p>Could we get back to my original question?</p>
<p>If it shows units, it counts as an F in your GPA, if not, you're fine. Your GPA and your LSAT matter.</p>
<p>cherokeejew,</p>
<p>W's count as F's for LSAC GPAs? I didn't know that.</p>
<p>Interesting.</p>
<p>Ws do not count as failures.</p>
<p>From the LSAC website, listed under excluded grades:
Withdrawal grades that signify failure (such as WF=Withdraw/Fail, WU=Withdrew Unsatisfactory, WNP=Withdrew Not Passing) if the issuing school considers the grade nonpunitive. The total number of credits assigned to these grades will appear on the applicant’s LSDAS summary, but will not be included in the GPA calculation</p>
<p>And moreover:
A No Credit grade that does not signify failure and for which no attempt at credit was made (e.g., NC=No Credit/Withdraw, or NC=No Credit Attempted).</p>
<p>That makes more sense.</p>
<p>Cheers.</p>