How bad is 1 withdrawal in high school when applying to top colleges? (Please read all info)

Applying to College
1

<p>I am a Junior in high school and will be a senior after this summer. In my sophomore year I took AP Calc BC but had to withdraw do to personal reasons. I couldn't fit it in my schedule for my Junior year so I took it online and also took the AP test for it. However, I still have a W on my transcript for the class. It is my only W. My counselors said that since I can send in my AP test score and my transcript for the online class, I should be fine; however, I don't really trust them with this :/. I don't plan on applying to HYP but my reach schools include Stanford, UPenn (Wharton), UofChicago, and Brown. I feel that I've had a very rigorous high school career and have tried very hard, but I am now afraid that this withdrawal has made it all obsolete. Will this 1 W destroy me, even though I took the class afterwards online and took the ap test for it?</p>

<p>I will post more info about my high school career here in case any of you need more background info on how I'm doing overall.
My cumulative unweighted GPA is 3.9, while my weighted is 4.5.
My Junior year I took 6 AP's (including the online course): Bio,psych, US history, Lang, Physics
My sophmore year I took 3 AP's: Calc AB, Chemistry, World history
For ec: I did 7 years of my city's Youth Orchestra, 3 of which were at the highest level, and 2 years as an Assistant principal.
I've been a volunteer leader at a organization for disabled kids for over 4 years now. I received the Gold Presidential award in my sophomore year.
I was president of my school's DECA and MUN club and ran a volunteer club for a children's hospital
I was president of chapter for an organization that has high school students teach kids orchestral instruments.
I also ran a local clothing "business" that is currently pending c503 for non-profit
Didn't get to play any sports because of tinea versicolor :( </p>

<p>Not sure if these even matter but I did Speech and debate for two years, but quit because I found MUN more fitting for me overall.I also did quizbowl for 1 year but I left to take on my school's DECA.
My SAT score is a 2250 and my ACT is a 35
I took 2 sat 2's: Math 800 and Bio 750</p>

<p>Thank you guys for any information or advice you can give me, and I really appreciate it.</p>

2

<p>Considering how advanced the class was for your grade level at the time, I would imagine that colleges would be pretty forgiving. I inferred that you withdrew from the Advanced Calculus and transferred into the “AB.” That would still put you well ahead of most of your peers. Did you take the AP Exam? What grade did you ultimately get in the on-line class? What is your senior schedule? These will all influence the overall “narrative.” There usually is no shame in transferring out of a more difficult class where you are struggling, especially when it is one that is 2 years ahead of the normal academic progression. You are a very competitive candidate. You might need to apply to some safe and match schools, and not spread yourself too thin among the most selective reaches, but you should do just fine. </p>

3

<p>Thanks woogz. My school actually has a quarter system so I took AB my first semester and BC my second. I got a 5 on my AB test and took the BC test this year and am hoping to get a 5 on that as well.
My senior schedule is: AP Gov, AP Econ, AP lit, AP Euro, AP Stats, Anatomy and Physiology, internship, weight training, and Advance journalism.
Thank you for your reply.</p>

4

<p>I agree with your guidance counselor, they will see that you took the course online, received a good grade and (hopefully) did well on the AP Exam. If you are really concerned about it, you could always ask your guidance counselor to specify that it was a scheduling issue and not a grade issue that made you withdraw from the class in her recommendation. </p>

5

<p>I agree with the other posters and would say that if you get a 5 on the AP BC test, you should be pretty safe (regarding the W).</p>

6

<p>Don’t waste anymore time thinking about it. Listen to your advisors. But do look up ‘obsolete’ in the dictionary.</p>