How detrimental would 4 W's be when it comes time to apply to grad school?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm currently a student at a 2-year college (not exactly a CC--more so a technical college) and I'm about to transfer into my junior year at an actual university. I currently have 3 W's on my transcript and one was from physics, chemistry, and french. I originally intended to go for a STEM major but I learned that science was not for me (hence the withdrawals) and I now know my limitations and have realistic expectations for myself. The French class was dropped because I had too many credits that semester, I believe.</p>

<p>My advisor told me that W's don't matter but my friend tells me I shouldn't exceed more than 3 or else my chances at grad would be ruined. A few people are telling me that grad schools won't look at my transcripts from my current college and will only look at my grades and credentials at my new university. My current major is psychology and I'm running on the lower end concerning GPA (3.0) but I excel in my psych courses. I heard that once I transfer it's an entirely new slate. I'm not entirely sure about this since everyone is giving me mixed answers.</p>

<p>I'm currently at 15 credits but a lot of my classes are extremely tough and the workload is swampy and I'm considering dropping my theatre arts course because I feel highly uncomfortable in it (I won't get higher than a B- ) and I'm not excelling plus the constant memorization of the monologues are stopping me from paying attention to my other classes. I have until Friday to decide whether or not I want to drop the course but if I do it'll be an additional W on my transcript. This would leave me at 12 credits.</p>

<p>So my questions are:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Would having 4 W's at this 2-year college come back and haunt me when I apply to grad school? I would like to go to an exceptional graduate school for psychology once I graduate (i.e. Tulane, Northwestern, etc.) so I am extremely concerned about the actions I make in undergraduate.</p></li>
<li><p>Should I drop theatre arts or deal with it and risk for a C or B-?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it true that I do start off on a brand new slate once I transfer?</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Also, one more question that is a bit off topic but how long do people usually stay in undergrad? I seem to be running low on credits and it seems like I might be spending 5-6 1/2 years as an undergrad all together but I'm not sure if that'll also hurt me.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance for the answers. I really appreciate it. Cheers!</p>

2

<p>My advisor told me that W’s don’t matter but my friend tells me I shouldn’t exceed more than 3 or else my chances at grad would be ruined.</p>

<p>Neither of them is correct. Ws do matter, but there’s no certain number that absolutely disqualifies you from everywhere. It depends on the context and the classes themselves. I’m not going to say that these absolutely don’t matter, but a few Ws in your freshman year in classes unrelated to psychology won’t carry a whole lot of weight IF the rest of your package is outstanding/competitive.</p>

<p>*A few people are telling me that grad schools won’t look at my transcripts from my current college and will only look at my grades and credentials at my new university…I heard that once I transfer it’s an entirely new slate. *</p>

<p>Also incorrect. Graduate schools require transcripts from all schools attended, including the community/junior college from which you transfer. However, your upper-level grades and major grades are a lot more important - and most likely your grades in freshman physics or theater won’t really matter if you are applying to psychology PhD programs. So if you do really well wherever you transfer - and achieve a 3.5+ in your psychology major courses - then you should be okay.</p>

<p>I think it’s a moot point how long people usually stay in undergrad - it really depends on the context. Theoretically it’s designed to take 4 years, but in many places it takes longer because of lack of availability of needed credits or scheduling issues. Also, sometimes individuals take longer because they’re caring for children or relatives, or must work to support themselves, or run out of money and need to save again. If you have a compelling reason for taking up to about 6 years, I don’t think it should hurt you too much - but once you go past 6 years, then it starts looking like you’re having trouble finishing things you start and doctoral programs get a bit wary. They want people who can finish their PhD program in 5-6 years.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your response.</p>

<p>I knew there was something up with the whole clean slate thing. I’ve been getting mixed answers left and right regarding this and no one at school is giving me a solid (or right) answer.</p>

<p>Do you think I shop drop theater? That will bring me down to 12 credits but I’m not planning to drop a single class once I transfer.</p>

<p>Any more input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.</p>