Would you say a “W” is worse than a C? I don’t want my grade to hurt my GPA but at the same time, I heard a “W” can be as bad as an F.
If you’re 100% sure that you’re gonna get a C, then I’d say just take the W instead. The W won’t affect your GPA, but a C probably will. As long as you don’t have a ton of Ws on your transcript, you should be fine. A “W” isn’t as bad as an F, but if you have a lot of them, people will think you tend to give up on anything that you don’t do well in, which can raise flags when applying for internships and such.
Is the class one that you will need to retake for your major or core requirements or is it an elective? Is the material directly relevant to a course sequence (do you need to know it in order to succeed in later classes)? Can you possibly pull your grade up? Have you spoken with the prof?
I have similar question…DD is freshman and has decided to change major, therefore the course will become elective, but the prof ask her to stay as the W is worse…but I am thinking the low grade may be difficult to pull up.
I think that it depends upon the situation. If you are ahead in credits (for example, if you came in with significant AP credits), and the course is an elective, then a W might be best. If on the other hand this is a required class, you don’t need to take any more courses in the same subject, and you are sufficiently bad in this one area that getting a better grade next time is a reach, then you might be better off with the C.
If you have financial aid and taking a W means you are a part-time instead of full-time student, you could lose some fin aid.
Things to consider:
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** Will taking a W move you from full time to part time? ** Full time is usually 12 credits (check your college). If you are part time you are not eligible for financial aid or living in dorms.
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** Is this class needed for your major? ** If you don’t take it now, will you have to take it again? Will it cause you to fall behind in keeping up with your major classes?
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**Why are you getting a C? ** What happens the next time you get a C? W again? One W is okay, but a pattern shows that you have difficulty with college.
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**Will Withdrawing from a course make it difficult to graduate on time? ** Will you need to make it up in summer $$ or do you have extra credits from HS?
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**TALK TO YOUR ADVISER ** before you make any decisions
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**Can you raise your grade? ** Check this post for ideas
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If this course is in your major, is this the right major for you? If you are pre-med but are getting a C in Biology, maybe this is not the major for you. If you are getting a C in an elective, that is another story.
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**Sometimes W’s are necessary. ** My daughter was in the hospital for a week early in the semester…she Withdrew from a course because she would not be able to catch up on all her courses if she kept all the classes.