Question about 'W'

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Hello... I just have this little question. A practical advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>W means 'withdrawal.' I am sure every college has this system.
There is a due date for 'dropping,' which means the courses I drop don't show on my transcript. However, if I drop the course after this due date, I would have
'W,' withdrawal, on my transcript.</p>

<p>So my question is that do the admission people in law schools care significantly about this W on my transcript when calculating my GPA and LSAT scores?</p>

<p>I need to know how much this 'W' could hurt me, because I am about to drop one of my courses due to my job.</p>

2

<p>As far as I've heard, dropping a class or two is not a big deal. If you have a transcript where your main grade is showing up as a W, then you might have a problem.</p>

3

<p>I actually have worried about this as well... I have two Ws because I withdrew from Bio 2 and bio 2 lab when I decided to no longer be pre-med. I didnt really think that may affect my law school application!</p>

4

<p>LSDAS information Booklet</p>

<p><a href="http://www.lsac.org/pdfs/2006-2007/informationbk2006.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lsac.org/pdfs/2006-2007/informationbk2006.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Grades Excluded from Conversion</p>

<p>Withdraw, Withdraw/Pass—only if the issuing school considers the grade
nonpunitive.
Incomplete—only if the issuing school considers the grade nonpunitive.</p>

<p>Those given for remedial courses only if the transcript clearly indicates they
are remedial.</p>

<p>Those awarded after the first undergraduate degree was received.</p>

<p>Those assigned no measure of credit by the granting institution, regardless of the grade. Physical Education, Practical Art, Practical Music, and ROTC courses that are assigned credit will be included in the LSDAS summary even if the granting institution does not include these courses
in its calculation of a GPA.</p>

<p>Passing grades from systems of one or two passing grades (e.g., Pass/Fail,
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, Credit/No Credit, or Honors/Pass/Fail, High
Pass/Pass/Fail), and those for which conversion rules cannot be formulated,
including courses for which a transcript gives only narratives or descriptions.
Credits for the work in these courses are totaled and reported separately as
unconverted credits (see next page).</p>

<p>Grade symbols that have multiple meanings at the issuing school, and the
issuing school’s registrar is unable to confirm whether course credit was
attempted (such as NC=either No Credit Attempted or No Credit Awarded, etc.).</p>

<p>The total number of credits usually assigned to the particular type of course
will appear on the applicant’s LSDAS summary, but will not be included in the
GPA calculation.</p>

<p>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>The original grade for a repeated course when the transcript does not show both the grade and the units for the original attempt. 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>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>

5

<p>it's also ******** because different ugrads have different policies about Ws on transcripts. At IU, if you drop anytime after the first WEEK, i believe, you get a "W" on your transcript, just the same as someone who has taken the course all semester, gotten an F in it, and then dropped it.</p>

<p>At Northwestern, you have like 8 weeks (i think) out of a 10 week quarter to drop a class with no "W" being shown on your transcript</p>

6

<p>Sybbie is right. LSAC calculates your GPA for you; schools do not calculate it themselves and they certainly don't calculate your LSAT score or modify it depending on your grades. </p>

<p>Some schools require a letter of explanation for every "W" on your transcript. I don't think it's a big deal so long as you have a good explanation; also, it helps if you dropped things as a freshman instead of, say, during your senior year. "Organic chemistry was overwhelming during my freshman year" probably will not cause you many problems. :)</p>