Should I address 14 W's on my transcript in a supplemental essay?

Graduate School
1

<p>I may have a bit of a dilemma. I am applying for a terminal pre-professional Masters degree program. I have four strong letters of recommendation, relevant work experience locally and in Washington DC, one of my projects was adopted as the standardized template for some of the work I was doing in DC, and I run a one man consulting company. </p>

<p>Would 14 withdrawals on transcript have an impact on admissions? </p>

<p>When I started college I didn't have a plan or reason for being there, I began as a pre-med because my parents told me that it was the right thing to do. No one in my family ever went to college and I didn't know that W's were so bad until my second to last semester when I heard a professor talking about them. </p>

<p>My first 2 years of college have most of the W's, while this last year has none. I also rose my GPA from below 2.0 to a 3.4 </p>

<p>Should I explain these W's, and what would be the best way to do it?</p>

2

<p>Yes, you should explain that many Ws. One or two would not warrant an explanation, but 14 would.</p>

<p>I would explain it in the terms that you did here, sans the parents part. When you first started college, you were pre-med. Being pre-med dragged down your grades because you weren’t passionate about it and weren’t really interested. This also resulted in you withdrawing from a lot of classes you didn’t want to be in. However, once you realized that and moved on to your real passions, your GPA shot up. Point out that you don’t have any Ws from your last year, because you’ve found your niche.</p>