<p>So I'm not doing especially well in my Calc II class and I don't know if I can still pass the class or not, the final drop date to recieve a W is coming up. Is taking a W and retaking the class a better option than a D or F and retaking the class? I'm a CCC student looking to transfer, so this wouldn't neccessarily be for grad school.</p>
<p>Edit: I put this under engineering because I'm a mech E major and figured you guys would have some good insight.</p>
<p>I took a W in my diff eq class and I still graduated dean’s list and got into grad school fully funded at a top school, and passed up job offers to accept that grad school offer.</p>
<p>In other words, as long as you don’t have more than one or two, you are fine. If it won’t set you back a semester or you don’t mind that happening and you really think you can do better, then go for it.</p>
<p>If you are going to get a D or a F then yes. A D or an F will shoot your GPA to hell quickly and will be a problem when it comes to transfer. A W isn’t a good option either however it’s better than a F–though you need to make sure your school has it appear as just a W on your transcript and not a “Withdrawn but failing”.</p>
<p>This may be unnecessary, but try not to withdraw too much (like 10 times or so). Too much withdrawing can prevent you from getting into some grad school programs.</p>
<p>10 times? Twice is a little sketchy. Definitely not more than that. It is best not to have any W’s, but you can get by with one and MAYBE two if you have a good explanation. I had one, and I mentioned it in my personal statement kind of indirectly.</p>
<p>Yeah I know, I’m just pointing out that there are limits to W’s. I just happen know someone who did 10 W’s in an engineering program, and his life journey turned out to be a success today.</p>
<p>Whats a W?</p>
<p>I thought about this issue too. How about if the classes are not related to my degree/majors at all but I withdrew simply due to disinterest in them? I am a computer science major but I withdrew from an optics class and a medieval music history class, when I realized that optical engineering isn’t something I wanna minor in and also medieval music history turned out to be a Western religion class more or less. Both withdrawals occurred in my freshmen year though. Would this be OK, or still considered sketchy when applying to grad schools?</p>
<p>any idea on this?</p>
<p>many thanks</p>
<p>A “W” (or sometimes a Q) is a letter designation that means a student “Withdrew” from a class. It’ll appear on your transcript but has no grade point values.</p>
<p>CCPSUX,</p>
<p>You really want to avoid collecting W’s on your transcript. Typically a W is a “last resort” option that is available maybe 3/4s through the semester–you can easily drop a class within the first few weeks without any penalty. While it is okay to have them during your freshman year (you can blame it on wanting to find yourself or explore your options) I don’t think you should W from any more classes. </p>
<p>Most graduate school apps have a place for you to address any F’s or W’s on your transcript–use that space to describe your circumstances.</p>
<p>hmm…3 Ws didnt affect me getting a internship at a bulge bracket as a sophomore…in fact, most elite companies have so many applicants they dont look at your transcripts until background check to verify your gpa anyway, so it really doesnt matter…</p>
<p>Well at the internship level most employers won’t even touch a transcript. Even when applying for a full-time job there won’t be much focus. </p>
<p>However for graduate or professional schools, they will request and look over your transcript. W’s early on are fine but if you are dropping courses your junior/senior year, it could raise red flags.</p>
<p>My school only gives you 3 days to drop without a penalty. Afterward, it’s a “W” which I don’t understand. That really bothers me, because in order to get A’s in my current classes, I am working really {maybe too} hard, and I wanted to drop a class to have more time for some ECs.</p>
<p>Can you change the class’s status to “Pass fail” instead of a letter grade?</p>
<p>To the OP, no, it isn’t necessarily better, but, I think dropping a class {something really basic to the engineering curricula like Calc II} is wussy. </p>
<p>Try to get at least a C-, and retake the class and do better next semester. Even if you do decide to take the W, try to see if you can still sit in on the class, so that next semester, the material doesn’t seem so foreign. Are you a freshman? Anyway you can drop to calculus I? You may be having trouble with calculus 2 because you have not given yourself the proper foundation. Math builds upon itself.</p>
<p>Techy: If I get a C- I am not allowed to retake the class, you can only retake a class if you fail. And at my school a 70%=79.9999% = C. There is no C- C C+, so that actually helps me in this instance. I already talked to the teacher about it, I have a test coming up next week and he said he would grade mine that day so I could decide whether or not I need to drop by the final drop date. He also said if I do drop that it is fine if I stay in the class and even take the remaining tests and stuff.</p>
<p>As of now I’m leaning more towards staying in the class and really trying to pull a C. If I fail I can retake it and petition the grade so it is removed and my gpa reflects the new grade. My next question is would the school that I apply to transfer to factor in both grades and take the average? Or just the 2nd one? (assuming i fail, retake, and petition the old grade)</p>
<p>chuck19,</p>
<p>usually what happens is that if you were to retake the class, the new grade will replace your older one and your GPA will factor in your new grade only. However, on transcript, the older grade still appears and any one reading the transcript would know what you had gotten previously.</p>
<p>if you’re not planning to go to grad school, I’d say it won’t matter especially if you’re going to transfer out of your current college. Lots of employers do not look at your classes and your detail transcript. They might just look at the GPA.</p>