<p>Hello, I am an undergrad freshman, and I am a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention major. I am hoping to go into a grad school for Physician Assistant program, but currently I am thinking of taking a W in my general chemistry class for this semester. I have enough time until graduation to retake the course, but as of now I am not quite sure as to if continuing on to be in the class is the most appropriate way to build my GPA since I seem to be struggling (juggling between my other science classes and work) right now.</p>
<p>Since general chem obviously is part of the required courses for PA application and is a core class for my major, would taking a W in it be a bad idea? we are about 7 weeks into the classes and I will have 15 credits for this semester once I decide to take a W in it...</p>
<p>It depends on how bad you’re doing. If you’re looking at an F, a W might be better and won’t calculate into your GPA. If you’re looking for an A but about to get a B, then I don’t think you should drop it.</p>
<p>Another option would be dropping your 2nd hardest class and focus more on chemistry to get a better grade - and also make your course load a little easier. If you’re struggling in another course also, it might be better to drop that one, if it’s not a pre-med prereq. If you drop that and don’t get a good grade in chemistry, however, then it would have been pointless to drop at all.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how strongly PA school frowns upon "W"s. My advice is to talk to an advisor at your school and find out what they recommend. You could also contact one of the PA schools you’re interested in - would they rather see a W or a retake with a letter grade? What would be the consequences of both?</p>