I’m 19 years old and I’m currently attending community college for the second year (Hoping to transfer by 2019). I had trouble choosing a major but I eventually decided to go with computer science because my older brother did it and I was always into computers. Well, I took my first programming class this semester (C++) and I completely hate it. It takes up too much studying time of my major classes, and it’s not something that I want to do. I currently have one ‘W’ (withdrawal) from dropping Calculus 1 last semester due to not liking the way that the professor taught. I’m currently re-taking it again this semester with a different professor (my hardest class of the semester) and all my focus goes towards it. I want to drop my programming class but that will result in two W’s on my transcript (One from calc 1 from last semester, and one from the programming class this semester). Having two W’s was always kind of scary to me because I heard somewhere that if one has three W’s, Universities would apparently look down on that and would not really want them to be one of their students. So I just want to know what the policy is on withdrawals. I want to transfer to either UCLA or UCD, but I’m scared that having W’s will make them not consider me.
Tldr: What is the policy on withdrawals when it comes to universities? Are withdrawals only bad when major classes are dropped? For example, is having three withdrawals in 3 major classes worse than having one withdrawal in a major class and two in classes that your major do not require? Also, since I had a W in Calc 1 last semester, will retaking it this year and getting an A in it cancel the W form the previous semester out?
One W means something happened, no big deal.
A pattern of W’s means that you were not able to handle college classes or too many at once.
I would really figure out a way to keep your CS class if you can.
If the C++ class is not related to your major, then ditch it and move on. Focus on getting good grades in courses needed for transfer into the major that you do want. Don’t worry about having two Ws - especially as you are re-taking the Calc 1.
There is no universal policy about the acceptable number of Ws to get into a good college. If you apply to a school with too many applicants and denies admission to many qualified applicants, then you may be denied. There may not be an official policy to deny you, but several Ws may suggest a problem; the admissions committee will continue culling culling applicants.
There are many good schools in the US. Many! Many! Many great schools! Among these schools are state flagships and other state campuses, many liberal arts schools, less glamorous privates such as Creighton, Gonzaga, Regis in Denver and other Jesuit/Catholic schools, Southern Methodist, Baylor and other protestant colleges and universities, and scads of other. The US has an embarrassment of riches in excellent schools all over the country. There are enough you can be pretty picky about where you want to live. Look up schools by state on the internet.
Your education depends on you. As a caution, you will encounter faculty that are boring or don’t teach the way you prefer and they may be the only one who teaches a particular class. You still must learn and demonstrate competency on course content. If I was teaching a class of 15 and how they learned best, I would probably receive lots of preferences. Faculty may even teach in a way that matches how they learned best.
If you haven’t heard, most adults have at least one person at the work who sets their teeth on edge. Pick out a really good school and learn. College is the opportunity to think, learn, recognize you skills and preferences and what you dislike, and grow—the opportunities of a lifetime—and it’s heading toward you. FYI, faculty whether fun, interesting or terrible usually teach classes to you for only a term, but the quality of teaching doesn’t vary that much by teaching style.
Two W shouldn’t be a crisis. Just have a good explanation, one that sounds better than that it takes too much time, you don’t know your true interests, or that blames the prof.
Too many W would need a really great reason. Eg, you got into some fine track/program, off a wait list, or some other positive.
If you don’t live in Texas, realize that multiple drops don’t look good, but there will usually be a place for you somewhere. Just be sure to love your safety. Take a W rather than a D or F any time.