Will one W hurt my chances into transferring?

<p>Hello.
Today I made the tough decision to drop a class.
It's a 1 unit Kinesiology course that has no relevance to my GPA or GE pattern.
I took it for filler, really. I wanted 12 units. However, due to some issues that arose, I felt I needed to drop it. It kind of makes me sad because this is my first semester, but I needed to do it. Does one W look bad on a transcript?
I'm really looking into schools like USC to transfer. How does USC view W grades?
Does anybody have any experience with W's and transferring to colleges like USC?
Help would be very much appreciated.
Like, I'm glad I dropped it... but I hope it won't have a long-term effect... I'm doing well in my other courses.</p>

<p>Carrying such a light load may do you more harm than dropping a 1 unit course. If you’re a first year fr who is applying to transfer next fall, this is the only full sem of college coursework that USC will see, and taking only 11 units will not show a particularly strong start.</p>

<p>Light loads are actually encouraged in someones first semester at my community college.
I don’t have to worry about financial aid because I’m not qualified.
It’s my first semester and i don’t plan on transferring for another 2-3 years…</p>

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<p>That’s good, it gives you time to increase your load and put the W way behind you. I wouldn’t worry about a 1 unit W, just keep up your grades going forward. Also, most schools have an earlier drop deadline where you can drop a course and not have it show on your transcript like a W does, so it’s a good idea to keep track of the deadline and drop early if you think your load is too heavy.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Thank you. Will keep that in mind.
And what if I retake the class in the future?
Will the W kind of disssapear? Or whats the situation with that?</p>

<p>Our D was a transfer to USC. Her transcript did contain at least 1 W and an I. Those grades didn’t help her application but definitely not an absolute bar. As far as I know, once you get a W, it remains on your transcript. You can check with your U in case they do something different. </p>

<p>Good luck. Hope you are able to figure out why you had such a tough time with 12 credits that you had to drop down to 11 and are able to handle a heavier load successfully in the future or it will take you quite awhile to graduate from any school. It can set you back some when you transfer as well, since not all credits transfer and you need particular courses in your major to graduate.</p>