Hey guys, I have a question regarding having W’s on my transcript. I am trying to transfer into UCLA, USC or Berkeley and I have one W on my transcript because I dropped Math 180 as an economics major during the summer before I began my first semester at a CC. My friend told me that UCLA or any of the top schools will almost certainly reject you if you have a W on your transcript. When my friend told me this I was discouraged because of the amount of effort I put in to get my straight A’s. Does anyone know if this is true? So, in general, do W’s on your transcript matter if you are trying to transfer to a UC?
I would have to disagree. Having a W on your transcript can be for many reasons. People get W’s due to illness or family emergencies, not just to avoid an F. I do believe however that if the decision comes down to you and another student with similar stats, the W’s will be the deciding factor and they will pick the student without them. You did the right thing by taking the W. It’s better to take a W rather than get a D or F. But I don’t think the W completely destroys your chances. I think they are more concerned with D and F grades, your GPA, letters of rec, and major prep complete. I wouldn’t stress too much about it. It’s out of your hands now anyway. Worst case is you get denied, but in that case I would write an appeal letter explaining the W’s.
I don’t think that’s true at all. I have worked with plenty of students who have had a W (actually, I have worked with plenty of students who had SEVERAL Ws, or even withdrew from school entirely for a semester or even years at a time), and all of them ended up getting accepted to the colleges that were likely to accept them based on their grades. You only have one W, so I really don’t think it’s a problem! The only scenario in which I can see it being viewed upon suspiciously is if you’ve obviously padded your transcript with easy classes, and you withdrew from the one hard class you’ve ever taken.
@filmfiend91 @thetransfercoach Thank you guys for the reply I really appreciate it. Sorry for the late late late reply I’ve just been busy grinding out these A’s :D…I don’t plan on getting any more W’s!