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Kim

How bad is it to have a “W” on your transcript?

I already have one “W” on my transcript, which I wasn’t aware of until I actually saw my grade after semester was over (apparently I didn’t show up to class enough, and the teacher put a “W”)..and I am now approaching the deadline to drop one of my classes and receive a “W” on my transcript.

The class has gotten way too difficult within the past week and I’m just wondering if I should take the “W” or risk getting a D or F on my transcript? Also, does a “W” affect my gpa? And will having 2 within one year look bad for when I transfer?

Top 10 Answers
Brian L

Favorite Answer

Getting a few W’s during your academic career is not a big deal. As far as most graduate schools are concerned a W just means something happened in the semester, like maybe you got sick, had a family emergency,whatever. A D or an F on the other hand tells them that you failed a class. What graduate schools do not want to see is a pattern of W’s, like withdrawing from a class multiple times, that tells them that you were struggling in that class or if you have many W’s it says that you are trying to inflate your GPA by dropping out of classes you don’t get a high grade in. Because I don’t know your academic history I would highly recommend you make an appointment with your university’s academic advising office and see what they say. Good Luck!
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Cathy
It’s not at all bad to have a W on your transcript. It certainly looks better than having a D or F. Try not to make it a habit of withdrawing from a class every semester, though. It’s not so much that it looks bad as that it means that you’re consistently wasting time preparing for a class at the beginning of the semester that you’re not receiving credit for.

I’ve never attended a school where a W was calculated into my GPA.

I transferred with several Ws on my transcript, and was admitted to law school with even more. I think that admissions committees pay very little if any attention to Ws if the rest of your academic record is strong.

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4 years ago
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W On College Transcript
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4 years ago
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W On Transcript
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Anonymous
Usually, if you did not pull from the class by the drop date, you get a “W” and you have to make arrangements with the instructor. Sometimes, a transfer can wipe a grade from the transcript. Sometimes not. Also, some schools allow you to transpose grades. If you have an “A” in one subject and a “C” in another, the registrar will pull both to a “B”. But, in general, you should take care of the “W” unless you are Varsity athletic material.
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6 years ago
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RE:
How bad is it to have a "W" on your transcript?
I already have one "W" on my transcript, which I wasn't aware of until I actually saw my grade after semester was over (apparently I didn't show up to class enough, and the teacher put a "W")..and I am now approaching the deadline to drop one of my classes and receive a…

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neniaf
I think you got lucky; at my school, no teacher can give you a W, so you would have gotten an F on that first class. One W won’t hurt you, but a second one starts to look flaky. If the class has only been difficult for a week, I would just redouble my efforts and talk to the professor about it. I think you can still salvage this.
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5 years ago
Anonymous
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Not really. It’s definitely better than a low mark or a fail. As long as you have all the credits required at the end, it shouldn’t matter much.

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5 years ago
Anonymous
You raise some good points here.
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Anonymous
W is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better than a d or f.
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