How are withdrawals looked at for graduate school/employment?

0rthodontist

How are withdrawals looked at for graduate school/employment? They do not affect GPA at all but is there a downside besides not having finished the course?

chroot

There are many legitimate reasons for withdrawing from a course which have nothing to do with student performance: health problems, etc. Withdrawals should have no bearings on your admission to graduate school, but you might want to check and see if they even end up on your transcript. If you take a course again later, many schools will completely obliterate any previous grade or withdrawal flag.

I can say with almost 100% certainty that employers won't care; they rarely look at anything beyond your final GPA. Few actually request transcripts.

- Warren

Cyrus

Just don't accumulate them, that does not look good. Here a withdrawl counts as an attempt. Don't pass by the 3rd attempt and your kicked out.

0rthodontist

I'm taking a course-seminar taught by some grad students working with a town wireless network. The course got organized very late. However despite getting the approval of the grad students I'm not sure I'm qualified to do this. My options are:
--Drop in the next half hour with no record (the course was only officially created on the registration system within the past hour)
--Wait a few weeks and find out for sure, and if I'm not qualified then withdraw. If I keep on with the course then I'd guess there's around a 50% chance I'd withdraw.
This course is probably a 1 time deal, no option to repeat. It's not necessary to my major but if it turns out I can do it then it is experience I'd like to have.

Cyrus

Take it pass/fail.

kdinser

Why do you think your not qualified? what knowledge do you think you lack?

Some colleges have limits on how many repeats you can have for your degree, the strictest I heard of was 4. However, if this class is a one time only shot that would probably be counted as an elective or something, it might not matter as you wouldn't be repeating it anyway.

0rthodontist Recognitions: Science Advisor	How are withdrawals looked at for graduate school/employment? Tweet How are withdrawals looked at for graduate school/employment? They do not affect GPA at all but is there a downside besides not having finished the course?

Cyrus	Just don't accumulate them, that does not look good. Here a withdrawl counts as an attempt. Don't pass by the 3rd attempt and your kicked out.

kdinser	Why do you think your not qualified? what knowledge do you think you lack? Some colleges have limits on how many repeats you can have for your degree, the strictest I heard of was 4. However, if this class is a one time only shot that would probably be counted as an elective or something, it might not matter as you wouldn't be repeating it anyway.