Does a withdrawal on your transcript matter?

[palex3]

It shows up as "W" and doesn't affect your GPA, but will it look bad for grad school?

 

[Pengwuino]

No. Universities know there are plenty of reasons one might need to drop out of a class, most of which having nothing to do with your academic abilities.

 

[lisab]

Look at yourself the way a grad school admissions office would: your GPA, test scores, research experience, letters of recommendation.

If you're a borderline candidate, it won't look good to have a lot of Ws on your transcript. If you're a strong candidate, one (maybe two) won't have much of an effect.