Hospitalization Withdrawals Effect on Admissions

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the implications of medical withdrawals on graduate school admissions. A user expressed concern about explaining four "W" grades due to hospitalization for mental health issues. Responses confirmed that it is appropriate to mention medical withdrawals in personal essays, specifically stating the semester and reason without divulging personal details. The consensus is that a high GPA and strong research background will mitigate concerns regarding these withdrawals.

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Prospective graduate students, academic advisors, mental health advocates, and anyone navigating the complexities of medical withdrawals in higher education.

PhotonSSBM
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So I was hospitalized for some shenanigans with my brain wanting to kill me and had to withdraw late in the semester. 4 classes now have W's and I don't know how I could explain that to admission staff at grad school. Is it appropriate to put such things on personal essays or am I going to have to go through some other route to communicate with them about this discrepancy?

Fwiw my GPA is high and I will have strong research background when I apply in a year.

Thoughts?
 
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If you withdrew for medical reasons it shouldn't have any effect on graduate school admissions. A simple: "withdrew in winter semester 2017 due to a medical reason" is sufficient to explain it.
 
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I agree with Choppy. Citing medical reasons earns a lot of privacy after that. Probably best not to give medical details, and lots of laws against admissions folks prying.
 
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