Will Withdrawals Affect My Chances of Getting into Grad School for Math?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the impact of course withdrawals (W's) on graduate school admissions for a math major, particularly in relation to community college (CC) transcripts and overall academic performance. Participants explore the implications of having multiple withdrawals and their potential effects on future applications for a master's degree.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about how W's might affect their chances of getting into grad school, especially since they are considering applying for a master's degree in the future.
  • Another participant suggests that one W is not detrimental, provided the applicant performs well on the GRE and maintains a good overall GPA, emphasizing the importance of recommendations.
  • A participant mentions that they would be accumulating a fourth W, which raises questions about the significance of W's from non-major courses.
  • One participant shares their personal experience, stating that withdrawals on their CC transcript did not impact their academic standing, noting that university withdrawals may be viewed differently.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the significance of W's, with some believing they are inconsequential, particularly from a CC, while others are concerned about the cumulative effect of multiple withdrawals on graduate school applications. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall impact of W's on admissions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference varying policies and personal experiences related to withdrawals, indicating that perceptions of W's may depend on individual circumstances and institutional practices.

miglo
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im currently taking a 1st semester calc based physics class, basically just mechanics
i have an upcoming exam next friday, and depending on how well i do, I've considered dropping if i do really bad
im a math major at a CC and I've talked to a university representative about withdrawals and admissions
she told me that they only care for transferable units and GPA, since math isn't impacted i shouldn't worry about getting W's
however I am also considering grad school (maybe just a masters degree) in the future, and well my question is how bad do W's look when applying to grad school? do they also look at my CC transcript?

im still going to study hard for my exam to bring my grade up, but if it doesn't work out, i really don't want to lower my GPA

any input is appreciated, thanks
 
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One W doesn't look too bad. I don't see them holding it against you as long as you do well on your GREs and have a good overall GPA. Also, recommendations are a big thing as well... so if you got those, they won't even notice the W.
 
well i forgot to mention it would be my 4th
the other three are from philosophy, humanities, and english courses, so if i do take another one then itll be from a course that'll be more related to my major
will it still matter a lot even though they arent part of my major?
 
In my experience, withdrawals on your CC transcript do not matter at all. My CC had the ridiculous policy of giving W for courses that I would drop before the semester even began. One semester I had 4 withdrawals because I changed my schedule around and had to drop all of the classes for which I had signed up. I still took most of them, however, just at different times. Therefore for that semester I have 3 Ws for the same classes for which I have 3 As.

Probably, too much detail... The point is, no, as far as I've seen CC Ws are meaningless. University Ws are a different story.
 

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