2Iron Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I've had some health issues this semester that I did not foresee when I enrolled in eighteen credits. I missed the better part of a week of class earlier this semester while I was in the hospital and have been in and out of doctors' offices frequently ever since then. I'm in advanced econometrics. The course has no textbook, so I had to rely on some not-so-well-laid-out lecture notes in order to catch up on all of the classes I missed. I thought I could pull it off, but I think I just bombed my midterm (30% of my grade). It's becoming apparent to me that I bit off more than I could chew this semester. Given that I had some unforeseen health issues, would a W on my transcript look terrible to top grad schools? How could I explain it to them without bringing too much attention to it? As an aside, I considered taking the semester off after the medical issues started but have been able to keep pace in all of my other classes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yiisheng Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 you don't need to submit fall grades if you don't want to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yiisheng Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I warned you 4720 isn't fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanomics Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 If you're going to withdraw, withdrawals from the entire semester look better than selective W's. That said, you have a perfectly legitimate excuse and are bossing your other 15 credits in spite of being a gimp. Taking your first W is kind of like your first time masturbating. You feel guilty and unsure of yourself, and wonder whether you'll be punished. But you get past that and realize that you now feel much more relaxed and can't wait to do it again. IMO W's don't look like F's or weakness on an otherwise strong transcript -- they look like what they are: Selective experience with particularly bad instructors. Overachievers pushing themselves too hard and meeting time constraints. Medical and family mishaps. Changes of course of study. Etc. Others may have other input -- needless to say I have W's on my transcript and would love to believe they're not a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonecon Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Withdraw. Note in your application that you had to withdraw from some of your courses due to illness. Or, just don't send the grades. Not required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
econdevelopment Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Its better to withdraw and get a W compared to a F (or even C). Has the date passed when you can drop a class without getting a W on your transcript? And you should discuss your case with your professor. Given your health issues, the professor might be understanding and possibly decrease the weight on the mid-term, or do something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I'm kind of in the same situation. Health problems clinging since last spring (that cost me my first C!). However I'm only taking 12 credits this semester and I can't withdraw from any of my classes, so I was thinking about taking one of my classes as Pass/Fail. How bad would that look for adcoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanomics Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 For transcripts that aren't bad enough to go immediately into reject, and which get a few minutes consideration, marks will get I think reasonably contextualized by explanations in the SOP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Iron Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 I am not applying til next year, I think, so they will see the grades whether I like it or not. Thanks to all for letting me know that my chances of admission to a top program are not done in by an excused W. I'd rather not ask for a Dutch knockout from my professor...just an aversion to being treated specially... Now it's a matter of mentioning the reason for the W without sounding whiny or pompous or anything like that in my SOP. And again, while I did consider taking the semester off, I wouldn't be able to graduate with my peers in the spring if I did that. My other grades this semester figure to be A's since all of them either have textbooks or very detailed lecture notes, so that's good, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanomics Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I have a good bit of excuse-making to do in my apps. I've thought a lot about how to find the middle road. No solid answers, but I'm thinking that keeping the image firm in my head as if I were sitting there interviewing in a suit with a very serious senior scholar should keep me from vacillating too much into silly-twit land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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