Dropping class with "W?"

Published

Hi everyone,

I am about to be a freshman in a BSN program this fall. I decided to take a History class, along with quite 3 other classes this summer to fulfill my GE requirements.

My History professor did not grade an assignment on time and it just is yesterday that I found out that my chances of earning an A in this class is slim to none. I've tried asking for extra credit or other ways to help my grade but there is nothing I can do.

I am thinking of dropping this class with a "W" but I'm afraid it will look bad when I apply to grad schools. I just don't want to get a "B" in a class that is supposed to be easy and may hurt my GPA.

Should I drop the class with a "W"? Will it also look more understanding since I took a total of 4 classes this summer?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No, you should not drop a class to avoid a B in a "history" class.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldnt drop the class. Its JUST a history class. Colleges give more weight to science classes anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

W's on your transcript are bad news with bad consequences for many programs/schools. Save that W for a necessary use! A B in history is not going to kill you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Department.

First off a B in a history class is NOT going to greatly impact your overall GPA unless you're shooting for a 4.0 GPA. By the time you get done with your BSN program, you'll have other stuff on your plate to think about other than the B you will likely earn in this one History course. I do applaud you for looking ahead to Grad School but you're at least a few years away from that point. What you should work on is making sure you have decent grades and don't worry about having a B grade. What grad schools (like any school) want to know is that the students they admit will be likely to succeed. They know from prior experience (and they do track this) the kinds of students generally do succeed in their program. I say "kinds" because there isn't typically a single student profile that guarantees entrance/selection to a given program. Sure, there are minimum standards but those are basically minimums. Try to exceed those minimums in all areas but don't beat yourself up if you "only" meet a minimum criteria in one or two areas.

I tried for a long time to get into nursing school and I was well over minimums the entire time. Once I was in, I did earn a single "A" grade and the rest were all "B" grades. Sure, I could have done a bit better but I would have had to sacrifice something and I'm both amazed and proud that I managed to earn B grades or better in a full-time program while having to work full-time too. I'm sure that I could enter a Masters program in the future if I desire to but I also have to look at whether I first need to earn a BSN first or if my ADN+Bachelors (another field) and meeting certain other prerequisites will get me there. Yes, in a way, I am a Bachelor's Prepared RN but I just don't have a BSN, so that makes me a bit of an odd-duck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SRNA.

I have 2 Ws on my transcript, applied to 1 ABSN program and got in on my first try. BTW both Ws were in Bio II and Chem I lecture.

Save those Ws for a raining semester lol. You'll honestly be okay.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion