4 W's on undergrad transcript

I wouldn't worry about it. Your GPA is excellent. As long as the Ws are not in Chem, Anatomy, Physio, Micro etc. Their main concern is you failing out of the program and I think they will see that is a low probability with you especially since it was in your first year. I think they will consider that ancient history. Good luck, Ill be applying for Entry Masters programs at the same time. My GPA is slightly less stellar (3.57) so your doing good! Keep us posted.

I've been on admissions committees for 20+ years and have reviewed thousands of candidates/transcripts over the years.

Sandman is right -- if the Ws are in topics unrelated to nursing, then it is less of a problem. I use a 'pattern of withdrawls' as something to bring up in the interview -- and to see what was happening in the life of the applicant at that time. Withdraws often happen for a reason, and I want to see if the underlying problem has been dealt with and that no more withdrawals will happen in the future.

Direct Entry MSN programs are very, very competitive and we turn away many qualified people each year. I want to ensure that the 25 students we accept will be the same 25 that graduate 2 years later. I do not like having turned away 100-200 applicants and then have someone accepted drop out of school after a semester because they had not dealt with the underlying issue.

UVA grad Nursing, you're an expert on the topic. I am applying to direct entry masters programs at several schools in California, both private and public, to start in Spring/Fall of '10. I was hoping you could give me some idea of my chances or what I could do to improve as I understand these programs are extremely selective. I am a 26 year old male and have a B.A. in psychology from UC Santa Barbara with an undergrad GPA of 3.57. I have a 4.0 in chem, anatomy, physio, micro taken later at community college and not included in the 3.57. I've worked for 3 years as an EMT first on an ambulance and now in an emergency department. I havent taken the GRE yet, as it is only required for a couple schools I'm applying to, but I anticipate scoring higher than average but not great. I have secured letters of recommendation from my micro professor and 3 of the physicians at work. I know this is not a complete picture but I was hoping for some hints/tips as well as my realistic chances of acceptance. Thank you so much! If anyone else with any expertise wants to weigh in that would be greatly appreciated also :)

Seriously, I don't think they care about W's.

There are TONS of reasons why people W from classes and the policies are not consistent among all institutions.

Sandman:

It is good that you are applying to several classes. With your numbers, you are bound to be competive at several schools.

One thing I would recommend is to get some RNs to write some of your recommendations. If you are applying for a nursing program, then why are you having three MDs write for you? I'd recommend having more RNs than MDs write on your behalf. The admissions committees in nursing schools are entirely (or nearly all) nursing faculty members.

At my insitution, we ask for 3 letters. One should be an academic letter and indicate how you learn. One must be from someone who is a health-care provider who can address you as a clinician. Master's prepared nurses are also leaders, so we look for a third letter to address you as a potential leader. In this way we get three different views of a candidate -- which is much more helpful than 2-3 letters that say the same thing.

Good luck

If you are dismissed from a graduate school due to your GPA going down to 2.92 is there anything you can do to be accepted into another program? Thank you for any information