With the deadline to withdraw from a class four days away, advisors say a ‘W’ on students’ transcripts rarely affects their employment or graduate school opportunities.
College of Arts and Sciences Graduate School Associate Dean Scott Whitaker said the decision to admit or reject a student is never solely based on the student’s transcript.
“The transcript is one part of a set of credentials that represents the student,” he said.
Whitaker said concerns only arise when a student has withdrawn from many classes or has withdrawn from the same class several times.
“A ‘W’ in isolation or a pattern of ‘Ws’ is looked upon differently,” he said. “People might think they’re planning a way to get a higher [grade point average].”
Career Services Assistant Director Debbie Halliday said although employers often show interest in a student’s GPA, they almost never look at copies of full transcripts.
“If you’re in danger of failing a class, a ‘W’ may be preferable to a ‘D’ or ‘F,'” she said.
Halliday said if an employer questions a student about withdrawing from a class, the student can positively spin the situation.
“A student can position that they made a mature decision,” she said. “It can show that they are adaptable and flexible to change and make decisions according to the current situation.”
Halliday said withdrawal due to illness, a heavy course load or a change in interest are all acceptable reasons for the decision.
“Sometimes it leads to a positive discussion in finding what the student’s actual interests are,” she said. “That’s what college is about. It’s about growth.”
In addition to employment or academic potential, Halliday said students must consider their financial status and whether they can finish their degree on time before deciding to withdraw from a class. She said she urges students to talk to an advisor before making a decision.
“The important thing is for the student to talk to someone – an academic advisor, someone in our office, their professor or someone in the [Educational Resource Center],” she said. “They should talk to one of those four before making the decision.”
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Mike Decker said he dropped his freshman year political philosophy class because he disliked the way the professor organized the class.
“I could’ve done well,” he said. “But when I’m disinterested in the material, I completely shut off. The class description gave no idea of what the class would actually be like.”
Decker said he did not seek advice from his professor or an academic advisor because nothing anyone said would have made the class worthwhile, adding he was not concerned about any implications of a ‘W’ on his transcript.
“It was freshman year,” he said. “None of that occurred to me as important.”
International Relations professor William Keylor said he would never negatively view a student with a ‘W’ on a transcript.
“I do not regard a ‘W’ as a black mark on the student’s record,” he said. “It may reflect an illness, a serious family problem or a genuine recognition that it was a mistake to sign up for the class in the first place.”
Keylor said students should not be discouraged from taking a class if they receive a poor grade.
“I do not think it is wise for a student to panic and withdraw from a class if he or she does poorly on the first examination,” he said. “But if it becomes evident that the student just does not understand the material covered in the class, then it is appropriate for the student to conclude that it was a mistake to enroll in the course.”
CAS freshman Whaley Wells said she would only withdraw from a class if she was failing.
“It would have to have some kind of red flag attached to it,” she said.
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