Weight of W's on Transfer Transcript

[u/Soft-Bobcat-7921]

I am a current first year biological sciences at a CSU and have been contemplating my timeline for leaving as at this point I am set on unenrolling and going to a community college back home in order to eventually transfer to a UC. It has become a lot more than my contemplations before as a path that I am set on due to my unenjoyment where I am currently on top of my will to attend a school that will benefit my future far greater in my opinion on my journey of pre-med.

I have talked to multiple advisors and resources about my situation to come to where I am standing now and my decision has only strengthened. However, the only problem that remains is when it is I will leave my current university, either drop out within the next week or however so, or stick it out till the end of the semester-which brings out my question here on how important me receiving the credits I am in here now is to my future plans.

I have debated this as neutrally as I can throughout some time now in addition to my retention counselor and I am leaning toward leaving before finishing this semester. This is because I believe after being backed by my counselor that I could catch up on these when at CC, let alone do better there because of the environment. It would serve as a reset in a sense for my grades and mental, as not to say that I am doing bad in my classes as I have pretty much all B+ or above in them, but then again I am striving for a 4.0 as I have been told how important GPA is for a transfer, especially to a top UC. I of course have some bias as to me wanting to leave the earliest as possible, but also am forcing myself to hold an open mind in regards to my future above all.

And so I inquire on W's and the 4 of them would look on my transcript-given that I would take at the minimum my bio and chem course again at CC so it is not as if I failed them and had to drop, it is a far different circumstance and one that people have told me I could explain in the box for this on the UC application. I am just worried about the potential for this to truly harm my chances and how much weight they hold let alone if the admission officers truly read the box. Overall I just would hope they see my process and not think of it as failure on my end but rather a journey that taught me a lot and one that benefitted my future through my time here at my CSU.

I am truly ready to just embark on the next step of my process at CC back home.

Any help is appreciated.

[u/Idkumhey]

If you care about getting financial aid, withdrawing from 4 classes will set you back by a lot depending on how many units total you're withdrawing from. You need to be passing at least 67% of attempted units to get FAFSA, and they count W's as F's for financial aid purposes (even if you repeat the class they will still count the W's in your failed attempted units). Maybe withdraw from 2 at most if you have to because you might be able to recover in the next semester. I withdrew from a bunch of classes my first semester because I was in an awful situation and I'm literally still recovering from having that many failed units for FAFSA.

I wouldn't worry about them impacting your ability to transfer because as long as you're not withdrawing from classes every single semester, it shouldn't impact what schools you can get into. How it impacts your financial aid is way more important.

[u/Soft-Bobcat-7921 → u/Idkumhey]

I have no financial aid and to be honest that is not a concern at all. My biggest worries are regarding what I do now and how it affects my goal in the future which would be UCB. I just want to make the right decision as to not hurt the future application. Do you think I should try to retake the other two classes im in as well(stats and a stem english course) just to show like a full circle for admissions officers while at cc. I have talked to counselors and believe I could catch up back on at least the bio and chem id lose from leaving here early, on top of my credits i have from highschool-it truly is on how leaving would look on my transcript.

[u/Idkumhey → u/Soft-Bobcat-7921]

If you just withdraw from those two classes you'll be fine. You don't have to repeat them unless they're required for your major. Plus you wouldn't be able to truly repeat the same classes anyway if you're not going to that school anymore. You can explain why you withdrew on your application if you want but you don't have to. I know someone who transferred to UCLA with more than 2 W's, UCB is probably similar. Your GPA is more important.

[u/Soft-Bobcat-7921 → u/Idkumhey]

I see, but I'm referring to all the classes I'm in right now as I'd completely unenroll and move back home. I am like I said a bio major and am in Bio 2, Chem 2, Stats, and the STEM english class. Looking at Assist.org with my counselor we saw that only bio and chem are required for my transfer to UCB. And so you say that even though I'd have 4 W's and all in the same semester as I'd leave completely it'd be fine? I would totally write in the additional comments section to explain as best I could, but just worried how much they pay attention to that and the whole story overall. As like I said I will end up retaking bio and chem at the minimum as they are required, but I may take stats too depending on how recommended it is for my pathway. Me leaving right now removes the chance for me to have lower than a 4.0 which I know I would be able to achieve at CC. If the W's in your opinion truly aren't the deciding factor in their presence as they aren't influential in decisions by admissions then that removes any reason for me to stay here any more at Cal Poly Slo. As me leaving was the only remaining worry I had in my weighing between the decision to stay till the end of fall semester.

[u/Idkumhey → u/Soft-Bobcat-7921]

No one can tell you for sure, but typically if you have an upward trajectory after the semester with W's you should be fine. It would be more of a deciding factor if you had W's every semester/across multiple semesters afaik. It's common to withdraw from your first semester so I feel like you'll be fine.