Does an N or W look bad on a high school transcript to colleges?Answered
I have a 4.0 at the moment (all A's), but I am taking a class that I am having trouble handling. If I drop the class, I will receive an N or W on my transcript, most likely an N. Will this look bad to colleges like Harvard, Stanford, UPENN, etc.?
Thank you!
Earn karma by helping others:
1 answer
A single W or N on your high school transcript is generally not a major concern for top-tier colleges like Harvard, Stanford, or UPenn. Admissions officers understand that students may face challenges and make adjustments. If you decide to drop a class, it's important you provide context in your college application, explaining the reasons behind the decision. Did you simply take too much all at once and can not handle the work load or do you have other circumstances that explain this situation? I personally dropped a class in high school and I do not think it impacted me that much. Just make sure that you are maintaining consistency and rigor in your overall curriculum and focus on other areas of your application like ECs, test scores, and essays.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
Well It depends on how "tough" the class is and what you took to replace it but basically (in MY opinion).
Tough class (dropped) -> Easier class (replacement) = a little bad (MAKE SURE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU DROPPED IT)
Easy class (dropped) -> Tough class (AP or IB or Honors) = Looks good in college apps :D
It really doesn't impact your college apps as much as you think it might be !
Remember EVERYTHING is subjective!!! Good luck! <3