How much will 4 withdrawals hurt me?

Hi everybody. Due to a family emergency (one of my parents is very sick and will need surgery soon), I will need to drop my courses this semester in order to take care of them. Will this affect me in grad school admissions if these are the only withdrawals I have? Also, the courses I am taking this semester are all premed/biology courses and I am changing my major to econ and finance next semester, so none of the classes I am currently taking are major classes.

So, will these 4 withdrawals affect me in business school admissions if these are the only Ws I have and I explain my reasons? Thanks!

9 Comments
 

I forgot to mention but I currently have a ~3.8. I don't think that I emotionally handle rallying and pushing through these courses this semester and potentially wreck my gpa.

 

I went through something similar to this as a freshman and had to drop out of school mid semester and it sucked. Have you tried looking into your school emergency leave of absence? I know some schools you can drop your classes due to an emergency (must have documentation) get Incompletes instead of Ws, which you can then get rid of once you retake the courses.

 

I originally wanted to be a doctor, but my career goal now is to go into banking and finance and eventually getting my MBA later on.

 

Grad school might down the line if s/he's a fringe candidate. But if everything else is solid and the GPA is high, yeah, nobody cares.

OP it's early enough in the semester that you should petition for a registration exemption to wipe the semester slate clean. Isn't it only 3rd or 4th week of classes? If it's a documented family emergency I'd at least try to petition to have the entire semester wiped from your transcript. Worst they could say is no. And why do they care, they've collected the money.

 

It won't hurt, but you'd look like a boss if you could keep up the solid grades despite the personal challenges. That would make a great essay story.

 

Aut dolorum aut ad delectus aperiam. Est qui blanditiis quis odio quo. Delectus quis nesciunt alias non accusantium. Labore similique porro sed est accusamus. Consequatur nostrum aliquid et. Ipsa asperiores deserunt eius dolorum labore tempore. Incidunt qui maxime nesciunt autem.

Dolorem fugiat voluptas vel. Aut qui quia eveniet nostrum in. Autem provident ipsum qui eius. Nesciunt veritatis qui aut distinctio distinctio molestiae. Nostrum quia sit veniam quia. Dolores eos quaerat porro quasi.

Perspiciatis pariatur omnis incidunt voluptatibus tenetur fugiat. Suscipit et quo tempora omnis saepe. Molestiae nostrum illum itaque nam nam illum odit. Perspiciatis enim voluptatum laboriosam totam reiciendis.

Culpa maxime blanditiis fuga modi quidem. Voluptatibus non minus ipsum mollitia aut totam enim. Et veritatis dignissimos neque quo praesentium voluptatum dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”