Undergrad W's

[JDDHopeful]

I was originally planning on taking 3 classes this summer. I took one in Summer I, which I got an A in, in Summer II, right now, I'm taking 2 classes, one of which I'm doing well in and probably will finish out pretty well, hopefully an A. The other class is kicking my ass and the withdrawal deadling is tomorrow. All information I have obtained is that as long as my school does not calculate a W into my GPA as a 0.00, I'll be fine and LSAC won't either. My school treats withdrawals by just putting a W on the transcript, listing the credits that were attempted and completed (it will be reflected here), but does NOT calculate the W as a 0.00 in my GPA, they do not calculate it at all. So my question is, do I have anything to worry about -- is LSAC gonna average in a 0.00 into my GPA for 3 credits, or is it safe to conclude that they will not?

[Kasserole]

They do not average it into your UGPA as calculated by LSAC , but it does show up on your LSDAS Academic Summary Report.

[JDDHopeful]

That's pretty consistent with my info... I just wanted to verify... Thank you..

[tcwhat]

They do not average it into your UGPA as calculated by LSAC , but it does show up on your LSDAS Academic Summary Report.

The only instance in which it would be average into your UGPA is when the issuing school considers the W punitive.

[JDDHopeful]

Where I'm running into confusion is, what exactly is"punitive" vs. "non-punitive"?

[JDDHopeful]

Sorry for being hard-pressing, but I have to withdraw from my course in the morning.  Can someone attempt to define punitive for me?  As I understand a W is punitive if your school counts it as a zero in your Cumulative GPA?

[telemachus]

Sorry for being hard-pressing, but I have to withdraw from my course in the morning.  Can someone attempt to define punitive for me?  As I understand a W is punitive if your school counts it as a zero in your Cumulative GPA?

Can't you check with your school?

[Laura Roslin]

JDD -

I believe that, absent some indication from the school that the W is punitive, LSAC will assume it isn't.  Many schools have a WF indicator - indicating a 'withdrawal with failing grade' - and these are considered punitive by LSAC.

I'd check your school's policies on withdrawals (my school's are in the course catalog) to verify that it isn't punitive.  Checking with your registrar wouldn't be the worst idea, either. 

I wouldn't worry too much.  This strikes me as the sort of thing that would be subject to appeal if LSAC was wrong.  They do make mistakes, after all - they'll fix it if you are right.  *If* they call the grade punitive when it wasn't, I suspect a letter from your registrar verifying that the withdrawal was not punitive would be enough to make your case.  But don't worry before you have to.  Good luck!

[tcwhat]

Where I'm running into confusion is, what exactly is"punitive" vs. "non-punitive"?

Non-Punitive: A W is simply a W on your transcript and has no effect on your GPA.
Punitive: A W has an effect on your GPA.

Most schools are of the non-punitive variety.

[JDDHopeful]

Thank you all very much for your replies... You made my decision much easier..