Will withdrawing an entire semester affect my law school chances? Forum

[ajarjarjarbinks]

Hi everybody. I am currently a sophomore at a top 15 private school. One of my parents is very sick and will need surgery soon. To take care of them while they recover, I need to withdraw from my classes for this semester. I am going to return to school in the spring, and I will be changing my major so I will not need to retake any of the classes I am withdrawing from. Will this affect me in law school admissions? I have no other Ws and I have 3.8 GPA currently. Thanks!

[QContinuum]

Even if withdrawing hurts you, it will hurt you less than bombing your classes and tanking your GPA this semester. Withdraw.

I'd simply include an addendum about your reason for withdrawing, which IMO is compelling. I don't think it will hurt you.

Best wishes.

[AJordan]

I withdrew for ten years and it didn't seem to affect me too much. Explaining your situation effectively actually, in my opinion, would lend you points for maturity. You understood the demands of your situation before they got out of hand and you proactively dealt with that, handled it, and then got back to school as soon as things were settled. I'm struggling to understand how this could possibly hurt you.