How bad do incompletes look on a college transcript?

<p>I’m wondering because one of my professors told me last week she’s going to end up giving me an incomplete. I broke my foot a few weeks ago, and I’ve had problem after problem since, partially because my school is in no way handicapped accessible (I have to hop up and down three flights of stairs every day, since I live on the third floor of my dorm, and there aren’t any elevators, and the academic buildings/dining halls/student centers aren’t accessible either), so it’s been awful on crutches, and partially because the crutches themselves are starting to cause some problems. The school nurse thinks I might be developing muscle strain in both arms, which has gotten so bad that I can’t even take notes anymore, nevermind use the crutches for an extended period of time.</p>

<p>I’ve been getting to classes okay, but it hurts, and for the class in mind, there aren’t many grades that count–mainly only the final project, which is a portfolio of various things that we have to collect. In other words, I’d have to be able to get around relatively easily to collect all these things, which I can’t. So she told me she’s going to give me an incomplete, because she really doesn’t think I could do it without causing more pain than is necessary to myself, and because she wants to lighten my stress load a little.</p>

<p>My problem is that I’m a pre-vet major. I’m wondering how horrible an Incomplete looks on a transcript. I know W’s don’t look great, and especially WF’s, but I’ve never heard anything about an I. Will it hurt my chances very much to get into vet school?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>I thought the deal with an incomplete was that you had a set amount of time to finish the work after the class officially ends and then you’d get a grade to replace the I?</p>

<p>If you have a bonafide medical reason I can’t see how it would be much of a problem.</p>

<p>Second TwistedxKiss. I always thought that Incompletes don’t stay on your transcript for very long before they are replaced by a letter grade. Vet school admissions wouldn’t even know, unless you are a senior and request transcripts right after the end of the semester.</p>

<p>It might vary school to school. I was mildly surprised to discover that my university marks grades that were changed from IN on the transcript.</p>

<p>But of course, I think anyone reading your transcript won’t really care if you take the incomplete.</p>