High GPA with an F and a semester of Ws
Im in a T10 US physics program. My sophomore year went quite poorly for health reasons. I did a medical withdrawal in the spring and got an F in an intro physics course in the fall (fainted at start of the final) along with some Bs (that part is fine). I retook that course and did well (you would see “F (GR) A+”) and had it grade replaced. All my upper-level courses are 4.0 and I will have a 3.9 or so if my last semester goes smoothly. Will these shenanigans tank an otherwise strong profile for top grad schools? If it helps at all in US citizen, have a publication (2?) with very strong LOR and went to a conference for said publication, so part of me thinks that this can be spun into a resilience story.