Midterm is a rather overwhelming time in the life of a student. It is equally overwhelming for the instructor. Many of us intuitively know when a student is in danger of failing the class. There are tell-tale signs – absenteeism, glazed-over stares in class, inadequate work ethic. Unfortunately, students are not always aware of these signs in their own academic lives. The following tips offer advice of when to drop a class, when to stick it out, and how to properly drop a class.
Dropping should be used only when other means have been exhausted.
Dropping a class should not be knee-jerk reaction to poor performance or perceived personality clashes with a professor. It also should not be used as an excuse to avoid hard work. Dropping carries severe consequences with it, many that students do not see. If a student is a federal aid recipient, consistently dropping courses will affect one’s ability to continue receiving aid. If the aid is dispersed in the form of loans, you will pay interest (and the initial principal) on a class you did not finish. The average cost of a dropped class could easily total $3,000-4,000 depending on the tuition/fee schedule and loan interest rate. If the course costs $3,000-4,000 in tuition at a higher-end institution, you can expect to pay $6,000-10,000 over the life of the loan. To put this amount into perspective, dropping two classes could amount to a new car. This is based on the assumption that you are not dropping the class due to a lack of stick-to-it-ness and actually finish a degree program. The other assumption is you will land a good paying job upon graduation. Otherwise, you will default on loans that are too excessive to pay back. The idea is to graduate with the least amount of debt. Dropping classes can hurt you if you are a scholarship recipient. But there are penalties that you don’t see such as a damaged reputation. Excessive droppers make a name for themselves, and that name is “quitter.” Other faculty members in your major will know you can’t cut it. Keep that in mind when they refuse to accept late work or deny your request for a letter of recommendation. In business, weighing possibilities is called opportunity cost. Is dropping a course really less inconvenient than joining a study group, going to tutoring, turning in an assignment, or listening to your professor drone on? Oh, and if the loans are parental loans, holidays may become rather uncomfortable for a few years.
Dropping should be strategic.
What if you have studied, attended tutoring sessions, turned in bonus assignments, and you are still not making the grade? If you are going into a competitive program that requires a high GPA, dropping the course and either taking it again with a lighter load or under another professor may be ideal. Failing a course never looks good on transcript. If you can’t handle the load with your other courses, dropping may be advisable. Idealistically, you want to research your course options and enroll in courses that meet your degree program requirements but do not kill you (I will address this another blog). A ‘withdrawn” is better than “F.” However, keep this tip in mind. If the course will not drop your GPA much (if you have a 3.9, a D will not sink you) and the course is a general requirement and not required for your major, don’t drop it. If you are failing (and know that you will most definitely fail and not assume you will fail), it is required for your major (or you must have a grade of C to enroll in other courses), or you are having anxiety attacks before exams despite studying 20 hours a week, dropping may be a good idea. Be aware that if this course is taught by only one professor, then dropping may not be as advantageous.You will only repeat the cycle again.
There is an appropriate way to drop a course.
First, pay attention to the academic calendar and know when the drop date is. Also, if you drop too soon in the term, you may have to pay the school back for financial aid that it could not legally keep. In other words, if you drop in week 3, the school must return the prorated amount of the course to the government. You will have an unpaid balance owed to the institution that must be paid before registering for another term. Know your institution’s policy regarding dropped courses. Some places may require an advisor’s signature. Speak to the professor first. Do what is asked of you. Speak to your advisor, financial aid, the registrar, and anyone else that needs to be consulted before dropping a course (this includes your parents if they are paying for your education or taking out loans on your behalf as you are wasting their money and not your own).
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