In college, you are going to come face to face with a lot of challenges. However, one of the biggest challenges you will have is deciding what courses to take that meet the requirements for your major. Another challenge will be deciding whether or not to drop a class you don’t love.
Indeed, if you are new to the whole college experience, you will soon learn that you can drop a class if you need to. There must be an extenuating circumstance forcing you to drop your course, so you want to know what some of those criteria are before you do. Here are some questions to ask yourself before withdrawing from a college course
Do You Need it for Your Major?
If the course you are taking is needed or required for your major, you may want to stick with it. Indeed, some majors may require their prerequisite courses in addition to the general prerequisites needed, so you may think that you don’t need the course when in reality you really do need it. The last thing you want is to mess up the trajectory of your major. If you leave the class, you may be forced to take extra courses or stay in school for an extra semester to fulfill the credit requirements.
Have You Gone to Your Professor’s Office Hours?
A lot of professors have office hours where you can spend up to twenty minutes talking about the class and asking any clarifying questions you may have. If you are having concerns or if you are thinking about dropping the class, you may want to talk to your professor.
If there is something you don’t fully understand, then the professor will be able to help. It may be that you simply need to understand the material better before you can appreciate it. Moreover, you may also need to learn how to appreciate a particular professor’s teaching style.
What is Your Current Grade?
If you have a low grade in the course, you are on a bit of precipice. In some cases, you may want to withdraw if you have a low grade. For instance, if you are closer to the end of the semester and there is no way to pull back from a D or an F, you probably want to withdraw to save your grade point average.
If you have time to improve your grade, you may want to think about sticking around. There is no use in going through the trouble of retaking a similar course if you can save your grade.
How Late is it in the Semester?
A lot of times, a particular college – like UAB Online – will give you a grace period where you can withdraw. This is usually during the first few weeks. If it is after that grace period and you still withdraw, it could affect your grade point average, which is the last thing you want. If you are in that grace period and you are absolutely certain you want to drop the course, you can probably withdraw and not face any academic consequences.