Each semester the university establishes some hard and fast deadlines including the dates to add, drop or withdraw completely from a course. Yesterday was the last day to withdraw from courses that meet the first half of the semester.
There are two deadlines for withdrawing from a class and yesterday’s was the first. The final deadline for withdrawing from any individual class that meets the second half of the semester is Nov. 9.
For most these deadlines pass uneventfully and they continue on towards midterms. For some students though withdrawing from a class may be weighing heavily on their mind. Withdrawing from a class can be compared to dropping a class. The student no longer attends the course and isn’t responsible for any course work after they withdraw. The tougher part of the decision to withdraw from a course instead of simply dropping it is what sort of repercussions follow.
There are several factors to consider before deciding to withdraw from a course or the university as a whole for a semester. One of the most important is what sort of grade you’re expecting to receive. When a student withdraws from a class it is marked as a W on their transcript and holds no bearing on a GPA. There are a number of resources on campus to help students be successful in courses but sometimes extenuating circumstances, class format or even just lack of preparedness can mean a failing grade.
Students also need to weigh the consequences of dropping the course against their financial aid packages. Large amounts of financial aid are contingent upon maintaining full-time student status. Receiving scholarships may also rely on grades at the end of the academic year or semester.
The last thing students need to think about when it comes to withdrawing from a class is who will be seeing their transcript. A W on a transcript may be seen less negatively by employers or people combing through graduate program applications. A failing grade might show that you stick with whatever you start but if your GPA will take a substantial hit it may not be worth it.
Failing a class or having to withdraw isn’t the end of the world. It can mean an opportunity to re-evaluate study habits, balancing school and other obligations or consider changing the direction of your path through higher education. Even if you decide to withdraw form the university for the semester, there are options to enroll full time for the following semester.
The point of going out and getting a higher education shouldn’t be to suffer through lectures and worrying only about the grade. It should be about learning even if it means learning certain classes aren’t the right fit.
A variety of deadlines including changing course-grading options, withdrawing from courses and withdrawing from the university can be found at uwyo.edu/registrar/calendar_and_deadlines.
