By Jonathan Smith, Student Reporter
Many students will still be requesting course withdrawals as the Nov. 15 deadline for dropping a class approaches, according to Karen Griffith, records specialist in the Registrar’s Office.
“The week right before the deadline, many students will come in requesting to drop a course,” Griffith said.
Not every student will be allowed to drop any course, especially some freshmen.
“If you are a freshman, there are certain courses you are not allowed to withdraw from,” Griffith said, including University Seminar, freshman English and Concepts of Health Fitness. Freshmen may only withdraw from one of these courses with special permission from a dean.
Griffith said there are several problems with withdrawing from a course this late in the semester.
She urged students thinking about dropping a course to check with Student Financial Services to make sure withdrawing does not affect the student’s eligibility to receive financial aid or scholarships.
Most students drop courses to avoid having that grade affect their grade point average, although this does not always work, she said.
“Many students do not understand that even if you withdraw, the teacher still has the option to assign a grade of WF, or Withdraw Failing, and that does affect your GPA,” Griffith said, also citing that most teachers do not do this even though they have the option.
Even though students can still receive a grade for a withdrawn course, most still withdraw because of grade concerns.
“The only reason I could think of to drop a course right now would be to save my grade point average,” said Chris Southern, freshman undecided major from Round Rock. “That, or if I completely hated a class and didn’t want to have anything to do with it anymore.”
While failing grades are the main reason many students withdraw from a course, others use it as a way of relief.
“Some students feel that things are becoming too intense late in the semester, and they need relief even if they are not failing the course,” Griffith said.
Course withdrawals must be taken care of through the Registrar’s Office by Nov. 15.
