Should You Stay or Should You Go? Part 2

We're now past the halfway point of the semester at both colleges where I teach. Those of you who are on the quarter system should be just about at that point as well. It's time to take a close look at how you are doing in all of your classes.

Hopefully, you have been diligently tracking your own grades throughout the semester or quarter and have a good idea of where you stand. Whether you have done so or not, I strongly suggest checking in with your professors or instructors as to what your present overall grade is in each of your classes now that you are near or at the midpoint of your classes.

First of all, even if you've kept your own grade records carefully, you could have made a mistake. Guess what? Your instructors or professors may have made mistakes, too. It's definitely worth it to make sure both sets of grade records match up.


Knowing what your current grade is in each class can provide you with valuable information as to how to approach the rest of the term. Some instructors or professors post grades on Blackboard or other course management software; some want you to come to their offices in person; some will provide you the information via email. It depends on their individual preferences and policies.

If you are on track with what grade you want to achieve with a particular class, keep doing what you're doing - it seems to be working. Don't get lazy though -- keep up the same level of effort and the same kinds of activities you've been doing all along. A good grade at midterm is no reason to sit back and take a break.

If your present grade is somewhat lower than you want, it's time to explore your options for doing better. Be honest with yourself. If you simply have not been putting in the appropriate effort with reading, studying, reviewing, completing assignments, and working on projects, get it in gear. Map out a battle plan for the rest of the term that has scheduled times for reading, studying, writing, research, and whatever else it takes to complete the class successfully. Ask for help from the instructor, other students, and tutors if you need it. If study groups work well for you, organize one with other students in your class and share study techniques and energy.

If your present grade is a lot lower than you want, be realistic about what your chances are for finishing with an acceptable or even passing grade. Keep in mind that in college, any final grade lower than a C is a tremendous weight pulling your GPA down. In core classes in your major, a C for your final grade may also be unacceptable for your long term plans.

In my teaching experience, I have noted that the majority of students who are earning anything lower than a solid C (at least 75%) at the midpoint of a class do not tend to finish with final grades above a C. Many of them finish with even lower grades. Have there been exceptions? Absolutely! Have there been many exceptions? No. So what's the answer in this situation?

If you honestly feel you can put forth the concentrated extra effort to do exceptionally well in all the remaining gradable tasks for the class, make a plan and go for it. You should first definitely check with your instructor as to whether it is possible for you to attain the final grade you want before committing to this course of action.

If the final grade outlook is not favorable, see whether you are still able to withdraw from the class. At the colleges where I teach, students can drop with a W on their records between the 6th and 12th weeks of a 16 week semester. After the 12th week, students can no longer drop, instructors can no longer drop students, and the students must receive a grade for the class. Every college and university has different policies, of course, but I have never encountered an institution that does not have something similar in place.

The main advantage to withdrawing and having a W on your transcript is that a withdrawal has no effect on your GPA. If you simply stay in the class past the withdrawal deadline, you will wind up with a grade for that class even if you stop showing up. Granted, it's not a good idea to be toting up too many withdrawals on your record as it may give an unfavorable impression about your commitment levels to future employers or grad school evaluators, but a couple Ws on your transcript is much better that racking up GPA-destroying Fs.

If the withdrawal deadline has passed, you will need to plan to re-take the class. Visit your academic counselor immediately. However, do remember than when you re-take a class, the first grade you received for it and the second grade you received for it are averaged together on your transcript. For example, if you take a class and initially receive an F, then you re-take it and receive an A, it will affect your GPA as if you took it once and received a C. Also keep in mind that individual colleges and universities have policies about how many times you can re-take a particular class and how many re-takes are allowable in your time at their institutions. Planning to re-take a class is a last ditch strategy that should be avoided and can be avoided if you track your grades closely throughout the term and opt to withdraw from a class in a timely manner if necessary.

Should You Stay or Should You Go?

It’s the first day of classes. You’ve had two classes so far and feel pretty good about what you will need to do during the semester and your ability to learn from the instructors involved. You go to your third class of the day hoping for more of the same. But as that first class meeting goes on, you are a bit uneasy. Maybe it’s something about the instructor’s teaching style. Maybe it’s all those out of class group assignments that won’t fit well with your busy work schedule. Regardless of what particular aspect of this class makes you unsure that you should continue with it, it is important to think carefully about whether you should stay (keep the class) or whether you should go (drop the class). Here are some steps to take in making that decision.

Look at the syllabi for all of your classes and assess what your academic workload will be for the semester and also consider your non-academic obligations (family, work, faith activities, etc.). Be realistic about the time it will take you to study and complete assignments. If your schedule seems to be mind-blowingly full, you may want to consider dropping a class.

If you cannot drop a class without compromising your financial aid award, be prepared to immediately add another class to replace the units of the one you will be dropping. That means having an add code/permission to register in hand and ready to go. If you are doing the drop and add on paper, submit them simultaneously to registration personnel. Even if you can do the drop and add over the computer, I would still recommend going in person in case there is something that needs an override by registration personnel.

If you decide to drop the class, do it the right way and do it promptly. You enrolled yourself for the class, so it’s your responsibility to unenroll yourself. While some instructors will drop students if they stop showing up for class, they are not obligated to do so. You could wind up with a nasty F slamming your GPA down at the end of the semester just because you didn’t bother to formally drop a class. Going through the proper procedure to drop a class may also free up a space for another student who really needs it. Be mindful of drop and add deadlines and how they might affect how much of your money will be refunded. If you’ve held off on your decision to drop a class until you won’t be getting any of your money back, you might want to reconsider.

There also can be some compelling reasons to keep a class even if you’re feeling uncomfortable about it. Here are a few:

Are you close to transferring or graduating? If this is a class you need to accomplish either of those, you might be better off hanging in there so you can finish up on time.

Is the class not offered every semester? This is quite common, especially at the university upper-division level. It can be a nightmare for seniors to get into these classes, so dropping a capstone class can set you back significantly.

Is it a class that serves as a prerequisite to other classes? Dropping a prerequisite class will limit your ability to enroll in some other classes in the future, including required classes in your major.

Is the class only taught by one instructor? If you are uneasy about the instructor’s teaching style and he/she is the only faculty member who teaches that class, you might as well keep the class and find ways to get through it.