At this point in the semester, students at Texas A&M University-Commerce have been feeling the stress of college life, as well as juggling and keeping up with on-campus activities or a social life.
Even with a new regulation being passed, directly affecting 2007 freshmen, dropping classes might become an option to some students.
It has become easier to drop classes before they start each semester with the myLeo Web site. However, dropping classes once a semester has started may have severe consequences. What dropping a class means and how if affects a student’s records could make them think twice before taking that action.
“I think if you’re gonna fail a class it’s a good idea to drop it. Especially if it’s a class that you don’t need,” Sedric Miles, music education major said.
Dropping classes might help with the load of class work, but it can also affect financial aid and scholarships.
Students are now required to get a department head or instructor’s signature in order to drop a class if it has already started. However, classes can be dropped without a signature if the semester has not yet begun.
According to university registrar, Paige Bussell, dropping classes after the twelfth class day will result in no reimbursement.
Withdrawal and dropping are two separate things. Any classes withdrawn are counted toward the 45-hour and three-peat rules.
“Students drop for many different reasons; we ask for one, but it is not necessary,” Bussell said. “There is no top reason students drop. Work related, personal and grades are often factorial reasons that make up dropping and withdrawing, but it always depends upon the person’s situation.”
All stipulations concerning dropping and withdrawing from classes can be found in the academic catalogs, student handbooks and University Web site.
“Drop/fail negatively affects your GPA, it counts as an F,” Bussell said. “Drop/pass also counts as passing as determined by the instructor by the end of the semester.”
Since dropping and withdrawing can also affect financial aid, scholarships and housing on campus, Bussell recommends talking with the appropriate department head, especially if there is money involved.
“International students need to talk to International Student Services; athletes should go to the Athletics Department and so on,” Bussell said.
For first-semester freshmen there is a new rule being instated into the A&M-C rules and procedure called the six-drop rule.
According to Bussell, this rule spreads across Texas and limits the number of classes to six that a student can drop in his or her college career. This rule affects freshmen students for the fall 2007 semester and later.”
“I think that it’s a good idea because most freshman only think of the now and not think of the future. It’s also good because it will help with people not wasting their money by having them look at the bigger picture; not talking classes that they don’t need,” undergraduate Sedric Miles said.
The limitation on the number of times students can drop classes has been passed through Texas legislation under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code.
This code affects students that live on campus, as well as transfers to the University.
Transfer students also have classes that have been dropped after the census date counted toward the six-drop rule from prior higher education institutions.