Decisions with regard to staying or withdrawing from college classes are important in many ways. College courses are expensive and big consumers of one’s time and energy. The almighty transcript is also quite important as it reflects grades and withdrawals from classes. While there is no set guide or answer as to whether or not withdrawing from college class is a good option for you, we can take a deeper look at what it means to withdraw, the consequences, and common reasons that some do withdraw. With this information, you can perhaps form a better opinion as to withdrawal’s viability for you.
Common Reasons for Withdrawal
Each situation is different, and the minutia of your reasoning to withdraw may differ altogether from the next person. With this said, there can be combinations of many factors going into the decision to withdraw, or there can be just one. Here are a few of the most common reasons given.
Personal Crises
Everyone goes through a random, personal crisis at some point in their life. When degree retention can take numerous years to reach, there is a certain likelihood for a crisis to take place at a point during college education. Most colleges are understanding of tragic and difficult, personal events, not further penalizing the student during their crisis. However, a withdraw in one class, if not several or all, can be the result as the student takes time to deal with their personal issues.
Irreversible Struggle or Failing
It is not uncommon for students to find themselves encountering learning or understanding difficulties in classes. This is college-level work after all. On the other hand, there are times when the student may find themselves too far behind or irreparably failing. Withdrawal is sometimes the answer some students take here rather than staying and getting a failing grade on their transcript.
Peer Conflict
Withdrawing from class is, on rare occasion, caused by some sort of peer conflict. This is rare, but can result from personal issues with classmates, teachers, or others in the immediate classroom setting. The issues may be a current event or tensions as the result of past experiences or dealings. In some instances of this situation, classrooms can be switched so that the student remains in the class but in a different classroom or the same but at a different time. In other cases, withdrawal is the solution utilized.
Withdrawal Consequences
The consequences of withdrawal are not positive or helpful to the student’s path to graduation or a subsequent career. Withdrawing From College Classes Can Cost You is a telling yet very typical publication released by St. Petersburg College. Within the piece, students are urged to wholeheartedly consider the negative consequences of withdrawing from a class. Negative, academic effects listed include a negative, “W” on the student’s transcript as well as the possibility of a “WF” which is virtually the same as an “F”.
The typical, financial repercussions are also mentioned by the college; scholarship students, financial aid recipients, and even those funding class themselves are all subject to full repayment or responsibility for the entire cost of the class. As such, physical withdrawal is distinctly different from the withdrawal of the unbroken responsibility to pay for the class.
In conclusion, only you know if withdrawal is the right decision for your circumstances. Being aware of withdrawal information such as discussed here can make the decision that much easier to decipher and ultimately make correctly in the end. For more helpful information on your particular situation and decisions concerning withdrawing from college classes, we strongly recommend consulting with your school’s counselors, advisors, and administration.
See also: 50 Great Schools Where High School Students Can Get College Credit
