So. I'll go straight to the point; I'm a 2nd year student at univeristy, 18-19 years of age (so, you know, I'd be considered an adult now...). I want to drop a class (American Literature). Have you ever dropped a class? To those who have dropped classes, did you tell your parents that you dropped it? If you did, did they let you do it easily or did they give you a hard time and convinced you not to? If they did let you drop it, what arguments did you use to get them to allow you to drop it? Actually, what are your reasons for dropping?




[Feel free to skip this part] Last year I had a classical civilizations class in which the professor's way of teaching and my way of learning, just completely clashed (this is my way of saying it nicely). He was a funny, interesting guy but in terms of teaching-- let's just say I wanted to go into history/classics when I entered university, but killed the dream of majoring in the subject once the class ended. I hated it a lot. I told my mother I wanted to drop the class but she didn't approve of it and said that "in life you'll have bosses and teachers that you won't agree with, but you have to go along with them" so alright, I stayed in that class since she made sense. And besides, even if eventually she let me drop the course, it would've already been too late to get a 100% refund-- I would've wasted money and time.

Thanks to it, I not only lost interest in one of the subjects I really enjoyed (please don't use that "if you gave it up that easily, then you must've not liked it that much because the prof and I just did not mix at all and I'm sorry to say it but he really ruined my perception of history/classics), it also dragged down my mark. Which is very unfortunate because those are the 2 biggest factors for me in taking a class (well, duh).

This year I, again, want to drop a class: American Literature. I view it neither as an item of interest nor a personal challenge. (Sometimes I like to take classes for the sake of challenging myself. e.g. Critical Approaches to Literature.) It's only available on Tuesdays, 6-9 and I find that really inconvenient because I have no other classes on Tuesdays but that one so instead of freely studying for my full work-load day (my longest day) on Wednesday, the day will be used insteaed on getting ready for just one evening class. In addition, I already said I'm not interested in it & the professor... is not that good, either. (I'm not picky when it comes to teachers, in case someone suspects that. If I was, I would also drop my Canadian Lit class which has the most boring prof ever who mumbles throughout the lecture and doesn't even seem to have an outline for the class-- seriously, other profs would say that we'd be studying gender/genre... she would just dive into the book and talk about random observations she had =\ where's the theme?) The point is I'm not interested in it and the professor's lecture is also all over the place. (e.g. She was doing an introduction to a book and decided to start with the background information of Puritans. In the end she couldn't tie the 2 together.)

As of now, it's the class I least enjoy. However, it is under a group of courses I can choose from, to make up for one credit that will count towards my major.) But having said that, it's not as if I can't take this in summer school. Actually that might be even better since I'd be able to really focus on it becauseit's the only class I'll be taking. Regardless how much I hate it, I'll have the reason of it being my only class to keep me concentrated and hopefully be able to drag my mark to a high 70 at least. Even if I can't have OSAP cover that, I think that by then I'll have saved enough money to pay for the summer class myself.

I know there are some things in life that I just need to suck up, but this is my education and I've always put much value into it. But I've also always put a lot of value into what will keep myself satisfied (because if I'm not satisfied I will do miserably in the class anyway). I don't want to spend my Tuesdays dreading 4:00 because that's when I have to get ready for school. I don't want to spend my Tuesdays whining instead of having time to get ready for Critical Approach to Literature class wherein we have to read philosophical papers that pertain to understanding text. (If you've ever read a philosophical paper, you'll know a 20-sentence paragraph might even be harder than understanding a whole novel by Jane Austen.) Finally, I don't want to spend my Tuesday evenings in a class I hate wherein I wouldn't even concentrate anymore because I hate it so much, that eventually it defeats the purpose of me taking it altogether.

Unfortunately my mother can't seem to understand this. I think her motto is along the line sof "JUST DO IT ANYWAY, DO IT, DO IT-- REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING" which could be a negative thing sometimes. But anyway I told her I dropped it and she was mad because she says it's a bad decision. But it's my decision-- as a young adult. (I really haven't dropped it yet... but it's just one click away.)

I think I just shouldn't tell her these things anymore, but out of fear and respect I do. But my older sister dropped a class and she didn't even tell our parents. So why can't I do it, too, huh.


If you actually bothered to read my entire story/rant, thank you and sorry for wasting your time. The actual point of this thread was just to ask about your views on dropping courses. Like I already asked: Have you ever dropped a class? Did you tell your parents that you dropped it? If you did, did they let you do it easily or did they give you a hard time and convinced you not to? If they did let you drop it, what arguments did you use to get them to allow you to drop it? Actually, what are your reasons for dropping?

And if you read the whole thing, do you agree with me that I should drop it? (I really do want to drop the course but having been brought up almost a puppet to my parents and their views on my schooling, it's a difficult thing for me to do to defy her...)

I really hope someone answers ><

I have dropped several, my school charges one price for two to four classes (less than 6 units is cheaper) so when I drop one its not really "dropping a $1000" class so its a bit different.

I sometimes discuss dropping it with my parents, I tell them why and get their opinion. Generally my dad who pays for it would encourage me to continue and be hopeful because I could just retake it later. But I don't think he really considers the impact of a D on my GPA. My school only allows for three retake and replace grades and I have had plenty of grades I should have replaced. When I actually did drop it, they often tried to convince me to continue sitting through the class.

A few times I didn't tell them, and just skipped those classes. But they somehow remembered it when they asked me about my final grades.

Generally I drop because I am doing really poorly, like 30% or below kind of bad. Usually that's in combination with a teacher I seriously don't like and I just know they will not curve the grades.

Good luck though, doesn't hurt to email your teacher about it. Just say you know you're doing bad and ask if they think your current grades will be enough to pass. If anything, you can ask if they have extra credit and attempt to fix things up. Just remember every class you retake means you will be in school longer. T_T I know all about it.

I've had to drop one class - it was an elective so it wasn't that big of a deal. It does suck not being able to get your money back though. Like you, I dropped it after the cut off date for the 100% refund. My parents were okay with it when I told them I was doing poorly in the class, and was likely to get a D. And they understand it's better to have a VW on your transcript than a D or an F.

Also, if your workload is too much, taking too many courses will negatively affect how you do in your other classes. I'd say this is a legitimate reason for dropping a course - to be able to concentrate on your other classes, instead of letting your grades be equally bad.

HEY! this is random--but i just couldn't help noticing some of the courses tat u're taking sound like they're from UofT!!
i'm a first year and i'm going to take Crit App..
i was wondering---how hard is tat course? and how's the prof?

also---if u're still interested in taking an ENG course--- Lit for our time has been REALLY amazing so far---

anyway--- sry i wasn't much help--but please let me know about Crit App.

Yeah I dropped a class my second year. It cost me even more because I dropped it too late to get a refund and I pay international tuition, but even though I probably could have done OK it was just taking WAY too much time and I had other classes that semester that I felt I needed that time to really concentrate on. Turns out I probably should have dropped the other class instead and kept the one I dropped...*sigh* I could actually probably have done OK enough in the class that I dropped, but the amount of reading per week was pretty insane because it was also very difficult and not in English. It fit badly with my schedule that semester, too, so certain days were just crazy. That's what I told my parents: it was taking too much time away from more important classes and I'd gotten too behind in it. I told them it would be worth it if I performed better in the classes that were more important for my intended post-graduation plans. I only told them after I'd actually already dropped the course, though. My mom argued with me and both parents were a bit pissed, but they couldn't really do anything about it by then, of course, and it wasn't really their decision to make.

There's another course last year that I reeeally wanted to drop the semester before that but stuck out to the end. Turns out I probably should have dropped that one, too, when I was thinking about it back when I would've gotten the refund. Of COURSE the year after I take it the horrible prof was finally fired and the new prof is apparently actually good. At least I passed and it's over and done with now, but I'm pretty sure I could have done so much better with that material. The money stopped me that semester, though, and I was sure that I could at least pass.

I wish my school (UofT for the Canadians here) replaced grades if you take a course over. Here you can retake a class once and only if you fail it, but that F still stays in your GPA and on your transcript. It's amazing that so many American colleges will let students replace not even just one but multiple failing grades or even D's. I missed a final exam accidentally my first year, ended up failing the class, and I took the equivalent over the summer at a school closer to home, but it doesn't even show up on my transcript, just the F. It was a 100-level course, and since you can only take so many of those, I couldn't even freaking transfer the credit when I retook it. It's ONLY a 100-level course at UofT, too; every sane place it's a 200- or 300-level course.

QUOTE (myway25 @ Sep 16 2009, 10:21 PM)

HEY! this is random--but i just couldn't help noticing some of the courses tat u're taking sound like they're from UofT!!
i'm a first year and i'm going to take Crit App..
i was wondering---how hard is tat course? and how's the prof?

also---if u're still interested in taking an ENG course--- Lit for our time has been REALLY amazing so far---

anyway--- sry i wasn't much help--but please let me know about Crit App.

Haha yeah I'm from UofT, but not from the main campus so if you go there, our professors are probably different. A friend of mine actually took Lit For Our Time last year and told me the class was really boring, hence why I avoided taking that class. Glad you're having fun with it, though.

Crit App has been pretty good so far. My professor is funny and he's the really enthusiastic kind so I'm ejoying the class. The one thing about it I don't enjoy is the book. I'm not exaggerating-- it's like, 5 inches thick. It's even thicker than our Bible. Even thicker than some science books =| and that's already with the thinnest kind of paper used. And if you don't have any experience reading Philosophy, you might have trouble with it because a lot that we've read so far are philosophical papers (Aristotle, Plato...). So it's really challenging, but I'm enjoying it.


@joogrlpekaun wow, I'm sorry, that sucks about the F =\ Urgh, I have one D already from Psych class... I guess I'll just have to work extra hard to pull up my GPA.
@everyone thanks so much for replying! I dropped my class after I told my mom I already did, and replaced it with another course for the next term. I hope it works out better than Am Lit. As soon as I told her I replaced the course, she seemed to be okay with it. AND since I dropped it before the 21st, I got 100% refund =D

I did drop a class in my first year. It was English. Yes, I know it sucks feeling like you're paying for nothing. But I knew for sure I couldn't pass that class anyway and it were *6 credits, I would have gone through hell to pull an F up. I felt upset but relieved.

In my second, I got two D's. Yes, they sucked. By the time I wrote those finals, I lost counts of how many time I banged my head on the table, regretting that I should have dropped them so I wouldn't have to endured this hell. But, I passed, my GPA took a deep dive but at least I got the credits. I'm paying international fee, so they were worth >$2000. I was upset and relief (again) but more relief this time.

Now I know what I want to major in, I find more fun studying, things like that probably won't happen in future. I'm doing fairly well now, still keep trying to pull those devil D's up. (D is stand for Devil !! )

I'm happy that you made your decision. I hope that helps anyone would in this situation.

if you need to drop it then drop it, if you dont need to then dont do it.

but consider these factors in to your needs:
1) do you care about grades? are you ok with just passing (aka D or above)?
2) will you be comfortable staying in college 1 semester longer?
3) do you have any interest in that class? is that class something you are required to take and pass with at least a C?

in the future, try study up on the professor before you take their class like on ratemyprofessor.com

it looks bad for grad school if you have too many withdraw or F even if you get a replacement A on it afterwards.

a D is consider a pass???

I don't tell my parents about academic matters unless it's super important. They'll just ask how I did on a test now and then but they don't need me to tell them everything I do in school because they trust me and the decisions I make for myself. I think if you want to drop it, you should, but maybe don't tell your parents? And if they tell you not to drop it, tell them it's your decision to make and not theirs.

On a side note, there was this one class that I had to take for my major and I absolutely hated it. I really liked the professor but I hated my TA and I hated my partners in the class. I was seriously considering dropping the class many many times throughout the quarter but I decided to stick through it because I didn't want to retake the class and I ended up with an A-.

Depends on the classes. Normally major related like lower division requirements require a C or better, and they will be picky about the minus. But I seem to be OK with a D I got in my general ed class requirement

I've dropped a couple classes before, and I've told my parents about all of them. No, its not cause my parents control my every action, but because I want to their input to make sure I'm not doing anything I'll regret. I never felt guilty about it or anything, because I always take an extra class for the sake of learning something that doesn't apply towards my degree, and since i pay the same amount for 12 or 17 credits, why not just take 17 and get my money's worth? My main reason for dropping is if the course requires a ton of outside work, because I would rather focus on my classes that are actually worth something.

Ultimately, it is up to you if you want to drop the course. I know people who have dropped courses multiple times for the same reasons you have. Just keep in mind you will have to take it eventually, and hopefully by a more compatible prof. I say go ahead and drop it. You're not going to learn anything if you don't enjoy the class one bit.

It depends, some class require a C as passing while others require a D

i recently dropped my japanese course...honestly i wasn't too interested in it and I didn't really have the time required to practice and review the subject daily like the proff recommended because I tended to focus on my science courses

you can always drop a class and take up another one if that'll make you feel better. but i never drop a class before and if i am, i probably am not going to tell my parents. just feel like they really don't need to know.

imo, dropping a class is always better than having a terrible grade on your transcript! it may state that you've dropped that class, but it won't affect your gpa at all! if you don't enjoy the class/the prof, you're not going to put 100% into that class... so the final grade won't be your best. you can always retake it if you need it/want to make your transcript "look better".

i've dropped two classes before, and i'm glad i did. though i didn't get very much money back, it didn't affect drag down my overall gpa. i told my parents i dropped them and explained to them how a bad grade could seriously affect my gpa. they didn't have much to say. they respect my decisions. (and anyways, if youre in university already, you don't need a permission slip signed or anything, so if youre really THAT worried, you don't have to share with your parents.... just study at school during that time or something. say the prof canceled the class if you end up at home during that time? lol....)

I usually drop the class if I don't like the professor. I just retake the class with another Professor.

Some people are missing the $1000 point. I think.

Sure, dropping a class like $500 wouldn't be that big of a deal. Work some sort of part-time job, got you back that amount. But for like international, It costs a fortune to your parents. I, myself, just don't want to let the precious $$$ that my parents work so hard for, gone down the drain just for the sake of a pretty GPA if I know I can pass.

A "D" can be considered a pass depends on the course you take. I did got two D's. I did get the credits. It's all depend on how your situations.

Oh, I got the $2,000-or-so point when I chose to drop a course late in the game. (I'm also paying international tuition--and maybe you weren't talking about me or people in my situation and meant people who drop courses pretty casually, but I'm going to respond anyway.) It hurt, all right, but it's not quite as clear-cut as that. It's different if it's a course that you HAVE to do decently in eventually in order to meet the requirements of your major or even to continue on to, say, medical school. If you get a grade that's too low then you've wasted the money just the same AND gotten the horrible grade. Also, for certain types of post-undergraduate plans, having a "pretty" GPA is a necessity, not a luxury or something that would just be nice. Getting D's, especially more than one and/or in the wrong courses, could blow some people's plans to smithereens. It really depends on the course and what your plans are; maybe your ambition is just to have enough credits to graduate, or maybe those particular courses you just need to pass and get the credit, and that's fine, but that's not true for everyone in all cases. In some cases, it may ultimately be much more of a waste of time and money to get the D, and of course if you fail then it's the biggest possible waste of time, money, and GPA. Like you said, it depends on the situation. Sometimes you have to cut your losses.

i've dropped 3 classes so far in my college career. and those three classes cost about $900 per credit. pretty damn expensive if you ask me, considering my parents pay about $22,000 per year on my tuition. the times i did drop my classes, i didn't tell my parents. but they eventually found out when they saw the W's reflected in my grades. i got reamed by mom since she's the main one paying for my tuition and i still do from time to time. she can't let it go. so yeah, the guilt is there but i'd rather drop a class then be miserable for the rest of the semester and have it affect my GPA on top of that. no way! my school usually reimburses 25%, 75%, or whatever on tuition depending on the week of school you drop the class by. and they usually give us 4 weeks to drop any classes in order to get some money back. but after the 4 weeks, you get nothing back. so the sooner, the better.

I've dropped two classes in my career. One because I overloaded myself and couldn't handle the course load (I was taking more units than I should have, and ended up being too busy with extracurriculars and work to focus on all of them so I missed some lectures and discussions and fell behind), and one because of family issues/I hated hated HATED the class (I again was taking more units than I should have, family issues bogged me down/increased stress, and this particular class was taking up way more time/work than it should have for being a standard GE).

Money was never an issue in dropping classes. The issue was always, will I be able to pass the class without ruining my GPA (important for grad school), and by being in this class will I do worse in all of my other classes (yes).

Dropping a class you know you can't do well is always a plus. I learned that the hard way. I ended up failing the course and it limited me in a lot of things (getting an honors degree, applying for an internship program) etc etc. And it's a lot harder for you to get into grad school as well. (I was one of the lucky ones who ended up being a special case since the course I failed wasn't related to my major). But DON'T LEARN THE HARD WAY LIKE I DID!

one; ratemyprofessors.com
two; why did you sign up for it if you weren't even interested in it (and choosing a time like that)?
i wouldn't drop it unless it was early on or if i was failing at it later in the school year and just take the W instead of an F.

but it doesn't really matter if you drop one or not if you have enough credits to be considered full time student afterward, because if you drop and still have 13 you're not paying any more or less for extra credits since full time is considered a standard rate.

i'm in second year and i haven't dropped any classes so far so yeah, i guess i don't know how it is yet lol.

just select classes that you're going to be interested in for next semester so you won't have to risk dropping out again.

you should have done your hwk before you registered.

I really don't understand why some people would drop a class, that's just a waste of money.
If you have done some research about the class/professor, you should do fine.

I've seen so many people dropped their class, because the class is too boring, it's too hard blah blah blah
so what? not everything in life is easy. Other people may be looking for that spot in that class, but because you registered for it, they can't take it.

You should only register for the classes you are capable of.

Anyways, my parents are fine with dropping classes, they just want me to be "happy" with whatever i choose.
so... just drop this course, but think about it next time before you register for classes!

wait --- i never thought there were financial implications to dropping a class?
what do people mean by losing $1000?

is there a difference between public and private schools? financial aid vs. loans?

i'm confused, because people in my school drop courses left and right before the "drop date"....

the financial part is key to me if i were in this situation... i wouldn't drop it for the professor but i would drop it if the grade would kill gpa...

Colleges usually have a set date where if you drop a class past that date, you will not get your money refunded. The $1000 the OP was talking about is the price of the class.

but think of it in the long run.
i.e. for nursing students. even if you have a 4.0, you may or may not get into a nursing program of your choice. gpa matters a lot. sure, it may cost a fortune right now. but you'll be getting a good salary later.

but i mean don't u pay the same tuition per semester regardless of no. of classes taken or dropped?

We're the same age (: Haha. I did drop several classes before. My parents didn't like it, of course, but what's the use of going to class and getting terrible grades? My best friend dropped several of her classes last semester and she's going to take them this summer. Her parents were okay with it, though. Her grades are really high so maybe that's one of the reasons why they're okay with her dropping subjects.

shoot, your classes are 1000? I wish my classes were that cheap...classes are 2100 per class for me.
I try not to drop my classes, and stick it out whether it be bad or good.
But I have done it, when I know I can't do it .

usually the school makes money if you take the "recommended amount" of credits which is like 13-14 creds. if you take more the school doesn't get a profit. I've been taking 18 creds so I don't feel as bad when I drop a class. but I usually don't drop unless I don't enjoy it or i know I'm going to fail.