Do You Get Money Back When You Withdrawal Ucf Date

February 27th, 2006

taz10021

12:01 pm - Should I withdraw?
Please note that the withdrawal deadline is this Friday, March 3rd. You can verify this (and many other important dates) by viewing the online academic calendar here.

First, a review of the lingo:

DROP: When you "drop" a class, you are not financially responsible for the course and it will not show up on your transcript. You can drop a class anytime before the Add/Drop deadline, which is usually the Friday of the first week of classes. (I know most people know this, but I always hear students say "drop" when they mean "withdraw" and vice versa).

WITHDRAWAL: When you withdraw from a course, a "W" will appear on your transcript and you will still be financially responsible for your classes (i.e., you don't get a refund). The W has no effect on your GPA.

LATE WITHDRAWAL: If you wish to withdraw from a course and the withdrawal deadline has already passed, you need to petition for a late withdrawal through Academic Services in Millican Hall 210. IF the late withdrawal is granted, you will either be assigned a grade of "WP" (withdrawal passing) or "WF" (withdrawal failing). A WP will not affect your GPA while a WF will factor into your GPA as a grade of "F." For more information, click here.

If you're thinking of withdrawing from a course, here are a few things to consider:

1. How will your financial aid be affected (if at all) if you withdraw? Many scholarships have criteria about completing a minimum number of credit hours or successful completion of a certain percentage of attempted courses. Contact the Office of Financial Aid to make sure you will be OK. Do NOT trust your friend or your friend's friend about scholarship rules or policies. It is unlikely that you have the exact same financial aid package as this friend-and really, wouldn't you want to double check on something that's so important? Find out for yourself. And prepare to wait in line or be on hold forever this week, as many students probably have similar questions.
2. Talk to your professor. DO IT! This is why professors have office hours. Don't be afraid to admit that you're not doing well; I would hope that your professor will already know how you are doing in her or his class. Taking the initiative to ask questions shows that you care about your education. Your professor should have a good idea of where you are in the class in comparison to where you should be. Discuss what you would need to do from this point on to salvage your grade.
3. Meet with your academic advisor to discuss how withdrawing may impede your academic progress.
4. If you decide that it's in your best interest to withdraw, figure out what went wrong and what you need to do differently when you re-take the course. Consider attending the course even after you withdraw to further benefit yourself when you have to re-take it. If you really have been attending class and studying, tell your professor what you've been doing and ask what you can do differently.

Will a "W" on my transcript reflect negatively upon me?
Yes and no. Keep in mind this is a somewhat subjective question. A W is better than an F, but not as good as an A. Many graduate/professional schools and scholarship committees may be concerned with your GPA rather than looking over your transcript with a magnifying glass. Think about it logically, as if you were selecting someone for a scholarship or for admission into a school.
Candidate 1: strong student with excellent grades, strong analytic and critical thinking skills, high GRE/GMAT/MCAT/LSAT, etc. scores, extracurricular activities and student leadership-but one W on the transcript. How much would you weigh this W in your overall evaluation of the student?
Candidate 2: student has a long history of withdrawing from classes (1/3 of the grades on the transcripts are W's), mediocre test scores, and a "C" average. How much would the W's affect your evaluation of this student?

In other words, don't make it a habit. Make this W the exception to the overall picture of you. If you are concerned about getting into grad or professional school, contact the schools you are interested in and ask how they view W's. There very well may be selection committies out there who will want to know why there is a W on your transcript-I can't say for sure.

I hope this was helpful. (Mods, please let me know if you want this cut. I think it's something everyone should read but I'll put it behind a cut if asked).

(7 comments | Leave a comment)

From:	aestheticus
Date:	February 27th, 2006 05:02 pm (UTC)

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Good post!

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From:	star4everlucky
Date:	February 27th, 2006 05:09 pm (UTC)

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Thank you so much for posting this! Contacting the school a person wants to go to for grad school is a really good idea!!

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From:	spatulistic
Date:	February 27th, 2006 06:30 pm (UTC)

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Rachel,

This is a very good post with lots of information! I, too, get annoyed when people confuse "Drop" with "withdraw".

I also agree that some people abuse W's as "GPA savers". Even if you may fail a class, it's sometimes worth it to stick it out and just use grade forgiveness.

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From:	oldschoolnewave
Date:	February 27th, 2006 09:54 pm (UTC)

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I wonder what happens when you trasnfer from schools that have basically unlimited grade forgiveness? Friends of mine from other public universities are always shocked to hear that UCF doesn't let you replace more than two grades. Its a policy here which basically promotes quitting your class early to save your GPA rather than sticking it out.

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From:	spatulistic
Date:	February 28th, 2006 12:00 am (UTC)

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Wow, that's really crappy.. but why am I not surprised.

Actually, I am surprised .. wouldn't UCF want more of your money? Or do they make the same no matter what for your credit hour.

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From:	thatliljewgirl
Date:	March 3rd, 2006 03:48 pm (UTC)

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This is helpful...excluding the fact that my professor and advisor are saying two different things. My advisor is saying withdraw, and professor is saying to stay in.
I know I only have a few more hours left to decide....any help? I've talked to the professor several times...

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