Last day to withdraw from all classes - 12/11/16
Help! I'm failing Everything!
Hopefully, none of you needs this information; however, in case you or
one of your friends does, here's what you need to know...
FIRST... Contact Dr. W. if you want to discuss this!
NEXT... In the case that
“everything is going badly,” e.g, you are failing 3 or more of your
classes miserably; and there is no chance to improve with what remains of
the semester, YOU CAN WITHDRAW FROM ALL CLASSES, so long as you do so
BEFORE 4:30 p.m. on December 11 (the last day of classes).
This kind of situation might arise if you’ve had lingering
health problems; if there’s been a medical or personal crisis in your family;
or if there are other situations happening in your life that are so distracting
that schoolwork has become impossible to do; and you have fallen hopelessly
behind.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ’s) regarding Withdrawals:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WILL WITHDRAWING FROM
ALL MY CLASSES LOOK BAD?
- Not if you do it for
reasons like the one(s) given above.
In fact, it might be the WISER thing to do if a semester full of
D’s and F’s is the alternative, and they are in courses related to your
major (that you will need to repeat, anyway).
- Academic advisors and
graduate schools may ask you “what happened?” the semester you withdrew,
but they will review the entire transcript, not just one semester, when
assessing your readiness for the next level of coursework.
- You do NOT need permission
from anyone to withdraw the first time you do this; you will need
permission to return to Maryland, however, if this is your second
withdrawal.
HOW DO I WITHDRAW
FROM ALL MY CLASSES?
- Go to the Service Desk in
the Mitchell Building and withdraw IN PERSON. Be sure they understand that you are
asking to withdraw from ALL your classes, not just one class (the deadline
for that passed in November).
- The Service Desk staff
will ask if you intend to return in the Spring Semester. If yes, they will allow you to stay
registered for your Spring classes; however, you may want to contact me to
discuss schedule adjustments, given your new situation.
- Repeat, YOU DO NOT NEED
PERMISSION from anyone at the University to withdraw; however, you will need permission to return to Maryland if this is your second withdrawal.
HOW WILL MY
TRANSCRIPT LOOK?
- Your official transcript
will have a notation that looks like this:
********* WITHDRAWN (date) ********** There will be no indication of whether
you were passing or failing at the time of your withdrawal.
WHAT ABOUT “INCOMPLETES”?
WHAT ARE THEY?
- “Incompletes” are
temporary grades that professors can give, PROVIDED you have
satisfactorily completed the vast majority of your class work; and
that what remains is a clearly defined portion of work. It is NOT a grade that professors can
give to "protect" you from a failing grade. Generally, Incompletes are available to
students who have documented family/medical situations that occur at the
very end of the semester.
Professors are not “required” to give Incompletes, however.
- MISSING A FINAL EXAM
DOES NOT constitute eligibility for an Incomplete, unless you can
clearly document what happened, e.g., your car broke down and
you have a receipt from the towing company.
For a detailed
version of University policies regarding Withdrawals and Re-Enrollment, go
to:
FINALLY, please
contact Dr. W. ASAP if you think any of this might apply to you!
- We can discuss your
options and try to assess the best action to take BEFORE the 12/10/15
deadline makes your situation even more complicated than it already
is.
- Please send different days/times that would be good for you; I’ll get back with you ASAP to confirm one of them.