Monday,
April 11 -- is the LAST DAY TO DROP one class or 4 credits
with a “W.”
·
This means you
could drop HEBR 111 (6 credits, but one class) or ENGL 212
and KNES 155N (4 credits, but two classes).
WHAT IF I NEED TO DROP
MORE THAN 4 CREDITS?
·
If extenuating
circumstances are causing difficulty with your academics generally, please
contact Dr. Whittemore ASAP.
There is help available on campus, and academic procedures to be followed,
should you need assistance handling the academic consequences of a personal
situation. It is better to “strategize” now, while you have options, than
to wait and do nothing, hoping the situation will “right” itself.
WHAT IF I AM RECEIVING
FINANCIAL AID?
·
Check with your
Financial Aid counselor in the Lee Building NOW if dropping a course would put
you below 12 credits. Most aid programs allow this provided you began the
semester with 12 or more credits, but there may be a few that do not – and it
can be expen$ive to make an incorrect assumption.
HOW DO I KNOW I “SHOULD”
DROP A COURSE?
·
Is the
coursework in the class so heavy, and/or the likelihood of passing it so slim,
that it is taking away from other courses? If the answer is “yes,” then it may be a good idea to drop the
course. It is usually better to drop a course and earn A’s and B’s in 4 classes
than one B, 3 C’s and an F in 5 classes.
·
Be honest with
yourself. Refer to your
course syllabus to get a realistic idea regarding what percentage of your grade
is already determined and how much improvement is mathematically
possible. Remember that what is “mathematically” possible may not be
“realistically” possible.
·
Speak to your
instructor to get his/her opinion.
·
Last, if you are
worried about “getting behind” in your credits, remember that you could take a
WinterTerm or summer school class at a local community college to catch up.
ARE “W’S” BAD?
·
No, a few W’s
over the course of an academic career are not “bad.” There will be no indication on your transcript
whether you were failing or passing at the time of the drop, and W’s are not
calculated into your GPA.
·
If, on the
other hand, you withdraw from a course EVERY SEMESTER, you could lead an employer or graduate admissions
committee to think you weren’t very good at setting reasonable goals for
yourself… and this is not a good thing. Expectations are fairly lenient
for first- and second-year students; and much less so for upper-level students.
IF I DROP BELOW 12
CREDITS, THAT MAKES ME PART-TIME. IS THAT BAD?
·
No – at this
point in the semester, it won’t affect your residence hall status or your
tuition. If you had dropped to part-time during the first 5 days of the
semester, it would have changed your tuition bill and your eligibility for
housing. At this point, it doesn’t change anything.
WHAT IF I REALLY DON’T
WANT TO DROP THE COURSE?
·
If you want to
hang in there with your course, develop a long-term (final 6-8 weeks) study
plan and stick to it. Use all
available help sources and strategies (see below). If you end up making
the “wrong” decision and fail the course, the Repeat Policy allows:
--
First year students to repeat at any time a course taken during the first 24
credits (Note: AP credits “count” as part of the first 24 credits).
--
Transfer student to repeat at any time a course taken during their first
semester at UM (This policy includes freshmen who came in with lots of AP
credits, so that at the end of December, your total credits earned is 24+
credits).
--
In these two situations, only the higher grade will “count” in the GPA,
however, both grades will remain on the transcript.
>>>
After these "grace" periods, any failed course AND its subsequent
repeat will "count" in the cumulative GPA.
HELP
SOURCES:
·
Your instructor: http://www.umd.edu/directories/
·
Study skills and
tutorial support programs: http://www.ensp.umd.edu/advising/study-skills-tutoring
USUALLY,
the MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGY = INCREASE YOUR STUDY TIME:
--
Aim to study at least 2 hours per credit hour carried, e.g., 30 hours a week (or about 4 hours a day) for a
15-credit load.
--
“Study” in this context means: reading, note-taking, library research, tutorial
help, group study, writing, self-quizzing, etc.
USE ACTIVE LEARNING
STRATEGIES --
http://success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/Tools/active_studing_techniques.pdf
http://success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/Tools/active_studing_techniques.pdf
and FREQUENT REVIEW
-- http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/study/curve.html
To help you remember
what you are learning.
--
You do not need to do it all at one sitting.
--
You can take “days off” if you put extra hours in on other days.
--
You can find a “weekly planner” here, to help: http://www.ensp.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/AdvResources/study%20sk_Wkly.Planner.doc
FINALLY, PLEASE CONTACT ME A.S.A.P. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR SITUATION.
·
You may schedule
an appointment by sending me three different days and times you could meet;
I’ll e-mail back to confirm one of them. Please include your UID in your
e-mail. I look forward to meeting with you.
PS –
If you are on Academic Probation, please e-mail me the course you want to drop,
and your UID, so I can put the permission-to-drop in the computer.