Don’t sweat it; dropping a class isn’t so bad

Another semester, another class dropped. It’s starting to become a trend. I keep thinking that I will eventually get over the “hump” and that school will begin to get easier, but I’ve been here three years and it hasn’t happened yet.

What is worse is that I don’t really have any easy classes left to take. All that is left for me is advanced mechanical engineering courses and a few artsy electives (you know, the kind that are annoyingly difficult for all the wrong reasons). I can see myself barely getting by with taking 12 hours each semester from here until graduation. That is what I did this semester, which makes it all the more embarrassing that I had to drop a course.

It has been my experience that the first exam for any particular class is the most dangerous. Unless your professor has given you exams from previous semesters, you generally have no idea what to expect. Generally, when a person has no idea what to expect for a first exam, at least one of two things will happen. They will either study unnecessarily hard or will completely and utterly fail the test.

If the latter happens, odds are you will seriously consider dropping the class. The first exam in a class is generally a good indicator of whether or not you are cut out for that class. If you do horribly on the first exam and you honestly don’t think there is any hope for salvation in the class, don’t be afraid to drop it. It is much better to take a lighter load, maintain a decent GPA, and keep your sanity than to overextend yourself (physically and emotionally) and do poorly in your classes.

I have witnessed firsthand the effects of overloading oneself academically and they aren’t pretty. I’m sure most people know someone who fits the description. They take between 16 and 20 hours as a part of this crazy plan to get out of college as soon as they possibly can. They are constantly complaining about how stressed they are and how they never have any time for anything. They start to lose social contact with their friends. People start saying things like “Whatever happened to John? I haven’t seen him in months.” “Oh, you didn’t hear? He’s taking 20 hours.” I can’t imagine anyone having an enjoyable college experience under such circumstances. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, dropping a class is probably the best thing you could do for yourself.

In addition to the social and health benefits that go along with relieving yourself of an excessive class load, there are also academic benefits.

There are two big things working in your favor when you take a class for the second time. First of all, you know exactly what to expect on the dreaded first exam in the class. Because of this, and the fact that you’ve seen the introductory material twice, you’ll likely get off to a much better start the second time around.

Secondly, the experience you gained from taking classes from the previous semester will likely help you in the class you had to drop. I am speaking from experience here. I, personally, have managed to make Bs the second time around in all of the classes I have had to drop.

As a general disclaimer, just about anything can be overdone. Dropping classes is no exception.

If you’ve been here three years and you still have 1000-level core classes in your schedule, then its time to either start studying a little harder or looking into another major.

So look on the bright side. By dropping a class here and there, you not only keep your sanity, but you get to enjoy college a while longer as well. Stop laughing, I’m serious. College is supposed to be the best years of a person’s life. Granted, it’s not quite the same at Tech as more academically relaxed schools, but the premise is the same.

Going out with friends, dating, attending sporting events, just acting goofy for the heck of it- all of this stuff is a lot easier when you aren’t having to work 40 hours a week to make a living.

You may think you hate this school now, but I can almost promise that sometime in the future you will look back and wonder why you thought it was so bad.