Last day to drop without refund coming Nov. 10

By Scott D'Amico, Staff Writer

The last day to withdraw from classes for the 16-week fall semester is Nov. 10.

Sophomore Kim McCracken, 20, said her reasons for withdrawing from a class is simple.

“Because it’s hard and you’re failing,” McCracken said.

But Student Development Counselor Mary Turner said that may not always be what is best for the student.

She said she sees a steady flow of students when the time to withdraw from classes approaches.

“I will average three to four students a day,” Turner said about the number of students inquiring about withdrawing from their courses.

Turner said a student’s best option is not to immediately withdraw from a class if they think they’re in danger of failing.

“I encourage all students to speak with their professor first,” Turner said.
She said this is in the best interest of a student who can recover from a class.

“They think, ‘I’m OK, I’ll be OK.’ They really need to hear they’re not OK,” Turner said.

She said students who have had academic trou-bles in the past need to be careful of the dangers of failing another class.

“Students who are already on academic probation need to be very mindful of how they are doing,” she said.

Turner said a transcript that has too many withdrawals on it can send a red flag to employers or be an issue when a student decides to transfer.

However, she said, a single withdrawal isn’t something that will have a huge negative impact upon the student.

“A single F, a single D or a single W doesn’t impact [your grade] as much,” Turner said.

Withdrawing from a class isn’t the only option a student has if they’re not performing well.

She said a student can audit the class instead of taking a withdraw.

Turner said this option allows students to still get the information from the class without getting grad-ed on their performance.

Refunds are not available for withdrawing from 16-week courses.

Staff Writer Scott D’Amico can be reached at OnlineEditor@occc.edu.