Thinking of Dropping a Course?

Are you thinking about dropping a course, but unsure?

There are a lot of factors at play if you are considering whether or not to drop a course. The following information may help:

 

  1. The Library has a Mark Calculator to help you get a more realistic idea of where you are at in a course and what you need on the final exam to attain a final grade your are comfortable with (50%, 60%, etc).

  2. After going through this exercise, it is also important to consider how you did on assessments similar to the final exam format, and whether you are starting to comprehend course content better since that first failed mid-term perhaps.  If you did well on assignments, but not on tests, is the final grade needed on the exam realistic?

  3. Courses dropped by the last day of classes do not appear on your transcript.  Failed courses, however, remain on your transcript and continue to contribute to your cumulative average even once a required course is retaken and passed.  

  4. If you are concerned about the impact of low or failed grades on a future professional program application, it is best to look more closely into the admission requirements for the schools that offer those programs.  Do they look at a cumulative average, or the last or 10 best credits, or pre-requisite courses and last two full time semesters?  Is a reduced courseload in one semester, with higher grades, going to be a better outcome in the long run than a full 2.5 credit courseload with much lower grades.

  5. How much current time and effort are you designating to this course?  If you opt to try and complete things, will this impact your ability to focus well on your other courses? 

  6. Is this course part of your major?  Students in the BA degree program are required to obtain a major average of 70%. If this course is part of your major, and you do not pass this course or do poorly, this will impact your major average.

  7. If you are concerned about reducing your courseload to part-time status and any implications that may have on OSAP funding, etc, please check with Student Financial Services at finaid@uoguelph.ca