After nearly eight weeks of school, the last day to drop a class with a grade of “”W”” has arrived. The option exists only for those students who are currently passing a class they are considering to drop and who have obtained an instructor’s signature. If students are failing a class, they will receive an E on their transcript, according to the Registrar’s office.

After today, all registration changes require both an instructor’s signature as well as a dean’s signature on a change of schedule form. The university enforces a policy that requires an extraordinary reason such as severe illness in order to obtain a dean’s signature.

While a grade of “”W”” in a course does not affect a student’s GPA, the Daily Wildcat interviewed advisors from several university colleges to find out the repercussions for students who decide to withdraw from a course.

Beth Samuelson, an advisor in the college of anthropology, said students should always consult with their instructor before they decide to drop a course. “”I would never tell someone to just withdraw,”” she said. “”Primarily, I will encourage students to withdraw from a course when it is negatively impacting their work in other classes.””

Samuelson said it is the role of college advisors to help students budget their schedule and classes so that withdrawing from a course won’t be an option students are forced to consider. “”It is usually freshmen that end up withdrawing from courses,”” she said. “”Upper classmen generally know what they can take.””

In extreme circumstances, Samuelson said students will occasionally drop more than one course. “”Students who need to withdraw from multiple classes usually have some kind of crisis going on,”” she said.

R. Scott Johnson, the assistant dean for advising in the college of social and behavioral sciences, said while one or two dropped classes over the course of a student’s career will not greatly impact their future prospects, students should try to avoid making it a pattern. “”Graduate and professional schools will look at patterns of withdrawals,”” he said. “”Students should try to avoid withdrawing from classes every semester.””

For students who are concerned as to whether or not withdrawing from a course will affect their financial aid, the same policy applies to withdrawing from a course that applies to dropping a course within the first month of class. “”If you withdraw and it drops you below full time student status, you have winter, spring and summer to make up those units,”” said Johnson.

Unlike students who drop classes within the first month of school, a student who takes a W on their record will have to pay for the class they dropped. Both Samuelson and Johnson agreed that students should withdraw only as a last resort.