Aargh, Those Crummy Classes: Should You Stick It Out or Drop It Now?

By Amelia Woolard

There’s something so refreshing about the beginning of a new semester. New material, new classmates, new professors… it’s just enough to give you a new lease on life! That is, until you realize that your stellar class schedule is tainted by that one wretched class you already despise after just a few weeks in. You’re so over this class that every assignment feels like you’re penning the next great American novel and engaging in class participation is like pulling teeth. Come to think of it, you’re pretty sure you’d rather get your wisdom teeth removed all over again if it meant never going back to this class. And no, we’re not exaggerating.

Assuming that you’re safely within your school’s add/drop period, you have the power to determine your fate – err, your college course load. But, at the same time, you may be confused as to whether dropping the class will really help you out in the long run. Nothing is worse than thinking you’ve left a class far behind, only to realize that it’s a graduation requirement that’s not offered next semester! Even if you’re momentarily unconcerned with major requirements, you may have a scholarship to keep, which is preventing you from throwing in the towel too soon.

When it comes to college course loads, every situation is different. So, in order to help you make the best decision, uCribs has compiled a list of the most helpful questions to ask yourself when considering whether to or not to drop a class.

Do you need this class to graduate?

It’s sad, but true: no matter how much you dislike certain classes, if they’re imperative to your major, you may have to stick it out. If you only have one or two semesters left until graduation, you may end up delaying the event by a semester or more if you choose to drop a required class. Why? Because certain classes are only offered in either the Fall or Spring. If that’s not scary enough, consider the other repercussions associated with not graduating on time: the delayed grad school applications, potential for missed job offers – AKA the ultimate FOMO– and additional financial strain.

However, if you’ve got more than a couple of semesters standing between you and that coveted diploma, you may be able to drop the class now and re-take it later. While there’s no guarantee that your second round of Business Ethics will be less of a snooze than the first, if your current course load is prohibiting you from doing your best in a class that might not be the easiest topic for you to grasp—and you’ve confirmed that the class will be offered again in the near future— you may be in a better mental place to handle the demands of this crummy, no-good class a few months down the line.

Will you jeopardize your financial aid if you drop this class?

If you’re one of those all-star students who scored a university scholarship, we envy you – and we also want to make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to keeping your scholarship status. Many awards are contingent upon students maintaining a full-time course load, which is typically 12 hours for undergraduates and 9 hours for graduates. But, it can be easier said than done when you’re dealing with a doozy of a Statistics class on top of multiple demanding courses. In the moment, you might think that severing ties with 3 credits won’t do much harm, but the reality is that every credit counts if you receive financial assistance.

It might be easy to skim over financial aid’s fine print, but if you’re considering dropping that loathsome class, you’ll want to ensure that doing so won’t jeopardize your ability to pay for school in the process.   If your credits dip below what’s considered full-time, you could risk losing the assistance you’ve come to rely on. Every program is different, and special circumstances may allow a bit of leeway where the rules are concerned. However, if you’re considering dropping a class, be sure to run through your options with a financial aid counselor before proceeding further.

Will you need to make up the credits lost as a result of dropping?

Sometimes you get lucky and can drop a crummy class without fear of losing those precious graduation credit requirements – looking at you, last-semester seniors. But most of the time, you have to tread very carefully when planning your escape from a course you absolutely despise. If you can’t bear the thought of sitting through another 8:00 a.m. Environmental Science class, but you know that it’s necessary for your core educational requirements, you can probably make up the credits – but you’ll need a solid plan of action before you assume that everything will shake out just fine.

As with most things, the key to your success will lie in ample planning. Put in the work to find an adequate replacement course and get verification via your department advisor beforehand. Sometimes, students will even have the opportunity to take a make-up summer course at a nearby community college, but you’ll want to make sure that the credits will transfer to your university before you go through the trouble of signing up for a class on another campus. Trust us, when it comes to the process of fulfilling the requirements of your degree, it’s in your best interest to play it safe and arrange a meeting with an advisor before putting your precious credits at risk.

Is there a lower-level class that you can substitute for this one?

It’s an all too common scenario: you enter a new class and are immediately overwhelmed by just about everything associated with it. The professor is already familiar with a majority of your new classmates, the syllabus is already packed with tons of assignments, and your textbook? Well, it might as well be written in another language. You know that you’re waaay in over your head, and you’re already panicking about what seems like an inevitable dark spot on your cumulative GPA as a result of this class.

If you’re certain that this class will tank your overall GPA, it’s probably a good idea to look for a way around it to avoid the seemingly inevitable. Our recommendation? Try seeking out a lower-level class that could substitute for this one. For example, you may have enrolled in U.S. Foreign Relations under the assumption that your senior year AP test scores would lead you to success, but now, you’re realizing that you should stick with U.S. Government. If there are no lower-level classes available, you may want to take a hard look at your course catalog and see where you can earn the credits in lieu of this course, so you won’t have to put your GPA through the wringer.

Do your habits or study skills need adjustments?

College is all about transitioning into adulthood, and if you ask us, little is more adult than learning how to compromise. If you’ve examined every option under the proverbial sun and have concluded that the only answer is to stick it out in your less-than-favorite course, look at your overall commitments for the semester to better determine your daily routine. In other words, you might need to reconsider your priorities. For example, if you’re always exhausted after Wednesday night film club and tend to take it out on your Thursday morning Spanish III requirement that’s giving you a hard time, you may reconsider your extracurricular involvement, or at the very least, vow to wind down your Wednesday evenings a bit earlier than usual.

If the issue isn’t so much your schedule as it is the material being taught, take comfort in the fact that many colleges have built-in support systems for struggling students. If you’re feeling unenthused about Biology because the material is hard to grasp, consider visiting your teacher assistant during office hours to review the concepts involved in photosynthesis. Keep in mind that many universities boast tutoring centers for multiple subjects as well. If you find your struggle with the subject especially stressful and time-consuming, you might want to hire a personal tutor who can help you with your homework and other assignments. Regardless of the route you take, be prepared to put in the extra effort needed to master your assignments and pass your crummy class once and for all.

It’s easy to feel disheartened when a college course isn’t shaping up to the perception you had in your mind. But, contrary to what you may think, dropping a class isn’t correlated to your intelligence or work ethic! When it’s time to answer that million-dollar question – stick it out or drop it? – consider these five questions, and above all, listen to your instincts. Only you know what’s best for your college career and mental well-being, and if you continuously work towards your goal, whether you stick with this class or not, you’re bound to succeed and achieve your career goals.

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