Withdrawing from a subject

[steve-o]

hey guys,
i absolutely hate this subject with a passion, it was the worst decision i have ever made. Besides the cost of the subject and not getting credited for it meaning i will have to stay at uni another semester or attend during summer is there any other negatives from withdrawing from a subject.
cheers,

[alondouek]

Well, as you've mentioned, there are some pretty serious downsides to dropping a unit now that we've passed census date.

If I recall correctly:

• You still need to pay for the unit.
• The unit appears as a 0% fail on your academic record, and this can affect your GPA (though, assuming it's a first-year unit, this effect is slightly mitigated).
• You'll end up having to stay at uni for another semester, as you noted, but also incur the cost of another unit to make up for the lost credit points.

I strongly recommend you stick with the unit, unless you really, really can't stand it and it would be detrimental to your well-being. The semester's almost half-way done, and you'll be finished with that unit fairly soon!

[nubs]

I'm not too sure about the second point alondouek made
Even though it's past the census date, you still have a bit of time to withdraw from the subject and not have it appear as a fail.

You have till the 10th of May to withdraw from a subject and not incur a fail grade on your academic record. But I still think a 'withdrawn comment' will appear on your record, and I'm not too sure how this impacts your grade. As far as I'm aware, it won't contribute to your GPA at all.

http://ask.unimelb.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/5046/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzY0OTk1NTYzL3NpZC8xKlJYS05tbA%3D%3D

[alondouek]

Yeah my bad, nubs is right.

Although your withdrawal won't appear as a fail on your academic record so long as you do so prior to May 10, you'll still be liable for the unit fees. Don't do it, man!

[slothpomba]

Well, as you've mentioned, there are some pretty serious downsides to dropping a unit now that we've passed census date.

If I recall correctly:

• You still need to pay for the unit.
• The unit appears as a 0% fail on your academic record, and this can affect your GPA (though, assuming it's a first-year unit, this effect is slightly mitigated).
• You'll end up having to stay at uni for another semester, as you noted, but also incur the cost of another unit to make up for the lost credit points.

I strongly recommend you stick with the unit, unless you really, really can't stand it and it would be detrimental to your well-being. The semester's almost half-way done, and you'll be finished with that unit fairly soon!

Im not offering advice either way but i dont think cost is any kind of a good reason, for either case. It's maybe..$500-1000 max. Your loan is totally interest free. IT really is a drop in the ocean. Ideally, its not something you do every semester and rack up huge costs but once is barely noticeable.

Staying in it against your will could turn out to be potentially even worse and itll make everything so much harder. At least at monash, currently, you can withdraw without a fail showing. Indeed, at monash the withdrawl fail date is maybe a few weeks before the exam (??) i think. Before then it just counts as withdrawn (but not marked, so not failed). That said doing an extra semester is a massive headache and might throw things seriously out of whack. Really need to weigh up the pros and the cons here.

Considering we'll be at least ~24-25k in debt, 0 interest and only small repayments once you earn a decent amount anyway, cost isnt that big of a concern, if you do this only once or twice.

[Planck's constant]

Yeah my bad, nubs is right.

Although your withdrawal won't appear as a fail on your academic record so long as you do so prior to May 10, you'll still be liable for the unit fees. Don't do it, man!

Alondouek,

I respect almost everything you write here, but I am surprised that you are taking such a hard line on this.
I don't see Uni as a race.
What does it matter if you take an extra semester.
Some people start with a gap year.
I know of others who only take 1 or 2 subjects in their first semester of Uni just too ease into academic life.
Let the kid be happy

[alondouek]

I am surprised that you are taking such a hard line on this.

Haha does it really come across like that? Oops...

What I'm trying to say is there are certainly legitimate reasons both to drop and continue this unit. Obviously I can only offer my perspective, but having an extra semester, or having to pay more than absolutely necessary at uni would be a major hassle.

As I mentioned in my first reply, if continuing the unit is going to make OP miserable and become detrimental to his happiness, then of course he should drop it. Personally, for the reasons I've provided, I'd be hesitant in doing so.

Steve-o, it's absolutely up to you to make what you believe is the best decision - and don't let me or anyone else tell you otherwise. But, in making this decision, make sure you're considering all the factors 

[Planck's constant]

I know your heart is in the right place, alondouek