Better to withdraw or just try any way?

[vashappenin]

Hi guys, asking a question on behalf of a uni friend.
She's considering withdrawing one of her units. Her logic is that either way, even if she fails or if she withdraws, she'll still have to pay. The difference for her is that she would rather a 'withdrawn' on her transcript than a fail. I can't remember the exact unit she's doing but I know that she's missed out on pretty much all her tutes (worth 15%). She doesn't know her marks for two of her assessments because she doesn't want to go to tutes anymore but she didn't really complete both assessments and so she is certain that she failed them both. The only thing she has left to redeem herself is the exam which is 60% I think. I should also mention that she's been missing lectures as well so she isn't in a very good situation at the moment. She wants to know if she should bother trying and keeping the unit - if she has a chance of passing at least - or if she's better off withdrawing. And what would be the implications of failing vs withdrawing both academically and financially?

[Professor Polonsky]

I believe that while a withdrawn appears as such on the transcript, your mark is considered to be 0% for WAM purposes. And the difference between even 0 and 30 is massive WAM-wise.

[Kanon]

I'd encourage her NOT to withdraw the unit. I have been in a similar situation before and what I found out was that in GPA calculation failing gives you a 0.3 whereas a withdrawn unit gives you a 0. You've also already paid for the unit, so why not get your moneys worth? Plus you never know, I thought all hope was lost for me in one of my subjects but I still managed to pass (actually get a credit !) if you withdraw you lose that opportunity.

http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/grading-scale-procedures.html
ctrl + f "GPA (Grade Point Average) Calculation"

[slothpomba]

This is a difficult dilemma. Honestly, she should have withdrawn ages ago but i understand shit happens.

Here's the thing, if she withdraws now, it'll be a 0 for her. It will affect your WAM and GPA which is a more long term concern. This discussion also popped up on stalkerspace recently, check there for advice.

I did it myself and i regret it. Yes, a withdrawn does look a tiny bit better than a fail, i'll concede that. But there also will be questions why you withdrew so late, it isn't hard to work out the likely reason either. I regret it mainly due to the impact on my WAM.

Honestly, if your friend knuckles down she might be able to pull like a 40 or even a pass. Id encourage her to think long term and keep going but if shes already made up her mind, i guess there is no point in our advice. 

[EspoirTron]

Hi guys, asking a question on behalf of a uni friend.
She's considering withdrawing one of her units. Her logic is that either way, even if she fails or if she withdraws, she'll still have to pay. The difference for her is that she would rather a 'withdrawn' on her transcript than a fail. I can't remember the exact unit she's doing but I know that she's missed out on pretty much all her tutes (worth 15%). She doesn't know her marks for two of her assessments because she doesn't want to go to tutes anymore but she didn't really complete both assessments and so she is certain that she failed them both. The only thing she has left to redeem herself is the exam which is 60% I think. I should also mention that she's been missing lectures as well so she isn't in a very good situation at the moment. She wants to know if she should bother trying and keeping the unit - if she has a chance of passing at least - or if she's better off withdrawing. And what would be the implications of failing vs withdrawing both academically and financially?

Uni is not like VCE, your friend can definitely pull her mark around significantly, seeing as the exam is 60%. I'd imagine she would have at least got 10% out of the 40% of in-semester marks, if she knuckles down she can definitely pass, and still have the potential to do well. It's all about how much she can motivate herself.

[cameronp]

Hi guys, asking a question on behalf of a uni friend.
She's considering withdrawing one of her units. Her logic is that either way, even if she fails or if she withdraws, she'll still have to pay. The difference for her is that she would rather a 'withdrawn' on her transcript than a fail.

There are three different outcomes of subject withdrawal, depending on when in the semester you withdraw.

- If you withdraw early enough (before the HECS census date), the withdrawal will only be recorded on the university's internal system, and it won't show up on a formal transcript, won't cost you any HECS and it will be as if you were never enrolled in the first place. The cut-off here is usually about a month into semester (at UniMelb it was 31 August).
- There's another date, usually around the end of week 8 (at UniMelb this semester, it was 26 September), which is the cut-off for "withdrawal without academic penalty". If you withdraw before this point, you'll have to pay HECS and the unit will appear on your transcript as "WD", but it shouldn't affect your GPA.
- It's late enough in semester now that withdrawing now will just guarantee you a fail on your transcript with a zero mark, not a withdrawal.

If there are legitimate reasons why completing the subject was impossible (e.g., medical, mental health or traumatic life situation), your friend might be able to get special consideration to have the subject magically removed from her transcript and the HECS refunded.

Otherwise, best hope is to put in a lot of effort studying for the exam and any final assessments.