When you create your schedule for a new semester, you probably meet with your academic advisor, consider your major and common curriculum requirements, and try to find ways to fit in a class that sounds fun and will give you the opportunity to explore a new field. But even with all that preparation, you never know how your schedule will really work out for you until you start going to classes. Some courses may have way more work than you anticipated, might turn out to be boring instead of challenging, or may just not be worth the trouble if you can substitute it with another course to get the same requirement. Dropping classes isn’t shameful or embarrassing, and it doesn’t mean you’re a quitter. Sticking with a class just so that you can say you didn’t give up is foolish. You need to learn how to manage your schedule and your goals so that you’re working hard towards the things that matter, and dropping the commitments that keep you behind.
For example, if you’re open to summer school, and discover that a geology course at your regular university is way too difficult and drains time from your English major, you might want to drop it in favor of taking an easier science class at a college at home during the summer. If it’s easy for you to find a solution to get the requirement, you should seriously consider dropping the class. Another reason you should probably drop a class is if you feel like you’re sticking with the hard coursework just to prove something to the professor, other students or even yourself, but not for a practical reason. If you think the professor doubts your potential for whatever reason — because he or she is sexist, distracted, or egotistical — that is the teacher’s problem, and you won’t be able to change their mind, no matter how hard you work. You can’t drop a class just because it’s hard, but classes that aren’t absolutely required for graduation or your major, or that offer you some genuine enjoyment and practical preparation, they aren’t worth it.
Before dropping a class, make a list of the pros and cons of your class, and you’ll better be able to see why you’re tempted to opt out. There’s nothing shameful about dropping classes if your workload is too heavy or you realize that the class just won’t offer you any real benefit.
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