Opinions Please-What should I do?

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DVMDream

DVMNightmare
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I am currently taking an Infectious Diseases course. It is the only upper-level science course I am taking. It is worth 3 credits. So this semester I am taking 13 credits and if I drop the class I will only be taking 10 credits. I only need 9 credits to graduate and I do not need this Infectious Diseases class to graduate. I took the class because I was told by other students that it is an interesting class. However, I have run into problems with the professors especially today. I left my house (2 hours away from the school) early this morning but as I got closer to the school the wind, rain and snow was so bad I could not see and there were reports of accidents and that the road was completely closed ahead (only road into town). So I turned around and came back home. It turns out that the traffic report showed that a few semi-trucks had crashed on the road due to the heavy ice and snow and the department of transportation closed both the north bound and south bound sides of the freeway and had predicted that the road would be closed until 3PM. I had an exam in the class today at 4PM. So as soon as I could I e-mailed both professors asking if I could make up the exam at another time because I was unable to make it back into town. One of the professors e-mailed me back saying that he is unwilling to set up a time for me to re-take the exam because it would be unfair to the rest of the class. Then, he said that he checked the traffic reports and that the freeway was open and I should have no excuse for not getting back in town in time to take the exam. Now, my car is terrible in the snow and ice; it slids around all over the place and the school policy is to notify instructors if you can not get to class and to not drive on the roads if they are dangerous. By the time I get this e-mail there is no way I could get to town on time to take the exam it is a 2 hour drive when there is no ice or snow and the traffic reports showed severe congestion starting 50 miles away from where I had to be and that traffic was going 10 mph at that point I would only have 3 hours to get to class and with about half of the drive going only 10 mph there is no way I could get there in 3 hours. So after e-mailing him back multiple times and showing him the news reports of the freeway closures this morning he finally has allowed me to take the exam. He told me that I could take the exam at a specific time tomorrow and if I can not make it at that time that I should just drop the class because there are no make up exams. He seemed pissed that he has to accomadate to have me take the exam and now I have to attempt to re-schedule my lab just to take this exam in a class that I do not really need with professors who really do not seem to care and are hard to deal with (have been the entire semester so far). So my question: Is it really worth dealing with the headache that these professors are causing? Should I just drop, take the W (I have no W's so far) or should I just go and take the exam and deal with it. I feel like they will constantly be looking down upon me because I basically gave them little choice as to allowing me to make up the exam and that maybe it may impact on my grade because they might grade my exams harder just for this reason. Would it look bad to take a W at this point and only have 10 credits this semester? And if I do drop the class should I notify the vet schools about it and if I do notify them how should I explain to them the reason why I have dropped the class. Thank you all for any help/advice/opinions.
 
The professor is a jerk and if you want to drop the class you should do so. One withdrawn class on a transcript is not going to matter whether you have yet to apply, have already applied and are awaiting a decision, or if you are already accepted. No explanation is really necessary in any case unless you had a pattern of withdrawing from classes (which you don't).
Do what makes you feel best.
 
The professor is a jerk and if you want to drop the class you should do so. One withdrawn class on a transcript is not going to matter whether you have yet to apply, have already applied and are awaiting a decision, or if you are already accepted. No explanation is really necessary in any case unless you had a pattern of withdrawing from classes (which you don't).
Do what makes you feel best.

I agree. I have two W's on my transcripts, and no one even batted an eyelash. Things happen!
 
Only question is will dropping the class move you to below full time, and will that affect your financial aid? Seriously you will use the diseases class in vet school, but it is up to you. Do you have an acceptance already?
 
If you really want to remain in the class I'd see about talking to the dean of the college of science. I know my university has an inclement weather policy and would be fairly easy to argue your case (of course, none of the professors I've had have been that much of a jerk).
 
Only question is will dropping the class move you to below full time, and will that affect your financial aid? Seriously you will use the diseases class in vet school, but it is up to you. Do you have an acceptance already?

No. I do not have an acceptance yet. I decided to just drop the class. I do not feel comfortable staying in the class with the way the prof treated me and how he came across in his e-mails (pissed and like I was a burden on him). I do not think I would be able to stay in the class without feeling uncomfortable or feeling like the prof will grade/judge me unfairly because of this (with how he has acted thus far it is entirely possible). Dropping the class did put me below full time but financial aid has already been distributed and once that happens it does not change your financial aid package at all. So I should be ok with financial aid and I do not need the class to graduate so I should be fine on that aspect as well. The diseases class has (so far) been a repeat of micro and parasitology with a mix of ecology so I do not think I will be missing out on anything.

ETA: Also, a friend of my roomate drove up on the same road at around the same time I was yesterday. She decided to keep going and ended up rolling her car because of the ice. Luckily, she is ok but her car is totalled and she has a small concussion. So I am very glad that I did not continue to drive up for the exam. It really was not worth the risk.
 
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