dropping a class in grad school

[amy203]

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OK, first freaked-out first year grad student question for me:

I'm thinking of withdrawing from one of my courses. The content is not what I expected, and the professor keeps adding assignments that weren't originally on the syllabus. Basically, it's a lot of work and a waste of my time. I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to register for it, but...

It's not a required course - we have to take a certain number of seminar courses to graduate, but this is one of many offered. The only downside to dropping it would be a W on my transcript. Does this matter in grad school? I'm especially concerned about fellowship applications.

Any thoughts?

 

[psychanon]

Totally 100% fine, unless:
1-it is a required course (but I'm assuming you would have mentioned that)
2-withdrawing would make you liable to pay tuition somehow.
Make sure you look into #2--- I know that this one applies in my program. Dropping a course may mean dropping below the required number of credits that you need to qualify for your funding, and it's probably too late to register for research credit to make up the difference (so you may need to pay tuition for all your credits). Obviously, this probably differs by program, but definitely look into it before you do anything.
But I definitely wouldn't worry about a W. Nobody will ever look at your transcript, ever, except maybe internships, but I don't think they really care about it.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you think you will get a C in it, I'd drop it. If you think it will mess with your research, I'd drop it. If you think it is a PITA but manageable, I'd probably gut it out. I had a couple classes where I wanted to drop, but I just finished it because it was one class closer to finishing. People may ask you about the W (especially nosey interviewers on internship), so make sure to have a good reason. If you have a research-heavy program, I'd go with the, "I was still adjusting to my course work and I didn't want to fall behind in my research, so I decided to withdrawal from the class".

-t