Dropping a class now that I'm accepted?

[MalinaRana]

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I am a non-traditional student. I earned a degree and then did my pre-med post-bacc work at another institution. At the beginning of this term I enrolled for the last class I would really "need" to earn a second degree. Since then I have learned I'd have to get a ton of signatures from various departments to transfer two classes or retake the two classes in order to get the second degree. I realized I didn't want nor need another bachelors degree but remained in this course. I did not list this course or that I planned on getting a 2nd degree in my AMCAS application. I am now seriously considering dropping the course.

The only thing I imagine I would regret about dropping the course is that it is with my favorite professor who also wrote me a glowing LoR for med school. But the actual course material is uninteresting and not applicable to my future (I took three of these sorts of capstone courses for my first degree, one for my major and two for each of my minors). I also think the professor would understand me dropping the course, especially if I frame it in more time spent applying for scholarships or working to save money before starting med school in the fall (both which would be true).

If it's not needed, was not listed in my AMCAS application, and will not be useful for medical school, is there any reason to continue taking it? What will one more W on my transcript mean if I am already accepted?

 

[Dirtyshadow]

I am a non-traditional student. I earned a degree and then did my pre-med post-bacc work at another institution. At the beginning of this term I enrolled for the last class I would really "need" to earn a second degree. Since then I have learned I'd have to get a ton of signatures from various departments to transfer two classes or retake the two classes in order to get the second degree. I realized I didn't want nor need another bachelors degree but remained in this course. I did not list this course or that I planned on getting a 2nd degree in my AMCAS application. I am now seriously considering dropping the course.

The only thing I imagine I would regret about dropping the course is that it is with my favorite professor who also wrote me a glowing LoR for med school. But the actual course material is uninteresting and not applicable to my future (I took three of these sorts of capstone courses for my first degree, one for my major and two for each of my minors). I also think the professor would understand me dropping the course, especially if I frame it in more time spent applying for scholarships or working to save money before starting med school in the fall (both which would be true).

If it's not needed, was not listed in my AMCAS application, and will not be useful for medical school, is there any reason to continue taking it? What will one more W on my transcript mean if I am already accepted?

Dont take it- let the prof know that you liked him/her and be thankful

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Based on what you said, I personally would stay in the class because I wouldn't want a W on my transcript. Perhaps your med school won't even see it, but if they do, it'll be a real hassle to straighten it out with them and it would probably be stressful to have to do that. It sounds like this is the only class you're taking this semester (?) so I can't imagine the difference these few extra hours would make in terms of working to make extra money. I know you don't need this degree, but if you're just one half of a semester away from getting it, I think you should just go for it. I would also consider it worth it to track down those signatures you talked about to transfer the courses.

 

[Lollygag]

If you all you need are some signatures to transfer courses to get a second degree then I would think it's worth it since you've worked so hard for that degree. If it's really that unimportant to you though, then I guess that's your decision.

How time consuming is this class though? Lets be real. If it consumes a lot of your time then maybe you should drop it but if its only a couple extra hours a week and if you won't get a refund then I think it's silly to drop it.

 

[MalinaRana]

Based on what you said, I personally would stay in the class because I wouldn't want a W on my transcript. Perhaps your med school won't even see it, but if they do, it'll be a real hassle to straighten it out with them and it would probably be stressful to have to do that. It sounds like this is the only class you're taking this semester (?) so I can't imagine the difference these few extra hours would make in terms of working to make extra money. I know you don't need this degree, but if you're just one half of a semester away from getting it, I think you should just go for it. I would also consider it worth it to track down those signatures you talked about to transfer the courses.

I am taking 4 other credits for histology lecture and lab, which I believe will be useful. It's too late for me to get the signatures because the graduation application deadline passed and trying to get around that is not possible. Part of me wanted to get the degree because I've been at this school for a while now and took out a lot of loans to do so, but while here, this school's administration has been really unsupportive and I think they don't want to give me a degree if I didn't pay for four years of schooling here. I haven't gotten any sort of scholarships/grants while here and some people have been actively discouraging when it came to my pre-med ambitions. The reason I would have to track down signatures in the first place is because two different departments refused to notify the registrar that the classes I needed were equivalent, even though they agreed they were.

I've been here for three years and in that time this school has shown me little reason why I should be among their alumni, much less that they want me to be among their alumni. The second degree is not necessary, not worth what my first degree was, and too much work at this point.

But perhaps I will wait and confirm that the deadline for applying to graduate is something I might be able to work around with more signatures.