Yesterday at midnight was the last day for all students to drop a class. New freshman had the option to either withdraw from the class or apply for freshman forgiveness. Freshman forgiveness allows the student to retake the class again and have the higher of the two grades count towards your GPA, but both grades still appear on your transcript. Withdrawing, on the other hand, places a W on your transcript, which you must retake in order to receive credit from the course. So which one, if you are a freshman, should you choose? Based upon what I’ve heard from teachers, withdrawing honestly seems like the best option.
What are the advantages to have the course be forgiven? Firstly, you can continue to take the class, allowing you to learn everything so that when you do retake the class, you will at least be familiar with the material to be able to find success the second time around. Additionally, only the repeated class will count towards your GPA, so the other one just remains there but does not count. The major problem is that the other grade is still there. Just because SMU does not factor in that grade does not mean others cannot use it to calculate their own GPA. Medical schools, graduate programs, and even potential jobs may all find that D+ or lower grade on your transcript and could potentially opt for someone else because of it.
When you withdraw from the class, no one outside of the school will know about your grade. All they would know is that you withdrew from the class for some reason. When you retake the class, you will be better prepared and will make a higher grade than before. People may ask exactly why you withdrew, but no one would have to know how much you struggled in your class. Of course, if you withdraw from too many classes, then you could be in some potential trouble for your post-college career; however, if used only once or twice, withdrawing appears to me like the better option.
My teachers have stressed many times to freshman students that if you choose to forgive, then your grade will be on your transcript. In my opinion, they seem to strongly discourage keeping that grade and repeating that course. If this is the case, then why bother having this option? I mean if the better option overall is to withdraw and retake, then would it not be easier to just get rid of the program overall? Retaking the course is not the issue, but rather trying to find the best option for students to gain an adequate grasp on the material to be able to progress to the next classes without crippling their GPA from the get go.
Obviously, the best option is to pass the class and not have to have your grade forgiven or withdraw from the class. I hope that no one had to consider any of these options, but I know that everyone stumbles once in a while. I wish the best for those who have to choose either of these options and I hope that, regardless of what you choose, the second time around will not only give you a stronger grade for your GPA, but also give you a better grasp of the material to be able to succeed later in life.
Bryan Manderscheid is a freshman engineering major and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
