Hello, I’m a freshman at a top 10 public university in the nation and I’m considering transferring next year to a school with a more renowned business program (NYU and other top 20 schools with good undergrad business programs). I’m half way done with my first semester and now I’m having a dilemma because I don’t know if I should drop my Math class.
Right now, there is a slim chance for a B and a good chance for C in that class. If I were to drop the class, my GPA will most likely be 4.0, especially because I can focus more on my other classes. If I don’t drop it, there is a chance of me getting As in classes that would add up to 9 credits and getting B in a 3 credit class because I won’t have as much time to dedicate my time to that 3 credit class.
Anyhow, my parents think that I shouldn’t drop the class so I can spare my withdrawal for future, more-challenging class. If I end up staying at my current school, I think this is the practical option. Furthermore, they don’t want me to stay behind the recommended coursework schedule. (although I think I can still graduate in time even if I dropped this class)
However, if I end up transferring, I think it would be better to withdraw and get a 4.0 to increase my chances. The schools I want to transfer to is really competitive and I think they would rather see a 4.0 with one withdrawal than a C. I just want to give transferring a shot because I want to give one last shot before I settle down. When I got rejected from NYU as a senior in high school and my parents said I could always transfer but I think they said to make me feel better more than anything. I don’t think they know that I’m seriously considering it.
So my question for you is, do you think I should withdraw my math class? I have until Friday to make this decision. Any help is appreciated.
No one’s going to agree with me on here, but I’d drop it and run. Yes, it’s abusing the system. Yes, it’s morally ambiguous. Yes, you shouldn’t do this excessively. Yes, it will save your GPA. If you want to graduate with a 4.0, you have to be creative when selecting your schedule, during drop/add, and making decisions like these.
Full disclosure that may include some bias, I’ve dropped one course (for a W) because I wanted to take the same type of course in a different department.
Your wording was somewhat ambiguous, so to clarify: I’d drop it if you still had 12 credits left after dropping, and got an A in all 12 credits. Better to have 12 A’s than 9 A’s 3 B’s and 3 C’s.
Also, look into “freshman forgiveness” at your school.
a public school is way cheaper than NYU…can they afford it?
Also ask yourself…if NYU didn’t accept you, and you are having trouble with freshman math…are you ready for NYU?
Not sure what you meant by no one agreeing with you, but I agree with dropping it and totally disagree with the rest of this.
If it doesn’t affect any financial aid or scholarships and it doesn’t affect your four year plan or graduation date, then there’s no harm in dropping it. If it’s going to do something like make you take an extra semester to graduate or take summer classes or have to take a larger (unreasonable) load of classes another semester, then it might not be worth it. If it doesn’t really affect anything, then it’s not a big deal. Your parents suggestion to consider later classes when you might want to get a W in a more difficult class is valid, but in my opinion, not that big of a deal. It’s fine in you have a couple of W’s, as long as you don’t have tons and tons of them, and if you enter the workforce after college, rather than going to graduate school, the amount of W’s you have won’t even matter.
This is NOT abusing the system, and it is NOT morally ambiguous. People drop classes for all sorts of reasons–because it was different than they thought it would be, because they realize they don’t have time for it anymore, because one class is taking up more than they expected, because they don’t actually need the class to graduate, etc. There’s a reason colleges give you the option to drop classes, and there’s absolutely nothing morally ambiguous or abusive about it. There is no shame in dropping a class, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. As long as you consider the potential ramifications (how it might affect your progress towards graduation or any changes in aid/scholarships), then it’s really fine. You obviously don’t want to make a habit of getting W’s every semester, but that’s unlikely to happen if you take care when choosing your classes and planning your schedule.
If you don’t mind why are you thinking of transferring? I mean of you’ve got it all good in your current school then why transfer I’d take your parents’ advice. Plus, does your parents know that you’re thinking of transferring?
I agree with taking the W and running. I’m confused why this would be morally ambiguous - there’s nothing remotely immoral about taking a W. Just take the W.
I am more intrigued by this transferring business. If you are already at a top 10 public university, does it not have a decent business program or economics department? When I think of top 10 public universities I think of Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, UVa, UNC, William & Mary, Georgia Tech, other UCs, UW-Madison, UW-Seattle, UIUC, UT-Austin, Penn State…et al. (Yes, I realize that’s more than 10.) All excellent schools…all excellent bargains at in-state rates. I can’t see paying $70K at NYU (even Stern) when you can pay less money at one of those places.