Students dropped fewer classes in fall 2014 than in previous semesters after the university changed the free drop period from eight weeks to ten days last semester, according to Louis Hunt, vice provost of the office of enrollment and management services and university registrar.

However, students have expressed concerns with the drop date change, as many feel it does not offer enough time to make an informed decision. 

In addition, graduate schools and employers may look at the withdrawn classes to see which students may have had an easier time taking a class a second time.

There are serious implications for students dropping coursework far into their semester, Hunt said. Dropping a prerequisite could set a student back a semester in his or her progress toward graduation.

“I think sometimes students drop courses too quickly, that there wasn’t enough deliberation,” Hunt said. “They didn’t talk with their advisors, they didn’t talk with their faculty members, and sometimes they maybe could have done very well in their class and completed it successfully on their first attempt, and that would have been to their benefit. It encourages students to think more deliberately before they decide to drop a class.”

Logan Butler, a junior studying biochemistry, believes that the policy disagrees with the idea that the drop date change is a benefit to students as it does not provide enough time for students to decide if a class is manageable or not.

“I feel more pressure as a student,” Butler said. “You have to decide quickly. The old policy let you take more time but now you have only about a week. It is difficult to decide if you can’t keep a class if you don’t have the time to explore.”

This year the census date, or the last day to enroll in or drop classes without receiving a W for withdrawal on your transcript, is Jan 21.

The Board of Governors mandated the policy for all UNC schools to begin enforcing the ten-day drop date policy last semester. 

The Board of Governors changed the drop date in an attempt to help schools better utilize limited resources. Seats, sections, classrooms, teachers and teaching assistants are under-utilized when a class starts out full and ends two thirds full, Hunt said.

Another policy change limited withdraws to 16 credit hours. Previously, students had no limits to the amount of classes they were allowed to drop. Withdrawals are non-punitive, meaning they do not affect students GPA.

NC State was an outlier for not already having a withdrawal policy, Hunt said. 

Laura Sremaniak, a professor of chemistry, said she is glad that the policy was adjusted, but thinks it is too close to the beginning of the semester.

“Labs don’t usually start until the first full week, so some students may only meet with their lab one time before the date,” Sremaniak said. “And some of the labs are only available once a year, so a student could be in trouble if they can’t make a decision because they would have to wait a year. It’s not enough time for students to gather information about their course.” 

However, the decision to move the date up is beneficial to faculty members, said Sremaniak, 

“The previous policy was too long,” Sremaniak said “It created a lot of flux in the class roster. With the new policy, it’s nice as a faculty member to have the classes set sooner.”

Taylor Davis, a sophomore studying sport management, said it is difficult to judge a class until after the first test, which is usually further into the class than ten days.

“It is not remotely enough time,” Davis said. “You should at least get through the first test. You have to try to quickly decide if a class will fit with the others that you take. It’s hard to judge after only a few classes and you really won’t know until after the drop date.”

Hunt said, when a student drops a class, it makes it difficult for Records and Registration to ensure that they have enough courses to keep students on track toward graduation.

“When you drop it, you’ve prevented another student from taking that course, and that student might have really needed it,” Hunt said. “We don’t want to prevent students from doing it, but we want them to make well informed decisions.”

Hunt said he never felt like this policy was going to hurt many students because most students drop very few classes during their academic career.

“Students that have graduated from NC State typically don’t drop many classes,” Hunt said.