Course withdrawals unfair to shut-out petitioners

The phone rings.

A recording comes on welcoming the student to Voice Response Registration. Next, in goes the numbers for the class desired. Then the he or she hears the three words that drives all students crazy; class is full.

How frustrating not being able to get into a much-needed class. In addition, many of those students who formally enroll are juniors who can afford to take that one class that is needed by a senior to graduate.

Now graduation is put off yet another semester because the class he or she needed is full.

Equally baffling is trying to petition a class, with the realization that half of the students officially enrolled will drop halfway through the semester.

Dropping a class after three months of studying, reading 50 chapters and waking up early in the morning to find a good parking space, just does not make sense.

To be fair, there are those students who legitimately drop a class because of a sudden illness or because they're moving.

But, there is no doubt that the majority of students who take a class have misjudged their time schedules with work and other activities.

So, two or three months into the semester, they drop the class.

Many of these students who drop a class or classes, have the delusion that they can make it up at another time.

But there are a few reasons why this would be very unhealthy for a person's college career.

One reason would be that a "W" looks bad on a student's transcripts. To an admissions director or clerk, a "W" could reflect that person is a flake.

Plus, it would extend one's college career by another semester or year.

The reason is, many classes that are prerequisites to upper division courses, are only offered during certain semesters.

Not only would students spend a longer time in college, but it could turn into a bad habit. It's like the first time smokers decide to take their first puff of a cigarette.

One puff and before they know it, they're hooked.

Dropping a class would not only be a disadvantage to the student who decides to take a "W" for the course, but also to the senior who needed the class.

Another disadvantage for dropping a course is it means having to take extra time to repeat the class. For the graduating senior, it means putting off walking across the stage in May.

The only good that comes out of dropping a class is that it leaves less papers for the instructor to grade.

Tino Poti is a reporter for the Daily Forty-Niner.