Implications of withdrawing from college
When a student is struggling on campus, it’s important for young adults and their families to understand the difference in types of withdrawals. Why? Because the type of withdrawal they request
Below you will find the top five ways a parent can help their child be safe through social media usage.
Withdrawal or University Withdrawal. There is no special title for this, as it’s just what it sounds like. This is when a student logs into their student portal and “unregisters” themselves from the classes they’re currently registered in at that time. Each university with have an “Add/Drop deadline” in the very beginning of the semester. If a student withdraws from classes during that short window, the classes they are registered in and “Ws” do not show up on their transcript. After that deadline, they will have until mid-semester to individually withdraw from a course or two, but they will show up as a “W” on their transcript. It won’t impact their GPA, but it will impact their Financial Aid. After that mid-semester date, if a student wants to withdrawal from a course they have to withdraw from the entire semester or stay the course with whatever grade they’ll get in the classes they’re failing. This is considered a “university withdrawal.” This will show up on their transcript as “UW” for each of their classes. It does not impact their GPA, only their Financial Aid. Once finals week begins, students cannot request a university withdraw for the semester. They can only receive the grades they have earned – even if failing. Don’t hold me to it, but this is the most common structure for withdrawal deadlines on college campuses. Triple check to see if this is how your university does it.
Incomplete. No, this isn’t actually a “withdrawal” but it a roundabout way that students can preserve their semester grades. In subscribing to the model above, if a student is struggling in one class (i.e. they’re passing, but not doing well) they may be able to request an incomplete in that course. Try not to jump to conclusions. The student needs to collaborate with the Case Management office to facilitate a professor approving an Incomplete. It would have to be because of extenuating circumstances, and the professor ultimately gets to make the decision of whether or not they’ll grant the “I.” The student has to complete that class with that same professor. They need to have the missing assignments required to “complete the class” in writing from the professor so all parties involved understand what is needed. The student has one semester to finish that course. So, hypothetically a student could request Incompletes for all their classes on semester if something happened. They can’t be failing the classes when they request the Incompletes though. They have until the end of the following semester to finish the classes. You don’t pay for the tuition during that following semester. And where most students get themselves in hot water is, they register for a full load of new classes while trying to simultaneously finish their Incompletes. This is not advised.
Medical Withdrawal. There is discrepancy in what this looks like, based on the college. Most common is that a student makes it through one semester (whether or not they did the above withdrawal), but know they need to take time off from college to get mental health or substance abuse treatment. A student can register medical withdrawal. Some colleges have registration codes so that students can “register” to leave. This allows their Advisor to see that they will be gone for that one semester and will most likely anticipate returning after the time off. Some colleges require students to provide signed paperwork proving they were in treatment. Some colleges don’t require anything at all. Some colleges have stipulations for students to return. Before registering for a medical withdrawal, educate yourself and be informed on what happens if you go down this avenue. Know that you can take time off at any point in your collegiate career. You are not bound to continue taking courses at that time college and given only a set number of semesters before you are kicked out. If you do leave without registering for medical withdrawal, you will most likely have to reapply to continue being a student. It’s not as intense as it sounds, or how your initial application process was to higher education. If fact, you may not even have to pay an application fee. It’s a quick application where the university just wants to know where you’ve been, what you’ve been up to, and will check your criminal record to make sure you aren’t a danger to campus.
Retroactive withdrawal. No college that I know of advertises that they do this. Not even the colleges that automatically suspend students who receive a 0.0 GPA in one term. To be blunt, any student that gets a 0.0 we all know something significant happened. This is a very capable and driven student who encountered some horrific adversity. It’s not like they put in effort to get a 0.0. So, for a student that walked away from a semester like there, please know there is hope is salvaging your GPA. Most colleges allow students to “appeal” for a semester or more of their academic studies. They need to write a letter on their own behalf detailing what happened. Then, the student needs to include letters of support from professionals who they were working with during that semester, or immediately after. That professional needs to speak to how the student was incapable of being a student because of the extenuating circumstances. Some colleges are specific in what is considered an extenuating circumstance. An example from UNC-Wilmington’s Academic Catalog says “death of an immediate family member; traumatic and unforeseen circumstances which are considered beyond a student’s control; serious emotional instability, physical injury or illness which has resulted in the student’s inability to complete academic responsibilities in a given term.” In my professional opinion, extenuating circumstances and how it impacts the young adult is subjective. With support, any student can be able to articulate how they deserve the university reconsider their academic semester. Some colleges put limitations on when this can be submitted (i.e. no later than one semester after), or unlimited time. Some colleges have specific paperwork to be completed by the Professionally supporting the student’s appeal. Some colleges have set deadlines, multiples each semester for when a student can submit and anticipate hearing back from the committee who reads every appeal. If a retroactive withdrawal is awarded a student, their GPA changes. Their transcript then reflects a bunch of “W.” Some universities will have it show as “RW” for retroactive Withdrawal. Again, it will remove the grades from their transcript, and ultimately shift their cumulative GPA. It’s important to know that in having their appeal granted, a student cannot get their tuition money back. That is non-refundable.
It’s important to know the difference in their withdrawals so that a student understands the implications. If you are concerned about your young adult, it is important that as a parent you consider consulting with an expert for help. There may be local resources available to you, but if not, there are professionals across the national who can help you get your young person connected to the appropriate treatment options. Seek out a Therapeutic Educational Consultant. This is what we do, and who we help.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
