The Modern Head sculpture on Ohio State’s Columbus Campus. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor

Chay Robert Rossing had just finished his first semester at Ohio State when he came to a startling realization: he was going to fail out.

The first-generation student came to the university with majors in French, Spanish and Italian. Rossing failed most of his classes and entered his second semester on academic probation.

The reason for his troubles? He had no idea he could drop a class.

“I didn’t know that these are resources for me,” Rossing said. “Once I found out that they were a thing for me, it became, I’m going to keep doing this whenever it’s most advantageous for me.”

Dropping classes lets students defend their GPA and future plans, and Rossing is among the students and advisors who view deadline drops not as a failure, but as a resource for students to make the best of their academic experience.

Students can drop classes with a W, also known as a withdrawal, before the tenth Friday of the semester. Afterwards, students must submit a petition to drop a class.

Daizhon Cox, a fourth-year in political science, dropped an introduction to criminal justice class at the deadline this semester in the interest of grad school. Cox said he felt a poor relationship with his professor left him unsupported and at risk for a low grade.

“I’m trying to go to law school,” Cox said. “I was just thinking about what was best, obviously for my GPA, and what was best for my education.”

Advisors consider students’ future plans as deciding factors in whether to drop a class.

“We do like to talk about what are their future goals,” said Samantha Zimmerman, a College of Arts and Sciences advisor. “What does a W look like versus a C?”

Zimmerman also said that it is better to drop a course if a student thinks they are going to fail.

Dropping classes at the deadline is also a lifeline for students with outside pressures that are weighing on their academic performance.

Rossing, who dropped a research ethics course at the deadline this past fall semester, said the drop was due to his 12-hour work days the nights before class, which led him to struggle in the course.

“I would work Monday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” he said. “I was like, OK, I keep missing class, this is having a realized negative impact on my presence and performance in the course.”

Students and advisors agreed that misunderstandings about deadlines and resources contribute to late drops.

“We talk about the process in all of the survey classes, but it’s so much information for students to learn about that in their semester,” said Whitney Brown, a senior academic advisor and graduation coordinator for the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. “I think when they come to us, they are more often than not, not quite sure of their options.”

Some students and advisors agree that dropping classes at the deadline can be useful for first-year students who are new to college and unaware of resources. Rossing said that lack of understanding played a major role in his early struggles.

“I didn’t know that that was ever an option for me if I was struggling,” Rossing said. “I just knew almost nothing about resources.”

Charles Smith, an advisor and instructor in the Department of Political Science, said he urges first-year students to contact advisors when they are unsure of their path forward in a challenging class.

“The more you encourage them to reach out and communicate with advisors, to let us know that you are struggling, so that we cannot only point you toward campus resources but also help you work through the decisions about whether to drop courses, the better off you’re going to be in the long run,” Smith said.

Now a graduate student pursuing a masters in medical ethics with undergraduate degrees in French, religious studies and philosophy, Rossing partially credits his academic turnaround to dropping classes at the deadline.

“I was able to get three degrees, and I was able to work full time and be involved in student activities because I really did understand and I was patient with myself,” he said. “So I think it’s an important skill, and we shouldn’t think about it as a failure.”