If you’re a high school student struggling with a class, you might wonder whether you should drop it. Students rightly worry that dropping a class could affect their GPA, college prospects, and even job opportunities down the line. But the situation is more complicated than that: there can be good, strategic reasons to drop a class as well.
Dropping a class in the middle of the semester can be stressful. So, should you drop your class? In this post, we’ll provide you with the necessary background information to help you can make the right academic choice for yourself.
Does Dropping A Class Affect Your GPA?
Maybe. And maybe not.
This varies tremendously depending on the rules at your high school for dropping a course. If your school allows you to drop it completely from your transcript as though you were never enrolled in the course, it will not affect your GPA positively or negatively. Likewise, if you’re issued a W, which indicates that you withdrew, it will not be factored into your GPA. However, colleges will know about it and consider it.
If you’re “dropping” a class to change to a lower level, that can impact your GPA in various ways-both positively or negatively depending on your situation.
As an example, if you started in AP Calculus BC and were doing poorly and your school allows you to drop down to AP Calculus AB early in the semester, you may be able to bring your grade up, which would help your GPA instead of staying in BC.
At many high schools, however, you must have a low grade in the course in order to drop it. In that case, that C or D will stay on your transcript for that quarter or semester, which may impact your GPA. That hit to your GPA may be still be worth it, if it will be better than if you stayed in the course all year and ended up with a C or D again the second semester.
This also depends if your school reports grades by the semester or yearlong. If you have a C in the first 9 weeks, that’s half of your semester grade. It will be very hard to bring up a semester grade to an A even if you change to a lower course, though you may get it to a B for the semester with an A in the second 9 weeks. However, if your school’s final grades are issued at the end of the course for the year, you still have ¾ of the year to improve that grade, making an A more likely!
What Are the Consequences of Dropping a Class?
Students are rightly concerned about the potential consequences of dropping a class and if it will affect their GPA. You might wonder what college will think of you if you drop one of your classes or if your admissions chances will be affected.
Depending on your situation, withdrawing from a class could affect your future. For instance, if you need the dropped class to graduate or if you don’t have enough credits for the academic semester, dropping a class could delay your graduation—and students with graduation delays can have a harder time getting into their schools of choice.
Students should also consider the value of the course they’re dropping. A dropped class my contain fundamental information you need to learn before going to college and missing that information could negatively impact you.
There are a range of factors to consider when dropping a class, but for most students, if it isn’t needed for graduation, dropping a single course won’t be a big problem in the eyes of a college. Colleges don’t want to see a trend of dropped classes, so it’s not something to make a habit of. But we’ll get into that more later on.
Are There Any Benefits to Dropping A Class?
There are potential problems with dropping a class, but there can also be benefits. Especially if you’re failing a class or just doing poorly, dropping one class could actually improve your GPA and help you maintain your grades, since the dropped class won’t bring down your GPA anymore.
Dropping a difficult class that you don’t need to graduate can also improve your mental health, which could improve your performance in other courses, in addition to being a goal in its own right. Whether you’ll enjoy these sorts of benefits depends on your specific situation, so each student should weigh the pros and cons.
How Do Colleges Actually View Dropped Classes?
While colleges don’t encourage prospective applicants to withdraw from courses, a failing grade can look even worse to a college than a withdrawal. To better anticipate how colleges might react to a withdrawal, consider the college you’re applying to and your academic goals. If you have mostly A’s and then you get a C or lower in a class, that low grade might stand out more than a dropped course. In this situation, it might actually be better to drop the class.
A strategic withdrawal especially makes sense if you’re applying to prestigious universities and want to maintain a perfect GPA. Highly selective colleges want to see higher grades and will therefore mind the dropped course less. But avoid having too many dropped courses on your transcript. If colleges see many withdrawals, it may seem like you give up easily when faced with academic challenges.
Are There Other Options Besides Dropping a Class?
Don’t be too quick to drop a class. While colleges won’t necessarily penalize you for a dropped course, it’s still better to avoid it if possible. Needless to say, the best option remains—if possible—raising your grade. If you’re struggling in a course but still have time to study more and improve your grades, talk to your teacher and see what can be done. Most teachers are happy to provide extra credit opportunities if they believe you’re making a good-faith effort to improve.
Additionally, you could hire a private academic tutor to build a personalized plan for you. To learn more about the benefits of working with an academic tutor, check out our blog posts on how tutors can improve performance and the best time to consider hiring an academic tutor. And should you decided to pull the tigger, check out our guide to choosing the right academic tutor, or contact us today for a free consultation.
But, if you’ve already tried putting in the extra effort and you’re still failing, it’s probably better to just drop the class, especially if it’s close to the end of the semester. So, be realistic and determine how much you can plausibly improve your grade before deciding to drop the class.
Rather than simply dropping a class, you might transfer to a less demanding course. You might, for example, move from an AP class to a regular class. With this option, you might even get a better grade.
Other Factors to Consider
When dropping a class, consider the timing. Your school might have a deadline for dropping classes, after which, rather than getting a W (for “Withdrew”) on your transcript, you instead receive a low or failing grade.
Before dropping a class, you should also consider your high school’s graduation requirements. If you need the class to graduate, dropping it could significantly affect your ability to get into college. You might have to retake the course later on, an, in the worst-case scenario, you might not graduate on time—or at all. That obviously looks bad on your application, especially if you’ve dropped other classes before.
However, if you are failing a class, and you don’t need it to graduate, you can generally drop that class safely and eliminate your concerns about how dropping a class will affect your GPA. Sometimes, students have too much on their plate and need more time to focus on other classes. Dropping a problematic class can give you breathing room without causing your GPA to suffer. Just make sure to talk to your academic advisor to make sure there are no issues.
Conclusion
So, does dropping a class affect your GPA? Not necessarily. The key is to carefully weigh your options and consider how the decision fits into your long-term goals—academically and personally. With the right approach, you can make a thoughtful choice that keeps you on track.
At HelloCollege, we know how difficult it can be to prepare for college and aim to make the process as simple and easy as possible. We want to help you get accepted into the university of your dreams! Reach out today for a free consultation to learn more.
