This past week, I thought about dropping a class. It was nothing personal against the teacher, or anybody in it, but I just did not think I would like it very much. After some thinking, I decided to stay in it; but something that bothered me was that I later learned the add/drop period ended the day before I would’ve been dropping the class.
The first problem I have with this is the lack of communication about this period ending on the school’s part. It also wasn’t just me; I asked some of my friends and none of them knew it ended either. We all expected it to be at least two weeks long.
This lack of communication is frustrating because this is something that matters, and withdrawing from a course, as opposed to just dropping it, can seriously impact things such as financial aid and scholarships.
Another problem I have with this is that the class I considered dropping was on Mondays and Wednesdays. As we are all aware, KSC students got the first Monday after returning from break off and didn’t have to go to any classes.
We are also aware that the first day of classes for many courses is usually shortened, with the teacher only going over the syllabus and maybe doing a ‘name game.’ This leaves just one actual class during the add/drop period to really get a feel for what the course will be like, which I do not believe is enough experience.
I don’t believe one class is enough because most professors usually ease you into the material, making you think the class may be easier to manage than it actually is. This easing into the material may also make you think the class is your style, and then a week later have you realize that it is not something you find to be interesting. By the time you find this out it ends up being too late and you may end up having to take a class you don’t like.
In my opinion, a student being in a class they don’t like or find interesting is never a good thing. For me personally, whenever I am in a class I do not like, I am more inclined to skip classes, not do the homework and end up trailing off in thought during the class itself.
According to an article from the Daily Texan, a study was done by UT College of Education Professor Erika Patall finding that students who reported they were interested tend to work harder, pay more attention and think more about how to remember the material.
I have come up with two solutions to solve this problem. The first solution I came up with is extending the add/drop period to two, maybe three, weeks, which would allow students to fully know what to expect from a class they are taking.
Another solution I came up with is allowing students to see some of the feedback surveys that previous students did for the professors, which lets them know how their peers felt about the class and professor. These are changes that I think could truly work and I hope the school will consider them.
DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of Cristian Valentin
Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com
