February 27, 2020

Drop Deadline Has Passed - Students Must Now Withdraw From Courses

Now that the drop deadline has passed, if you have students who do not wish to continue in a course, they must officially withdraw from it. The deadline for withdrawing from a class is Thursday, March 26 at 4:30 p.m.

*What is a withdrawal vs. a drop? A withdrawal results in a W on the student’s transcript (with a drop, the course disappears entirely). The W is largely an internal indicator that the student was enrolled in the course for more than half the semester. 

*Will W grades on a student’s transcript reflect negatively on them in the future? No. Other schools, employers, etc. are familiar with the idea that students can withdraw from a class with no penalty. The W signifies that the student followed the proper procedure to do so. 

*Will the W grade hurt their GPA? No. It's what we call a "non-punitive" grade, which means the credits no longer count in their GPA.

*Do students still get credit for the course? No. Before deciding to withdraw from a course, students should think about how this affects their progress toward graduation.  It could also impact their eligibility for some types of financial aid.  

*I have students who withdrew from courses following the proper procedures, but they are still on their schedule and timeline in Student Planning. Don't worry! Students will not see the W (which is a final grade) until grades are in for this semester.  

*If a student decides to withdraw, how do they do it? They need to visit the registrar's office to pick up a withdrawal form. The student will need their adviser's signature. Remember that all students are expected to complete at least 12 credits per semester. Only in very rare cases, and with special permission, are students allowed to take fewer than 12 credits.

*I have a student who tried to withdraw from a class by clicking "drop" on Student Planning, but nothing happened! See directions above -- the student must meet with an adviser and submit an actual paper form to the Registrar's office.

Are Your Students Having Problems in Your Course?
Remember to Send an Early Academic Report (EAR)

Just a reminder as we move through the semester, if you have a student who is not performing well in your course or who misses multiple class sessions please let the Dean of Studies Office know by using our Barnard-specific Early Academic Report (EAR). Although we know you have already received the Columbia University ADR, we hope you will instead use Barnard's EAR which is customized for Barnard and unlike Columbia’s document, does not ask you to just submit a grade on a student's current work, but instead gives you the opportunity to provide more insight into how and why a student may be underperforming.

The EAR makes it easier for our Class Deans to communicate with you and the student’s adviser, and to work as a team to help improve the student’s academic performance.  The EAR can be found here and is also available on the myBarnard portal.

We also thought it might be helpful to share with you what happens once you submit the EAR. The form automatically generates a note to the student and their Class Dean, suggesting the student schedule a meeting with you, their adviser, and/or Class Dean to develop a plan to improve their academic performance. Most students are quick to address the issue with their instructors, advisers and Class Deans, but unfortunately, a few students will choose to do nothing after receiving the EAR notice. 

Through the EAR process, we encourage students to take responsibility for their academic performance and most will follow through. For the students who come to the Dean of Studies Office, the Class Deans use a mid-semester checklist to evaluate the student’s course work, asking such questions as: Have you been to see the instructor? Have you sought out tutoring? Are there personal issues that are affecting your performance? After that meeting, the Class Dean will copy you on a follow up message to the student, which briefly summarizes what was discussed, including next steps for the student.