By Russell Catt
As fall slowly drags along and students madly try to get all the courses they need, one realization becomes apparent: some courses suck. Knowing this, another question rears its ugly head: How do I get out? Answer: withdraw.
"There are two ways to get out of a course," said Students’ Union Vice-president Academic Toireasa Jespersen. "The first is to drop it, which means that the student is out of the course and does not have to pay tuition for it. This must be done on or before Sept. 21 for Fall session."
What happens if you want out of a course after the 21st? The deal becomes a little less favourable.
"Withdrawals are another matter," commented Jespersen. "Students must pay full fees for the courses they withdraw from. A withdrawal becomes a permanent part of your academic record, and you are only allowed to have an accumulated total of five full-course withdrawals."
One of the major problems involved with withdrawing from courses is if the student has a student loan.
"To be eligible for an Alberta Student Loan you must have a minimum of three half courses," said SU VP External Nassr Awada. "As long as students maintain this, there is no problem. If a student drops to part-time status, it won’t affect their current student loan assessment, but it will affect their loan for the next semester."
Another problem occurs when a student decides to withdraw from his or her whole sessional program.
"Single course withdrawals and full program withdrawals are very different," said Assistant Supervisor for Registration and Timetables Wendy Amero. "If you want to fully withdraw from your program, you need to come to the Registrar’s office and fill out a Notice of Withdrawal form."
For more information, check out pages 35-38 in the University Calendar, or contact Toireasa Jespersen by going to the SU office at msc 251, or calling 220-6551.