Is it better to fail or withdraw from a subject at uni?

Question

I'm in third year uni (QLD, Australia) and I feel like I'm going to fail one of the electives I'm doing at the moment. It's not just stress or panic making me think this but the fact that I really don't understand/can't work out what we're learning.

As I said, it's an elective, so I could withdraw and choose to do a different subject but the choice I have instead is not particularly favourable. Otherwise I could withdraw and retake this subject next year and attempt to work my butt off at it and hope that'll work out better.

Or I could just keep going and see if I really do fail or if I manage to just scrape through with a pass somehow... but that makes me nervous about my GPA and what my academic record will look like.

Either way, the fees work out the same. Anyone got any advice?

Last date to withdraw without academic penalty is September 15 but it still shows that you've withdrawn from the unit.

Anyone from QLD (perhaps going to QUT) know what happens with grades for repeated subjects? Does the passing grade replace the failed grade? I've looked everywhere on the uni website and can't find this information at all.

Ok I found out that the passing grade does not replace the failing grade at my uni if anyone's still reading this question. They both apear on the academic record.

Answer 1

my advice to you is to find out what your school's policy is on withdrawals because your answer actually depends on your school's policy. at some schools, you can withdraw before a certain "deadline" and they will remove the course completely from your transcript. if this is an option at your school, i would take this one because 1. if you choose to retake this subject next year, you get to start with a clean slate, and 2. you'll have the opportunity to take that other subject if you'd prefer that one.

if this is NOT an option at your school, it will be important for you to know if you withdraw, what happens if you retake that class - will the W go away or will it always be there? A "W" on your transcript will look bad, but an F is worse as it hurts your GPA significantly. True, you can always retake the class if you do get an F and the whatever grade you get the second time will replace the F, but USUALLY no matter how high of a grade you get, the highest they'll give you is a C (which really sucks) and C's really damage your GPA as well - you'll regret it forever!

It's still really early in the semester so chances are, if you go and talk with your professor, s/he will steer you in the right direction to brining up your grade.

SO - in summary:
1. find out what your school's policy on withdrawals is
- if you can withdraw before the "deadline" - do so
- if your school has no such "deadline" policy, what happens if you withdraw and retake the class?
*if the W will go away, then withdraw and retake it
* if the W will always be there, go to step 2
2. talk with your professor about your grade and see if he thinks you'll be able to bring your grade up to an acceptable level
3. remember: an F is way worse than a W!

hope this helps!

Answer 2

Withdraw. If you get an F it will mess up your GPA. If you get too many F's or have too many withdraws it wont look good to any future perspective employers. Even though you don't like the other class take it anyway. There are just some classes that you wont like but that shouldn't be an excuse for doing poorly in the classes. It's all about the grade and the GPA (despite what any professors or advisers may tell you).

Answer 3

Many students (including me) sign up for more classes than they can handle. Some classes will be easier than you thought, some turn out to require too much time. Find out the last date to withdraw and withdraw before that date. Staying in the class will just steal precious time you need to study for your other classes. If the class was interesting, you have all the notes etc for taking it again and you will be 1 step ahead of the other students next semester. I have also retaken a class during an accelerated pace in the summer when that was the only class I had to deal with.

Answer 4

What you need to explain is that the first degree you took you just realised it wasn't for you - as nursing has always been what you truly wanted to do, and taking the wrong subject at University made you realise this. Don't make it look as if you dropped out because of mistakes you made - make it look as if you left on purpose and didn't do well on purpose as it was the wrong degree choice and you realised half way through you wanted to be a nurse. If you put it this way it will make you look favourable and even more appealing as you made a dramatic life changing decision in order to pursue the career you feel is right in your heart. Write this at the end of your application though, don't make it the main focus, and also make it very clear your passion for nursing and any experience you have in the field. Best of luck! :) Edit: Remember that this time round you will be doing something you are very intrested in, are dedicated to and really enjoy, so the depression and anxiety shouldn't be a problem. I feel that the History of Art degree was clearly not for you and you knew this all along, hence your anxiety. The fact you have been working in healthcare for a while shows your interest and dedication so I really would not worry about this. You are sure this is what you want to do, so go into it enthusiastically and really believe in yourself in your personal statement. You will be fine, be offered places and enjoy your degree! Have fun!

Answer 5

It's better to withdraw. Withdraw can mean many things and you have more room for excuses if a employer do ask you why you have a Withdraw. But there's no excuse for an F, it just simply means you didnt' get the subject at all and it ruins your gpa.

Answer 6

It's better to withdraw than it is to fail. Failing will lower your GPA (but you know that) and a lower GPA might result in a loss of whatever scholarships you may have.

Answer 7

if you're going to fail, see if your teacher will allow you to audit the class which means you drop it, but still attend every class, do the assignments, take the tests. That way when you re-take the class you will have some experience with the work so it will be easier to understand the second time around.

Answer 8

Failing will only affect your G.P.A. if you do not plan on retaking the course. If you remain in the course and get a bad or failing grade, you can always retake it to replace that grade with a higher one.

Answer 9

its better to withdraw, im in the same position but im waiting until Nov. 10, which is the last day to withdraw with us, so i have a better guess if im going to pass or not

Answer 10

Withdraw, unless of course, you're auditing. Don't Gamble with your GPA.