Deadline Saturday for dropped-class refund
Midnight Saturday is the deadline for students to drop a class for a full refund.
The first week of classes is always an adjusting period but, for Central Michigan University students, the university provides assistance, such as academic advising on campus and programs online.
Lynne L’Hommedieu, the academic adviser for the Towers Success Center, stayed busy throughout the first week of school, assisting students during walk-in appointments for academic advising, as about 400 came through the office.
-Academic Advising in Warriner Hall Room 123: 8 a.m. to noon, 1 to 5 p.m. -Towers Success Center in Kesseler Hall Room 130: 9 a.m. to noon, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. -South Quad Success Center between Merrill and Sweeny Halls: 9 to 11 a.m., 1:30 to 4 p.m. -North Campus Success Center in the breezeway between Trout and Calkins Halls: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m.
“Students drop courses in every subject,” L’Hommedieu said. “The biggest problem I see with schedules is students only having 10 minutes or so between classes.” In order to be successful during the beginning of a new school year, students must learn to be flexible, which may include dropping classes that do not work for them or adding new ones.
L’Hommedieu also said it is common for students to switch majors.
Another reason to drop classes is instructor issues.
Brian Garner, a Farmington Hills sophomore, followed his instincts last year and dropped a class because he disliked his professor.
“I dropped my physics of sports class because of the teacher,” Garner said. “It didn’t seem like he knew the material at all.”
There are often times where students do not need classes they are signed up for or they want to take a class that requires a prerequisite they have not yet fulfilled.
Assistant Dean and Director of Academic Advising and Assistance Michelle Howard said a program called enforced prerequisites on the CMU Portal can help students during online registration.
“There is an element in place to help monitor prerequisites,” Howard said. “For example, if a student wanted to take MTH 132 (Calculus I), the system checks if the student has taken the prerequisite, which is MTH 130 (Pre-Calculus Mathematics).”
Other than issues with time, professors or requirements, students might drop out of a course because it is too overwhelming, she said.
The deadline for dropping a class without a refund is Oct. 30.
