Lots of students become very ambitious when taking courses. In high school, taking six or seven classes each semester is the norm, however, that is not the norm in college. Some students may become overwhelmed and stop showing up to a specific class because they are falling behind. Little did they know, instructors can give a student an F if they stop showing up to classes without formally dropping or withdrawing. So I do recommend that you talk to your instructor if you are having trouble in a specific class. Here are some other things to consider:
Be Realistic about your Course Load
Most students would like to finish their program as soon as possible but you should take into account that each course requires x-amount of hours of coursework outside the classroom per week (read our blog post on school schedule for more information). Before you register for a class, read the full course description in the course catalog to get a better grasp on what each course fully entails.
Keep Track of Deadlines
Add/Drop Deadline
As mentioned in our blog post Financial Aid: A date to remember, keeping track of any sort of deadline is important, especially when it comes down to dropping or adding a course. Once the add/drop deadline passes, you are academically and financially responsible for your courses. Make sure the classes you are registered in are manageable and are related to your program.
Payment Deadline
Payment deadlines are also important to remember. Some institutions may allow you pay the tuition at the end of the semester (with a series of late fees). If the tuition isn’t paid, there might be a hold on your student account, prohibiting you from registering for the next semester. Other institutions might drop you from your courses if the payment isn’t submitted by the deadline. If needed, check with your Financial Aid Office to see if they offer some sort of payment assistance plan.
Be Proactive
Before every semester, I would suggest you mark down all of the important deadlines on your personal calendar and add multiple reminders so you don’t miss out. Whether it be a digital calendar or paper calendar or even a daily journal, document the important deadlines so you can be proactive rather than reactive.