"W"s and You

Santa Monica College is one of the most affordable community colleges in the country, transfer-wise and money-wise.
But when a student is trying to earn transferable units, he or she may come across a class that is either difficult or that may conflict with a job.
This is where a student is confronted with the decision of whether to drop the class altogether.
But then when that conclusion is reached, whose responsibility is it to make sure the student is really dropped from the class?
"If the student has missed many days of a certain class, a teacher is inclined to drop said student from his/her roster," said Santa Monica College student Jose Sagastume.
Teachers usually catch on early in the semester that a student may not want to take their class if they missed more than two to three sessions consecutively.
Teachers are responsible to drop the student so that more room is available for others trying to take the class.
"However, if the student decides to drop the class because he/she is doing poorly, then it is up to the student to make sure he/she drops the class," Sagastume said.
"Dropping" deadlines are placed for this particular reason. So that after a certain amount of time, students who feel it necessary to drop, do.
If you feel that the class is going at a pace that you don't feel comfortable in or if you aren't performing adequately you must drop the class before the deadlines.
There are several types of deadlines: one for dropping without a W withdrawal mark; another where the transcript will show a W, and another for a W with grade of C or better next to it.
These deadlines are in chronological order and are separated by a one-month period. It is truly up to the students to drop a class that they don't like or can't excel in.
However, students need to understand that they shouldn't give up on a class just because they can't do well on tests or don't get the material the course offers.
Students can get help by getting tutored, working in study groups, or just by improve their study habits.
It is these tools that will stop students' use of the drop button as a last-ditch effort to spring from classes that they don't want to take, which makes it easier, but inconvenient.