Dropping a class is not something to be ashamed of in college. When everyone enrolls to become a Miner, they are allowed six drops throughout their college career. It’s for a valid reason because some classes can sometimes just be too difficult.

There are many responsibilities with being a student, from deciding what to study for your future career, attaining the job, joining clubs that will benefit you and managing time between studying and handling all of the other priorities.

Out of high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study or pursue. I ended up picking business, and it didn’t work out for me.

So, I dropped two of the classes that I believed I had no chance of catching up with the work either mentally or physically. I was embarrassed to go through the process of dropping a class so early in my collegiate career, but in the end, everything worked out like it should have. Letting go of those classes helped me in many ways, but the biggest was how a 10-minute process saved my GPA.

An F in college can drop your GPA faster than you think. A student can earn five A’s and only one F, and their GPA for that semester is not going to be as pretty as it could have been.

Other than saving my GPA, dropping classes helped with my other classes in the semester that I did keep. How? I could concentrate and put all my effort into the other subjects and dedicate my time to boost my other grades. Instead of receiving a B or C, my final grades for my other courses turned into A’s and I became a happy student.

The more people stress about letting go of a class that is required, the more stress they carry on their shoulders by not doing anything about it.

I would never encourage any fellow student to look forward to dropping classes, but if it is necessary and the process is needed, it’s the right choice.

Students can prepare for the class they dropped for the semester after and get ready for what is in store, since the class was already taken before it was dropped. Summer classes are a great way to play catch up, and there are also Wintermesters and Maymesters.  Just because a student could not complete the course their first go around does not mean it will be like that forever, maybe timing is key in some cases.

It is important to talk to professors before actually going through with the dropping process. It could save a class from being abandoned because many professors like to work with their students and if they see that the effort is being made, most teachers will go the extra mile to lend a helping hand. It only takes a couple of minutes to email a teacher or meet them in their office.

The stigma around a person letting go of a class is that they are dumber than others, or that they won’t graduate on time. Both are incorrect, an A is better the second time around rather than a C during the first go around.

College is not a sprint, it is a marathon. A better GPA in five years of college is much more rewarding than a lower, “let’s finish as fast as we can” GPA.

The more time spent worrying about what others think is taking away from students’ time of actually succeeding in their own productive way.

Just make sure to do something about any failing classes before the deadline has passed. For spring 2017, UTEP’s drop deadline is March 30. And only do it if it is needed.

The simple step-by-step process of dropping a course is this: walk to the Mike Loya building and ask the front desk where the room is located for completing drops. Once you do that, just sign in and wait for the counselors to call you, then fill out the drop form and you’re free.