The last day to withdraw from a full semester course with no penalty is approaching on Sept. 3 and it is important to make sure you are not stuck in a class that you will feel like you are doomed to fail in.

That is two full weeks of classes to determine if it is a right fit or not so trust your gut within these first days of classes.

Look ahead in your coursework to see whether or not you will be able to balance it on top of your schedule.

Another word of advice is do not be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it is all right to risk it a little bit if you’re unsure whether a class will be too difficult if you have access to the right study resources.

There’s always going to those struggle classes.

Consider taking another course before that one. I know I feel way better about psychology statistics now that I have taken elementary statistics. That’s the importance of having a good advisor.

I didn’t even know about elementary statistics until my advisor had told me, because she knew I would have to take psychology statistics later on and recommended that as my math prerequisite instead of the other option. 

I cannot stress the importance of talking to your advisor. It is important to utilize the resources given to you, and not at the last minute.

Another thing is to switch advisors if you feel like yours isn’t being helpful if you are able to.

Advisors are meant to be helpful to students and if they are not doing their job cut them off.

Also, ask around for people who have been in the class, but factor in their work ethic. How credible are they? Was the class hard or did they just not work hard enough? I love the website Rate My Professor to look at the different ratings before I even sign up for classes to determine workload. Unexpected changes do pop up and sometimes I have to do a quick search for a professor change to ease my worries. 

It’s not the end of the world to take a class in later semesters. It’s also not the end of the world to admit when a class is too much of a course load for you right now on top of other responsibilities. It is difficult as adults to juggle both work and classes, as well as various other things we may be in such as clubs and manage time with our friends. Sometimes we just need to quit while we’re ahead.

Helena  is a sophomore psychology major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or

heedwards@eiu.edu