Dear Professor, your class is kicking my ass

May 17, 2008 2:17 PM

Should I tell my professor why I'm dropping his class, or just not say anything?

I'm doing summer school at my university. It's a five-week period where you can take one or two classes at an accelerated pace. I'm taking two classes, but I think I'm about to drop one of them, newswriting. I need it for my major, but this particular class is kicking my ass, for a variety of reasons.

The pace is killing me- it's three times faster than normal. It's also online, and so all of the instruction is through reading and not lecturing, and I don't learn as well that way. I also found out that this particular professor grades much more harshly than many other professors who teach the class.

I plan to drop it and take it next semester, and I want to know if I should bother sending the professor an email with the first two reasons (pace and the fact that it's online).

Pros: It's a small department; if I have the professor again, he might remember me, and sending the email could make me look like less of a flake. He's also been very helpful to me so far in the class (although not so helpful that I want to keep taking it), and I feel like it might be rude to drop off the radar with no explanation.

Cons: He might not remember me dropping the class at all if I don't send an email, but if I do send one, he's more likely to. And he might interpret my explanations as bullshit and remember me as "girl who made up dumb excuses because she couldn't hack it." Do I really want to make this incident stick out in his mind if I don't need to?

It probably isn't a huge deal either way, but I'd like to know what the protocol is here.

posted by showbiz_liz to human relations (23 comments total)

I doubt he's going to remember someone who took an online summer class and dropped after a few weeks, email or no. I don't think profs take it personally when people drop their classes.
posted by delmoi at 2:24 PM on May 17

Honestly, I bet he doesn't care either way. Especially since it's completely online. He works for your school, and he shouldn't be judging you for dropping the class for reasons unknown to him.

If there's any teamwork going on, you might want to let your teammates know what's up. That's the only reason I can think of for telling anyone.
posted by pete0r at 2:25 PM on May 17

I have taught writing for many years, both on-line and in person. I've had a number of students over the years repeat my class after failing it, or dropping it, previously. If they failed, we usually sit down to talk at the beginning of the new semester about how to approach the semester's work, in the hope of avoiding another failure. If they dropped, they take it again without prejudice. Life happens. I'd way rather have a student drop a class that's moving too fast or that is conflicting with other responsibilities that continue and fail. I always appreciated a student dropping me a note rather than just disappearing.

It's also true that some students prefer face-to-face to online, and vice versa. Teachers know this. I'd be surprised if many would think, "oh, that girl with the dumb excuses!" "Took on too big a load," "find I would prefer face-to-face," "find I would prefer a slower-paced full-semester course," are all completely valid reasons for dropping a class.

But you also don't have to give reasons or excuses if you don't want to. You can just drop an e-mail saying, "Dear professor X, I just wanted to let you know that this class isn't working out for me this summer, and I'll be dropping. Thanks for your help. Take care, Liz."
posted by not that girl at 2:36 PM on May 17 [2 favorites]

Summer classes are weird like that. And for that matter, so are online classes. If the class is totally online then there is less of a chance for the professor to remember you with any negative connotation (no face to go with the name).

Here's the big thing, have you gotten far enough into the class where you will need the professor to sign (or email in this case I guess) anything so that you are able to drop the class? If so, then I might put the reasons in there along with the fact that you're planning on taking it in the fall. But If you can drop the class all by yourself, I'd just drop and forget. But keep the materials, they could prove to be very useful.

Just for the record, dropping because the professor grades harder is bullshit. But the fact that the pace is way too fast for you in this abbreviated class time and that online learning doesn't work for you more than makes up for that.
posted by theichibun at 2:41 PM on May 17

Speaking (posting) both as a prof and as a person, I think the polite thing to do is to email with a brief explanation, sort of what not that girl says at the end of her comment.
posted by Rain Man at 3:00 PM on May 17

I dropped a class last semester because it turned out to require a ton of group work outside of class hours (I have a more-than-full-time job in my field of interest, so that wasn't going to work out). In my case, telling the prof "I have other committments that wouldn't allow me to devote my time to the course" worked out fine.

You're not required to confess your shortcomings when dealing with a professor. They're paid instructors, not parents or pals.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 3:06 PM on May 17

I am a professor. I wouldn't care either way. If you take a class with them later, you can mention your reasons then and say you are glad you now have the chance to take it under less hurried circumstances. In all honestly, the professor probably gets paid the same if you are there or not, and will have less grading to do if you are gone, so dropping is a net benefit as far as the prof is concerned. He or she will not take it personally.
posted by procrastination at 3:21 PM on May 17

I doubt he's going to remember someone who took an online summer class and dropped after a few weeks, email or no. I don't think profs take it personally when people drop their classes.

Once when I dropped a class once, my advisor, who had been a professor or instructor in the past, encouraged me to let my prof know why, so that the prof would not wonder if it was his teaching style, or that I personally disliked him or the like. I'm sure every professor has had their share of students drop classes with no apparent warning or reason, and probably don't lose any sleep over it. But in that position, I would probably appreciate being told why, rather than wonder if I could do something to prevent a few others from dropping my classes in the future.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 3:33 PM on May 17

Pros: It's a small department; if I have the professor again, he might remember me, and sending the email could make me look like less of a flake. He's also been very helpful to me so far in the class (although not so helpful that I want to keep taking it), and I feel like it might be rude to drop off the radar with no explanation.

That's a lot of pros for an e-mail that will take you two minutes to write. It reflects positively on you to identify the summer-course pace as the problem -- I don't think you need to worry that he'll consider this a lame excuse.
posted by desuetude at 3:48 PM on May 17 [1 favorite]

I'm rather grateful when a student lets me know that they are dropping my class (since I won't find out for weeks otherwise because of how the registrar works), but it's certainly the student's prerogative. It doesn't really matter why a student is dropping - not having enough time for the class and not working well with the mode that it is presented in (e.g. online) are both completely legitimate reasons for opting out.
posted by mrmojoflying at 3:48 PM on May 17

It's online; I wouldn't let the professor know.

For a small class or lecture, I think a brief and polite e-mail is a good idea. For a large or online class I don't see the necessity.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:52 PM on May 17

Er - that being said, it definitely wouldn't hurt. I just wouldn't feel obligated.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:53 PM on May 17

He's also been very helpful to me so far in the class

This would push me towards sending the email, if only to acknowledge and thank him for the extra effort he has put in for you. Something to the effect of "sorry, I have to drop the class this summer, but I really appreciate the time you've put in to helping me understand the fundamentals. what I learned will help me in this class when I can take it in 2009, and in the classes I take between now and then."
posted by whatzit at 4:33 PM on May 17 [1 favorite]

I don't think he'd fault you for sending a short email saying you think you would rather take this particular class in person.
posted by xammerboy at 4:36 PM on May 17

Another professor here. Some students send notes, some don't; either way, your prof won't object, be insulted, or necessarily remember you a semester or two down the road. (Personally, I'm much more likely to remember the students who don't bother to drop the course but never show up to class.)
posted by thomas j wise at 6:49 PM on May 17

If there is any possibility that you will interact with this department again, a polite e-mail will suffice. Depending on the professor, the e-mail will either get deleted or might take some interest in you.

If you are never going to see this professor again, whether it is for classes or while you are looking for someone to write a letter of recommendation, and this professor is not anywhere near you area of study, there's not need.


Based on my experience as a teaching assistant, I liked when students came to me during office hours and told me in person. I did not think any less of them, but it is good to interact with a student outside the classroom.
posted by toaster at 6:54 PM on May 17

You can send an email without "making an excuse." Just say that you won't be able to continue with the class this summer and you look forward to taking it later.
posted by winston at 6:58 PM on May 17

Unless your prof is crazy, it won't make any difference to future encounters whether you offer an explanation or not. Do whatever makes you comfortable.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:38 PM on May 17

if I have the professor again, he might remember me, and sending the email could make me look like less of a flake.

Dropping a class isn't really that flaky of a thing to do, especially relative to some other things undergraduate students commonly do, and I wish more students were aware of the option and how it works. (For that matter, I wish it was a process that I had actually understand when I was a freshman.) Flaky, for instance, would be showing up for the first few weeks of class and then dropping out of the picture without dropping the class. Or doing half the homework assignments when the syllabus clearly stated you will fail if you do less than 2/3 or some set amount. Or trying to turn in half the homework assignments in the last class. Dropping a class, from the perspective of the instructor, is often a very reasonable option, and I think many professors would prefer you do this than do poorly, or fail.

Also, if you give a reason, unless it is really defensive, it probably won't be interpreted as an excuse. Professors hear lots of excuses about things that students really shouldn't have done, like not turning in assignments, and dropping a class is not in that category. It is working within the system, in fact. If you have interacted with the professor a fair amount it might be a good idea to give a reason. Otherwise, I think it would be entirely up to you. Something as vague as "the accelerated pace isn't working for me in combination with other things I'm doing right now" would be perfectly reasonable. A lot of students don't realize what the pace of a summer class can be, especially in combination with full time jobs that they often have then. One reason the professor will understand is that teaching a summer class is a lot more work for them, too, relative to the normal semester/quarter.
posted by advil at 10:37 PM on May 17

I've been an online teaching assistant at a university. When my students dropped, I would have appreciated a note. I spent a whole afternoon being sad once because a student dropped the very day after he'd gotten a paper back from me with some criticism. I was afraid I'd discouraged him FOREVER.

It sounds like you have a good reason which is also a good academic reason. It would be nice to just drop the professor a line.
posted by winna at 11:24 PM on May 17

I'm a professor. I would appreciate an email from any student dropping the class, especially if I committed extra one-on-one time to them, and ESPECIALLY if they were going to take the class again. Even online, you have no idea whether the prof will remember you. I would--only one or two people drop my classes each semester and I have to approve the drop, so I remember their names.
posted by underwater at 8:35 AM on May 18

Advice from a college student who's in communication with profs regularly here: Just e-mail him and tell him why you're dropping- ESPECIALLY if you're going to take it again. I doubt he'll care or peg you a certain way. If anything, he'll peg you more positively if you send an explanation e-mail than if you don't. He sounds like just a regular, nice professor. When I opened this post I was assuming the prof was known to be a jerk or that your reasons for dropping the class were because of your professor. This really isn't a big deal. Just e-mail him.
posted by bobdylanforever at 8:51 AM on May 18

I'm a professor, and I don't care whether students e-mail me when they drop the class. If you dropped and showed up again later I'd be happy to see you, knowing it wasn't me you disliked. Either way I wouldn't give more than a second's thought one way or another. If anything, I'd get more sleep because I'd have less grading and fewer e-mails to answer!

I understand the impulse to explain one's circumstances. I struggled with this urge for a long time myself. But remember that your relationship is a professional one-- not personal or social, and emotions or information about your personal life need not enter the picture.

If you do send an e-mail, I suggest winston's model above-- polite and without any excuses. I think it's important to learn in college how to do communicate politely without going into "tmi" territory.

And by all means, if this professor has given you a lot of outside help, let him know you appreciate it.
posted by vincele at 5:02 PM on May 18