Withdrawing From College: Everything You Need to Know
Most students believe that they should leave campus as quickly as possible after making the difficult decision to withdraw from school. However, this should not be the case because leaving too soon may cause you to overlook certain critical procedures, which can be costly and detrimental later on. What can you do today to guarantee that all grounds are covered? You must manage this decision correctly if you want to avoid issues in the future.
Step 1: Consult with your Academic Advisor.
Your academic adviser is the first person you should meet with. Yes, sending an email is more convenient, but a decision this important necessitates an in-person discussion. Will it be humiliating? Probably. However, sitting down with your adviser for at least 20 minutes and discussing your options might spare you from a lifetime of regrets. To avoid making mistakes, discuss your ideas with your adviser and allow him to guide you through the entire procedure.
Step 2 – Consult with the Financial Aid Officer.
Your official withdrawal date will almost certainly have a significant impact on your finances. If you leave early in the semester, for example, you may be forced to repay all of the loans you obtained to meet your school expenditures in full or in part. You may also be required to return any grants or scholarships you earned for your education.
If you depart later in the semester, the impact of your withdrawal date on your finances may be different. So, communicating with someone in the financial assistance office about your strategy is a really wise decision that will help you save money in the long run. Meeting with your financial aid officer will help you understand how your projected withdrawal date may affect the money you’ve paid in school or the loans you’ve received thus far. He or she will advise you when you are required to begin repaying debts from past semesters.
Step 3: Speak with the Registrar
Aside from speaking with other school authorities, you may be required to provide an official letter detailing your reasons for withdrawing and the date of your withdrawal. To make your withdrawal official, you may also need to fill out additional documentation at the registrar’s office.
Transcripts are normally kept in the registrar’s office, so you should confirm your records so that you don’t have any problems receiving copies of your transcripts and papers in the future. You may need your transcript when applying for a job or returning to school, and you don’t want it to show that you failed your classes because you couldn’t fill out your papers correctly.
Step 4: Contact the Housing Office
If you are a learner who is staying on campus, the housing staff must be informed of your intention to withdraw. There, you will be informed of the semester’s final fee decision as well as the cost of cleaning out your room and preparing it for another learner. The housing office will also provide you with the formal deadline for quitting the room.
Check that you have the correct name of the person to whom you are returning your keys and that you are given a receipt to confirm that you handed up your room with the keys. All of this must be done if you do not want to be paid for a locksmith just because you provided the keys to the wrong person.
Step 5: Contact the Alumni Office.
To be considered an alumnus of a certain university, you do not have to have graduated from that institution. If you are a student at any institution, you are eligible for all alumni benefits. As a result, stopping by the alumni office to introduce oneself before departing is a wise decision.
When you arrive, leave a forwarding address and obtain all of the information you want concerning alumni perks. Some of these advantages include reduced health insurance premiums and job placement assistance. You may not have graduated from the institution, but you are still a part of the community and should be kept up to speed on how the school may assist you in achieving your goals.