Effective this semester, due to a decision from the UNC Board of Governors in spring 2013, is a 10-day drop policy, meaning students will have until September 3 to decide whether to drop any dubious courses.

An easy criticism arises that students cannot always accurately gauge how challenging a class or a certain number of credit hours will be in such a short amount of time. The criticism goes hand-in-hand with the fear that grades will drop, which reflects poorly on both students and teachers.

“I feel that the 10-day drop date is much too short, and will, in all likelihood, increase the failure rate of our students,” Sandra Paur, associate professor of mathematics, wrote in an email to the Technician.

Of course, students are allowed to drop up to 16 hours of withdrawals, which are courses dropped after the designated drop date and show up on transcripts as glaring W’s.

Wanda Ramm, professor of English, said in an email that she modified her course slightly as to better help students determine whether her class is an appropriate fit for them.

“Since I will have graded only the first project, I will meet with students who have concerns before the drop date,” Ramm said. “My hope is to find a way to still have a strong semester and not harm students.”

Other professors, such as Chad Ludington, associate professor of history, have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, considering the newness of the policy.

True, it is difficult to gauge what the new policy will mean for students, but there are actions that we can take.

The Technician editorial board encourages students to be more proactive than ever when selecting their classes this semester. 

With the drop period’s lasting only 10 days, many professors will not be able to provide adequate feedback, but students who attend office hours and take the time to become more familiar with the course material and syllabi ahead of time are more likely to be aware if they are prepared for the class and will be able to make more informed decisions. 

Though this policy will have significant drawbacks for all students who may have bitten off more than they can chew, it may be especially detrimental for first-year students, who are not used to the rigor of an academic environment on a collegiate level and will not have the experience to make prudent decisions until they are knee-deep in the semester.

There isn’t much we as students can do right now, but we hope the Board of Governors will take student considerations more heavily into account for future decisions.