One class always plagues students and requires more energy and work than they had in mind.Should you go into overdrive to pass the class or withdraw and risk getting a W on your transcript?Students have six days after enrolling in a class to drop a class without receiving a W.This semester the final date for dropping a class and receiving a W is Nov. 7, and with mid-semester grades being due, students should be mindful of the consequences of withdrawing from a class.The University implemented a policy in fall 2006 restricting the number of times a student can withdraw from classes per year. Undergraduates with more than 29 hours are allotted one W per year while those with less than 29 hours have three available W’s.Withdrawing from a class should be a last resort for students. GPAs are not directly affected by the addition of a W to a student’s transcript, but having “an excessive number reflects negatively on a student’s record and involves substantial cost by way of tuition, books, room and board and lost opportunities,” according to the 2008 LSU General Catalog. Although W’s don’t directly affect grades, having too many can put a damper on a student’s future, especially those looking to apply to medical school, graduate school or searching for their first job. The amount of W’s on your transcript displays whether you could handle those hard classes or just dropped them. Also, withdrawing from classes can push a student’s graduation date back if he or she doesn’t get the necessary amount of hours completed per semester.We’re in college. We have to freedom to make decisions on our own, especially those involving our academic success. And should be are responsible enough to know the hard classes we schedule are going to require more work and studying.When contemplating dropping that difficult class and risk getting a W, ask yourself: Am I doing this to be responsible or am I just being lazy? Is it possible to follow through with this class, or are you taking the easy way out?Plan accordingly. Know what you’re getting yourself into when you schedule. Don’t let your future be disrupted because of some W’s on your transcript.—-Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]