The rush to drop classes has begun.

With the fall semester underway, minds are changing. Some students are realizing the classes they signed up for earlier this year are no longer what they desire to commit their time to.

The process of dropping classes is far from complicated, but if it is not dealt with in a timely and logical manner, it can present problems with a student’s schedule.

The final day to drop classes is Friday.

NIU’s WebConnect system is the best way to drop an unwanted course, said NIU academic adviser Steven Barleen. “From the time you register through the first five days, WebConnect can add or drop classes. You don’t need to see your adviser, but you should if you make any schedule changes,” Barleen said.

Students who register for classes late are less likely to find available spots.

Furthermore, entering classes late means missing out on material previously covered in the course, he said.

“Be careful with late adding. The later you add, the more class you miss,” Barleen said.

Some students go through the first two weeks of a class before deciding they want to drop it. After that, students are no longer able to drop a class, and it becomes a withdrawal. Unlike dropped courses, withdrawals are permanently recorded on a student’s transcript and an academic adviser must be contacted.

When a student withdraws from a course, a “W” appears on the student’s report card.

“I don’t think [withdrawing] is a big deal; I’ve never heard of employers saying ‘I’m not going to hire you. You have too many ‘W’s,'” Barleen said.

Although withdrawing from a class does not negatively impact a student’s GPA, they should be used wisely, he said.

“Students have a limited number of hours from which they can withdraw,” Barleen said.

Students who begin at NIU as freshmen are automatically delegated seventeen withdrawal hours. The hours differ for transfer students and depend on how many credits they came to NIU with.