The University community is really an academic bubble: We're all so engrossed in our own studies, activities and little clusters of friends that we rarely consider what is going on outside in the "real world." At our age, we tend to think that we are the centers of the universe, so if things begin to go awry, it literally feels like the Earth has stopped revolving around the sun. This is why, last semester, I popped the bubble. I made the drastic decision to withdraw from the University.
Making the decision to leave the University mid-semester was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made -- I was pausing life as I knew it. My doctor at home and my Association Dean Gordon Stewart helped me secure an official medical leave of absence and I went home.
Taking the Plunge
George Stovall, director of institutional assessment and studies, said 119 people withdrew from the University in the fall of 2006. Of those, he said 51 left for medical reasons.
Meeting with an association dean is the first step in officially withdrawing from the University.
"The process is a voluntary one, when a student decides that the primary business of education is being impeded," Stewart said. "It is when something is getting in the way."
Still, Stewart said there are steps students can take short of leaving the University altogether. He said it is possible to reduce a course load or even to request a grade of Incomplete in classes. If a professor does grant a student an Incomplete, the student has four weeks after the end of the exam period to complete the coursework for a final grade.
My family and doctor helped me determine that I needed to be at home, so I took the extreme measure of medically withdrawing. In formal University terms, it was an official termination of enrollment.
Stewart noted that students have come to him to withdraw for a wide range of reasons: health issues, deaths in the family, family crises and even romantic reasons.
"Students fall head over heels in love and students join rock-and-roll bands that go on tour," Stewart said.
If a student withdraws for physician-approved medical reasons, the student's transcript shows that he or she was on medical withdrawal. For other personal reasons, it is considered a withdrawal.
Stewart assured me that the Ws on my transcript would not be detrimental to my future pursuit of success.
"Students can't always plan their crises accordingly," Stewart said.
When students come to Stewart seeking withdrawals, he said he doesn't ask any deeply personal questions or try to talk students out of leaving.
"You're the one who talks to your family and your physician," Stewart said.
I medically withdrew because my psychological health was lacking. As clichéd as it sounds, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I felt lonely when I was by myself but then I just wanted to be alone when my friends rallied around me. I certainly could not perform academically or contribute to the organizations to which I had once been a strong asset.
I severed myself from the Academical Village before I deteriorated any more.
Getting Well
We're big kids here at the University; when it comes down to it, we have to know what is best for us. I echo Stewart's sentiment -- "To suffer in silence is most unfortunate for students."
Once withdrawn, a student does whatever he or she needs to do to get back on track and to ameliorate the problems that became distractions to his or her educational experience. Whether for financial or medical reasons, a student takes the time off to heal and deal.
"Something goes amiss, and then there is stabilization and restoration," Stewart said. "Then a student has the readiness to return and there is re-entry to the University."
No matter when a student leaves, it is guaranteed that he or she will be able to re-enter the University at some point.
"We accept you with the notion you will graduate," Stewart said. "There is no mystery as to whether or not you can come back."
Back in the Game
Once students are ready to come back, they rejoin the University community.
As long as a student withdraws more than 10 days before the final exam period starts, he or she can come back as a full-time student the next semester. If a student withdraws within 10 days of the start of final exams, then the administration requires the student to take the next full semester to recover.
"Our conclusion in that case is that students need to address whatever distracted them so late in the semester," Stewart said.
The same policies apply to all undergraduate schools at the University, according to a representative of the Office of the Dean of the Engineering School.
Personal Triumph
Stewart said it is important to know that there are a variety of resources students can use to keep themselves healthy in a learning environment.
"There are people in Counseling and Psychological Services for students and there are association deans," Stewart said. "The important thing is for someone to know what is going on."
Since I was on medical leave, my doctor at home had to submit certain forms to CAPS, which approved my health clearance. Now I'm back in the game, healthier than ever.
In retrospect, officially withdrawing from the University was the best decision I have ever made for myself. My transcript full of Ws is worth every act of self-improvement I made during my time away. I withdrew mid-semester and I returned as my old, vibrant self this spring.
In my time of what Stewart calls "stabilization and restoration," I sought medical attention and I worked in administration at my dad's telecommunications company. It made me realize what an important goal a college degree is to me and how vital it is to learn how to healthfully approach adversity. Most importantly, I learned that the world does not revolve around me. Ironically, taking time off for myself made me realize that I'm not the center of the universe.
Part of the educational experience is overcoming problems, and I came back to school with a useful set of coping skills.
Sometimes, a student has no choice but to pop the bubble. And now that I'm back, I don't feel so trapped.
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