Often, when students feel that a class is a little hard, a little boring, or they're not exactly "compatible" with the professor, they drop it. But starting this semester, students will have to give each dropped course careful consideration.           

With the adoption of the Texas Senate Bill 1231 this summer, "an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education." In other words, a student may not drop more than six classes throughout his or her college career, regardless of how many schools he or she attends. After the sixth drop, the student must remain in the class regardless of the grade. The law applies to freshmen who enrolled in the fall of 2007 and any future freshmen.

The Collin College administrative staff is working out the details of how this law applies to students here and expects to have more information around the end of April.

Darby Ludwigs, a freshman who enrolled this fall says she thinks Bill 1231 is a law with good intentions but one which will hamper students who want to explore career opportunities. Ludwigs, who dropped four classes in the fall semester to pursue medical training, is glad the bill's effects were not in place last semester.

"I did think I would be coming back [to Collin College] at some point to further my career," Ludwigs said. "If it had affected me, I probably would have stayed because I wasn't doing badly in my classes."

Ludwigs also looked at the law on a more global basis, saying that it might hamper the futures of this and upcoming students' careers and even personal lives.

"People aren't going to be educationally adventurous," she said. "It's hard to find your passion in life. We don't want to have teachers who choose that job just because it's a safe job. We should have people who are passionate about it. If more people were adventurous, they would be more happy and successful in their careers and in life, too."

Collin College and many area colleges will begin applying the rule in the fall 2008 semester. According to Carie Dippel, assistant director of Academic Advising and Student Success, "We need to make sure that all the students are informed before we start implementing the law."

In working to get students aware, the college will be sending out e-mails and post cards to those students who are affected by the law in the near future.
 

As Bill 1231 primarily targets new college students, informing high school students becomes more important Dippel and Ludwigs said.

"There should be more standards in high school for students who are not showing up to class or failing, including more intense student-teacher discussions," Ludwigs, a 2007 Plano East graduate, said. "Also, there need to be more career classes, so students might start to choose a career path before entering college."

Daniel Sama is a student both new to Collin and to the country, transferring here from France. Sama is 16 years old and is currently taking developmental classes for English until May before starting his general education. Sama believes that adopting Bill 1231 was a good decision.

"What I'm planning to do is major in business, once I get over the developmental classes," Sama said. "I think it's a good idea because it makes people more responsible. I'd rather choose my classes wisely. Most people try classes and drop because it's too hard or boring, but it's better to choose carefully."

Sama, who entered school at a young age, feels that students should get a good idea of their career during high school and have a good plan for college before starting.

Some students to whom the law is not applicable are unsure about how this law would have affected their careers. Biju Mathai is currently enrolled for two classes at Collin College. While Mathai says she did fairly well in school academically, she thinks it would have been interesting to see the average number of people who dropped before and after the change. She agrees with Ludwigs that the law takes away from the student's ability to experiment.

"If I had more time, I might have liked to dabble in different subjects and see if there was something else out there that I'm a little more interested in," she said. "But it might encourage some people to do better in their classes."

There are a few exceptions to the law, which include dropping a course due to a death in the family or "a severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student's ability to satisfactorily complete a course."

For more information, contact Stephanie Meinhardt at smeinhardt@ccccd.edu.