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It's basically the end of the semester. I was going through the motions the whole time. Withdrawal period has clearly gone. I sent an email that I'm withdrawing from the whole program.. what exactly happens now? Are my grades all F's? Do I even have a transcript? I paid all of my fall semester tuition. I'm not expecting my money back. Knowing it's too late.. just want to know about the transcript or is it not even on record?

Ben Johnsom
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    Have you tried asking your university? – J W Dec 16 '16 at 07:51
  • I sent them an email today after hours though.. so I won't know until the morning.. just hoping someone has had a similar situation. – Ben Johnsom Dec 16 '16 at 07:53
  • I'm sorry about your situation. In all likelihood a search of your university website will provide exactly the answers you're looking for specific to your institution. – G. Bahr Dec 16 '16 at 15:07
  • Yes, I have experience negotiating a graceful withdrawal for a young man in my town who landed in jail three-quarters through his semester. In his case, he was an undergrad, but anyone can make a mistake, at any level of study. I spoke with the dean, who outlined a letter. I visited the young man in jail and helped him write the letter. His transcript just showed a series of Ws instead of Fs. This way, he can go back to school someday and make a fresh start, if he wants to. – aparente001 Dec 17 '16 at 06:23

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At least in the US, the usual rules are that after the withdrawal period dropping out simply results in Fs unless some special agreement is made. It's possible you could ask the school to grant an administrative withdrawal (or some equivalent) as you are dropping out entirely and do not want any grades or credit, which they could conceivably grant (but aren't required to). School policy on refunds might be that you aren't entitled to any after the withdraw date, or that you could actually be owed some percentage (though if you are withdrawing in the very last week or so then probably not).

I've known people who did this with undergrad and had to deal with the result to their GPA years later when their situations had changed, so I would strongly advise you - if it is remotely possible at all - to deal with the added difficulty and meet with a proper administrator and follow procedure to withdraw from the program entirely.

Anyone in a similar situation - including you - might also consider, if they are at the very end of the semester, if they could just finish going through the motions and end the semester if early withdrawal is not possible. In short: leave yourself in the best position not to burn bridges, because life can change drastically over a few years. The few minutes you saved in not following through can result in some incredibly annoying results later on.

Take a deep breath, tidy up the lose ends (holding your nose where necessary), and then go on to the next chapter of your life with as much closure and minimized baggage as you can.

BrianH
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