Usually, most students feel they should just leave the campus as soon as they can, immediately, they have made the final and tough decision to withdraw from school. However, this might cause you to neglect some essential steps, which can be expensive and damaging later. The question now is, what can you do to ensure that all of the steps have been covered? You have to handle this decision in the right way if you must protect yourself from complications in the future.
Step 1 – Speak to your Academic Advisor
The first person you need to meet is your academic advisor. Yes, it is easier to send an email across, but a decision as serious as this requires an in-person conversation. Will it be embarrassing? Probably. But facing your advisor for at least 20 minutes and talking about your decision could save you from a lifetime of regrets.
Step 2 – Speak with the Financial Aid Officer
Most likely, your official withdrawal date can a severe effect on your finances. For instance, you may be required to begin repayment of all your loans if you leave. Also, you might have to repay any grants or scholarship funds you received for schooling.
So, speaking to someone in the financial aid office about your plan is a brilliant decision that will eventually help you save money. Meeting with your financial aid officer will help you to understand how your proposed withdrawal date will affect the money you have paid the school or the loans you have received so far. He/she will tell you when you are expected to start loan repayments.
Step 3 – Talk to the Registrar
Apart from talking to other school administrators, you might need to submit an official letter stating your reasons for withdrawing and your withdrawal date. You might also need to complete some paperwork at the registrar’s office to make your withdrawal official.
Your transcripts are usually held in the registrar’s office, so you will want to confirm your academic records so you won’t encounter any issue getting copies of your transcripts and documents in the future. You may need your transcript when applying for a job or when you want to return to school, and you don’t want them to reflect inaccurate information.
Step 4 – Speak to the Housing Office
For a student staying on campus, the residence life has to know about your plans to withdraw. The official deadline for vacating the room will be given to you by the housing office.
Ensure that you get the name of the person you are returning your keys to and ensure that you are given a receipt to prove that you handed over your room keys. You need to do all of this if you don’t want to be charged for a locksmith just because you gave the keys to the wrong person.
Step 5 – Talk to the Alumni Office
To be regarded as an alumnus of an institution doesn’t necessarily mean you have to graduate there. Once you are a student in any school, you are entitled to all the alumni benefits. So, visiting the alumni office to introduce yourself before leaving is a smart decision.
When you get there, drop a forwarding address, and get all the information you need about alumni benefits. Some of these benefits are; discounted health insurance rates and job placement services. You might not have graduated from the institution, but you are still a member of the community, and you should be updated about how the school can help you achieve your dreams.
