Do you remember the “drop date” from college? This was the
date by which you could drop a class without it negatively affecting your
transcripts or GPA. If you were struggling in a class or getting a grade you
weren’t happy with, you could quit that course, and have it wiped from your record.
If I recall, this date was generally about two-thirds of the way through the
semester, allowing a student to get through a couple of mid-terms before ultimately
committing to the class.
This “drop date” became a very important event as students
would scrutinize their class schedule and try to determine which classes to keep
and which ones were dead weight they could cut to save their GPA. Dropping a
class late in the semester became a very popular way to salvage grades despite
carrying a D or F up to that point. This was seen as a very low-risk way to
attempt a challenging class: if it gets to be too difficult, just cut the class
before the Drop Date. The student forfeited their tuition money along with a
couple months of course work but rescued their precious GPA from being pulled
down by a “bad” grade.
In this process, many students get trained to quit. Not only
do they learn to give up, but also become acclimated to beginning a challenge
with an escape route already in place. “If I get in over my head, or if I don’t
feel like putting in the extra work, I can just drop.” What a horrible lesson
to learn as a young adult!!!
Sadly, you don’t have to look far too see this mindset in
action. People have become accustomed to “dropping” far more than just classes
when things become difficult. Folks are so quick to give up on jobs, diets,
relationships, ideas, and even dreams. Quite tragically, many have made
quitting a habit.
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