Students make their way into the Traditions at Scott dining hall. Credit: Lantern File Photo
By the middle of the fall semester of her second year, Mary-Kate Wichmann found herself spending late nights hunched over notes that did not make sense.
The Morrill Scholar in neuroscience had been struggling in her required course for weeks, but dropping them presented new challenges.
Her credit hours were tied to her scholarship and dropping the class meant the possibility of losing that aid, compromising her chance at a college diploma.
Students who rely on financial support face unexpected challenges when deciding to drop a course, often weighing a failing or GPA-dropping grade against the fiscal realities college brings.
“If I hit 11 credit hours, I got nervous that I would be held financially responsible,” Wichmann said. “Morrill pays as long as I’m a full-time student.”
Amy Wheeler, the assistant vice provost for student financial success, said any changes in enrollment could potentially impact a student’s financial aid or scholarship.
The university’s financial aid website also notes that most aid depends on enrolled credit hours.
But after missing the drop deadline and having her withdrawal petition denied, Wichmann said she felt her only option was to finish the course and later use grade forgiveness.
Despite the failed course, she was able to redirect her degree pathway — but not without a cost.
“I knew I could take it again because I had the ability to with the Morrill scholarship, but the only financial burden then was realizing I was off track being pre-med,” Wichmann said.
Wichmann said that retaking the course in the spring meant she had to enroll in a summer course close to home. It was the only option to stay on the pathway for her major, which caused an unprepared financial burden.
“The only one I could find was through a private school, which ran me $3,000,” Wichmann said.
Robert Decatur, the director of the Morrill Scholarship Program, said the scholarship is given to students dedicated to enhancing scholarship, leadership, service and civic engagement.
Having three categories of eligibility — distinction, prominence and excellence — each type pays for the student’s entire tuition as long as they are a full-time student and maintain a 3.0 GPA.
“We constantly remind them that they must have a full-time status and if they fall below, we encourage them to come see their success coaches,” Decatur said. “They have to come up with a plan to get that enrollment at or above the 12-credit hours.”
Decatur said if they cannot raise the enrollment status, the scholarship is then placed on hold until the student is considered full-time again.
This policy is not unique to the Morrill Scholarship Program.
Decatur said many of the merit-based scholarship programs at Ohio State follow the same guidelines for full-time enrollment and the financial impacts that come with dropping or withdrawing from a course.
To avoid these financial burdens, Wheeler said that the university encourages students to be proactive when talking with academic advisors about enrollment changes.
Similarly, Decatur said the Morrill Scholarship Program provides a steady support system for students to lean on when dealing with academic challenges and hopes scholars will use it early when struggling.
However, Wichmann said she wished there were more education on class dropping and how it impacts aid through advising appointments.
“Advisors could be more encouraging of dropping than just staying in the class because of the money,” Wichmann said. “I wish there was less stigma around dropping or retaking a class again — a lot of people have to do it, but nobody talks about it.”