This document provides information for Georgia Tech students who are having academic difficulties due to hardships (e.g., life events, psychiatric symptoms) after the deadlines to withdraw from courses without penalty (see the Georgia Tech Academic Calendar for information about these deadlines).  It includes:  (1) a primer on Georgia Tech's academic policies, and (2) my personal policy regarding requests for letters to accompany a petition for a late withdrawal.

An overview of possible options

There are essentially three options for dealing with academic hardship:

(1) Attempting to complete the semester the best one can.  (Freshmen should see the grade substitution policy in the Georgia Tech Catalog Section V.C). 

(2) Negotiating with one’s professor(s) for an incomplete grade in the course(s).  Incompletes allow the student time after the end of the course to complete unfinished work and to receive a letter grade for the course.  According to Catalog Section V.A.3:  Incompletes may be “assigned when a student was doing satisfactory work, but for nonacademic reasons beyond his/her control and deemed acceptable by the instructor, was unable to meet the full requirements of the course.” See Catalog Section VII.B.1 regarding deadlines for removing incomplete grades.  I recommend that students compose a letter (or email) to the professor that succinctly explains why they are asking for an incomplete and arrange to meet in person with the professor (e.g., during office hours) to discuss the request.

(3) Petitioning the appropriate university curriculum committee (undergraduate or graduate) for a late withdrawal (which, if granted, would result in a grade of “W”). Georgia Tech’s rules regarding withdrawals are contained in Sections VIII.A and V.A.3 of the Catalog. There are two types of late withdrawals:

   A. A late withdrawal from the term (i.e., all classes). 

   B. A late selective course withdrawal.

A petition is a written statement in which the student is to describe the nature of the hardship, how it impaired their ability to function as a student, and the reason they were unable to withdraw by the deadline.  The Georgia Tech Registrar’s website provides detailed information regarding the submission of petitions, including specific guidelines and the required “Petition to Faculty Form.”  Students are to return the completed form to the Registrar by the deadline (at least 5 days before the posted meeting date for the curriculum committee). 

Withdrawals due to medical (including psychiatric) reasons

The guidelines on the Registrar’s website state that “in the case of withdrawal due to medical reasons, students must provide written documentation from a physician (or mental health professional) indicating that the ailment existed, that the ailment was in fact during the semester being petitioned, and that the ailment prevented the student from either attending class or being able to properly prepare for assignments or examinations for an extended period of time.”  For late selective course withdrawals “there must be documented evidence that the ailment affected only the single class being petitioned, and not other classes. An example might be a class where attendance was mandatory and counted for a large part of the grade. The student could show that he was able to obtain lecture notes and take exams while disabled and therefore was able to do well in all classes excepting the one with required attendance.”

Requirements to sit out for one term

Section VIII.A.1 of the Catalog says “With the exception of part-time graduate students, students who withdraw from school and receive all grades of W will not ordinarily be permitted to re-enroll the next succeeding term.  Before the student is allowed to re-enroll, the Registrar requires documentation from a mental health professional that the student is capable of adequately functioning as a student. 

Requirements to apply for readmission

Section VII.B.1 of the Catalog says “Any student who is not enrolled for two or more consecutive terms must apply for readmission.” There is no distinction between the terms of the regular academic year and the summer term.

My policy on writing letters providing documentation of psychiatric disability

The curriculum committee guidelines require that a mental health professional’s letter provide documentation “that the ailment existed, that the ailment was in fact during the semester being petitioned, and that the ailment prevented the student from either attending class or being able to properly prepare for assignments or examinations for an extended period of time.”

I can only write a letter if I believe I have sufficient information to determine the nature, duration, and severity of the ailment, the specific ways in which it may have impaired the student's academic functioning, and the reason the student was unable to withdraw from courses prior to the deadline. If I have only known a student for a short period of time, the information I have will be limited.

The curriculum committee requires that any letter I write should include, at a minimum, the following information:

1. The date the letter was prepared.

2. The name and education level or title of the mental health professional.

3. A chronological list of the student’s visits to that professional.

4. A statement indicating the diagnosis or other information that provides evidence of the student’s condition.

5. A statement specifying how the diagnosis was determined.

6. A statement indicating to what extent the diagnosed condition affected the student’s ability to meet the academic standards of Georgia Tech in the course(s) or during the semester(s) covered by the petition.

7. 7.A statement indicating whether the student is presently being treated and for how long the treatment is expected to continue.
   

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Disclaimers:  Please see my disclaimers regarding the information provided on this website, the links to external information, and my lists of possible referrals.

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Last updated 02.07.11

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