SEAS Just Wants to Have Fun

Undergraduates are struggling through midterms this week, but many Columbia College, Barnard College, and General Studies students know they will be able to utilize their schools’ pass/D/fail options if a particular course grade begins to flounder. In the School of Engineering and Applied Science, few students and administrators are aware the similar policy at their school. Administrators and advisers should more explicitly inform students of the SEAS pass/D/fail policy and encourage the use of the option to explore fields outside their major field of study.

The purpose of providing the pass/D/fail policy is to encourage students to explore topics that intrigue them and test their abilities in unfamiliar territories, without the pressure of maintaining a high GPA. SEAS offers this option for all classes that are not necessary for major or degree requirements. When pass/D/fail is applied to a course, the SEAS student’s transcript only displays a mark of “pass” or “fail,” and only the “fail” will factor into the student’s GPA. Instead of using the pass/D/fail option, engineers tend to rely on their later drop date to avoid having to display grades for classes that go sour mid-semester. Because of this lack of awareness relatively few engineers use the pass/D/fail option to take on non-required classes.

Administrators and advisers need to first make themselves aware of the pass/D/fail policy and subsequently better inform students of the option. Although engineering students often have requirement-heavy course loads, the pass/D/fail option provides them with an opportunity to both focus on their required classes and explore outside academic interests. Because a class registered as pass/D/fail does not negatively affect a student’s GPA as long as the student passes the course, the policy removes the primary deterrent to taking more credits—the anxiety over bad grades. In addition, SEAS’s position as a school closely linked with a liberal arts college gives its students a unique opportunity to explore classes outside the scope of engineering. Because students pay a fixed tuition regardless of the number of registered credits, college is an opportune time to seek out new passions.

Our college years present us with the rare opportunity to pursue new interests with little repercussion for mediocrity. All students, including those in SEAS, should take advantage of any available options to step outside their academic comfort zones. Engineering students, too, have souls to be satisfied and boundaries to be broken—they must not be deterred from academic self-fulfillment.