Incomplete grades offer extended time to complete necessary coursework
A respite from final exam stress may come in realizing that there are now more days of summer break ahead than class days. This, too, could also produce the opposite effect.
The semester is ending, and the workload may be overbearing and damaging to both mental and physical health.
Perhaps you managed to contract COVID in the last few weeks, have sustained an injury or are struggling immensely with mental health. If you’re one of especial luck: you got sick the night before your final.
In these cases, where extenuating circumstances and poor mental or physical health bars a student from finishing coursework, there is another option post-drop date period.
Incomplete Grades are professor-student contracts that act as an extension or “place-holder” for a course when a “student has missed a final exam or has not submitted a term paper,” among other reasons, when “illness or some other unavoidable circumstances” prevent completion of the course, according to the application.
The student and professor are required to fill out the contract, which can be found on USC Aiken’s Office of the Registrar’s Forms page, with information detailing student progress, reasons for requesting the Incomplete and the extension period.
Signatures to complete the request requires the student, professor and department chair.
Incomplete Grades are not recommended for students missing a significant portion of course material.
From a personal perspective, I have three courses that I have submitted for Incomplete Grades. Due to the nature of my disabilities, and a bout of just plain bad luck, I have missed a few major assignments in classes that are necessary for my degree.
Rather than drop the classes, my adviser suggested requesting an Incomplete Grade and coordinate with my professors on when I expect to be finished with all the assignments, fill out the form and get the appropriate signatures.
The maximum time a student can request for an Incomplete Grade is 12 months. I extended two of my classes until the end of July, and my other one to the end of June.
A W or a WF does not have to be the last resort. There is always time. See if your professor will accommodate your coursework to your needs.
