Advising takes on thousands of students

The line of students trying to reach academic advisers on Tuesday extended out the door and onto the quad.

In a single day, 1,275 students flooded through the doors of Steele Building to either drop classes or declare them pass/D/D /fail on the last day possible.

Although there were tears and some surprises, academic adviser Melissa Edwards said most students emerged less stressed than when they entered.

“For the most part, we had hundreds of relieved students, which is a great feeling,” she said.

Staffers patrolled the first floor, with students lining the halls, some forced to find room on the floor. Sitting cross-legged and leaning against the wall, some did homework while others filled out forms.

To prepare for one of the busiest days of the year, the advising department doubled the number of advisers available for walk-ins for the days leading up to Tuesday, said Marilyn Wyrick, senior assistant dean of advising.

In addition, staff staggered lunch breaks and coordinated between floors to ensure an even distribution of students, she said.

“We definitely all need a little caffeine and a little extra rest the night before,” Edwards said.

Seniors made up the bulk of those in line. After already fulfilling major requirements, many did not want classes they were taking for elective credit to hurt their GPAs.

Senior Susie Choi, who went to drop a math modeling course, said she took the course as an elective to broaden her spectrum of knowledge.

But in the end, she said, the course wasn’t worth it, and she dropped.

Other students said they dropped classes or declared them pass/fail to gain more time, which they planned to use for sleep and to search for jobs and internships.

Wyrick said University policy always makes the last day to drop or declare pass/fail eight weeks into the semester.

She said the policy is aimed to give students enough time to get back midterm grades.

“It’s not people procrastinating,” she said. “People are just getting all the information they need.”

Students’ wait times varied from 10 to 30 minutes, but officials and students both said the staff dealt with the volume of requests as efficiently as possible.

“I think the wait should be expected,” said senior Vilas Sankar, an economics and political science major.

“I am just glad I am not the only one here.”

Although the crowds reached a peak during mid-afternoon, students continued to trickle in even after 5 p.m., when the building was supposed to close.

Senior T.J. McCrorey was the last student to walk through the doors of the Steele Building to drop two classes, at 5:01 p.m.

He said he waited until the last minute because he had other commitments to take care of first.

“You all are students, we are here to help you,” Wyrick said in response to why she unlocked the doors for McCrorey.

“Your clock says five ‘til, mine says five after. If I am still here, then come on in.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.