To pause or not to pause: Is dropping a semester worth it?

Illustration: TBS

In 2020, when the pandemic brought Bangladesh to a standstill, Zarin Tasnim, then a second-year student at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), went home for what she thought would be a short visit.

Within days, a lockdown was imposed. What followed was two years away from campus. She completed her ongoing semester online, but when the next one approached, she made a decision many private university students quietly contemplated — she dropped it.

"There wasn't proper technical support at home, and I was reluctant to continue online," she recalls. "I thought by the time the dropped semester ended, the pandemic would be over."

It wasn't. But the four-month break, she said now, was worth it.

"I had enough time to reflect on how to proceed with my studies. I didn't fall behind because I took extra courses in the next three semesters. And during that break, I started freelancing. It helped strengthen my résumé before graduation."

Zarin's story reflects a growing reality in Bangladesh's private universities — students deliberately drop a semester. It is more of a strategic pause than an academic failure. But is it always worth it?

An outcome of the open credit system

Semester drops are far more common in private universities than in public institutions. The reason lies in the open credit system.

Most private universities in Bangladesh follow an open credit system, where students register for individual courses each semester. If they take a break, they can usually resume later without restarting their entire academic journey.

By contrast, public universities largely operate under a closed credit or cohort-based system. Students move forward with a fixed batch. If someone falls behind, they must wait for the next cohort, effectively losing an entire academic year rather than a semester. The system leaves little room for flexible pauses.

In private universities, however, the flexibility can be both liberating and destabilising.

For Prinon Mostafa Fahad, an economics graduate from a renowned private university, semester drops were deliberate decisions tied to career growth.

"I practice photography and journalism. At one point, I was working full-time as a photographer," he said. "Whenever I've taken a semester break, it has always been career-oriented. I focused on self-practice and self-empowerment."

He also took a break during a difficult period when both his parents fell seriously ill and required operations. "I needed to be with my family," he explained.

Fahad's university follows a trimester system, meaning each semester lasts roughly four months. He has dropped two semesters there. For him, the outcome was "50–50."

"From a career perspective, it helped me move forward. But academically, it created a setback," he said.

Most private universities in Bangladesh follow an open credit system. If they take a break, they can usually resume later without restarting their entire academic journey. By contrast, public universities largely operate under a closed credit system. If someone falls behind, they must wait for the next cohort, effectively losing an entire academic year rather than a semester. The system leaves little room for flexible pauses.

He noted one subtle but important consequence of the open credit system — the loss of cohort continuity.

"In private universities, you might see someone in their 12th semester attending a course with someone in their third semester. After taking breaks, you lose the familiar group you started with. That continuity disappears."

Having already experienced a two-year gap earlier in his education, Fahad found himself older than many of his classmates upon returning. "When newer batches join, you feel the difference," he admitted.

Yet he does not regret the decision. "Photography is my passion. I've grown in that space. Professionally, it was a plus. Academically, it disrupted the flow."

The financial risk of pausing

Flexibility, however, comes with financial costs.

One student, requesting anonymity, from BRAC University said she considered dropping a semester during Covid-19 but ultimately did not.

"I had a waiver," she said. "They told me if I dropped, the waiver would be cancelled. So I was afraid and continued the semester."

Her fear is not unfounded. In many private universities, tuition waivers and merit-based scholarships are tied to continuous enrollment. Taking an official academic break may result in cancellation of these financial benefits. During the pandemic, some universities offered temporary blanket discounts, but merit scholarships often remained contingent on uninterrupted study.

For students dependent on financial aid, the choice to drop a semester becomes not just academic, but economic.

"If someone is studying on a scholarship, they typically cannot afford to drop a semester," Fahad added.

Reflection or disconnection?

The appeal of a semester drop often lies in the promise of relief — a pause from relentless academic pacing.

Private universities typically run on tight academic calendars with short breaks between terms. For some students, especially those juggling work, family responsibilities, or mental health challenges, the pressure can be overwhelming.

Zarin describes her break as a period of recalibration. "It helped me reflect and plan better," she said.

But not everyone emerges with clarity. Fahad notes that students who take breaks for family emergencies or personal crises may struggle to regain academic momentum. "In many cases, they feel academically and mentally disconnected," he said.

The open credit system can amplify this sense of fragmentation. Because classmates rotate and batches mix, returning students often find themselves rebuilding social and academic networks from scratch.

The result is a paradox — a system designed to offer flexibility can unintentionally erode the sense of belonging that sustains students through university life.

Loss, gain, or both?

For Zarin, the semester drop was an opportunity. She returned stronger, graduated on time, and gained professional experience. For Fahad, it was both gain and loss — artistic growth offset by academic disruption. For the BRAC University student, the risk of losing financial aid outweighed the need for a break.

A semester drop is neither inherently wise nor reckless. It is a tool that can either sharpen direction or blunt academic continuity, depending on how and why it is used.

In Bangladesh's evolving higher education landscape, especially within private institutions, the semester drop reflects a broader shift toward flexibility and student agency. Yet it also exposes the inequalities embedded within tuition structures and scholarship policies.

Perhaps the more important question is not whether dropping a semester is worth it, but in what context it becomes so.