<p>Just to note though, you are not stuck with the advisor that you were assigned. You can request a new one if it just doesn’t work out. Also many departments (and Pratt) assign new advisors once a major has been declared. </p>
<p>As for staying in a class or not, I’m not going to blame the student but I will say that the deadline for withdrawal is very late in the semester. For many classes with the standard 2 exams and a final arrangement, the deadline is usually before the 2nd exam and even sometimes after the 2nd exam. In that case, if one was truly failing the class, there should be no doubt as to what course of action should be taken, no matter what others might advise. Having a W on the transcript is always better than a D or F.</p>