Drop it so that it doesn’t screw up your GPA. Its sad that sometimes you end up worse off because you are trying to challenge yourself.

First find out how dropping a course now will affect your transcript at your particular school.

The answer to this question entirely depends on where you attend school. I have attended and visited several colleges, and the answer would have been different at each. You should contact the Registrar’s office and/or search the school’s website for a .pdf or electronic version of the student handbook to know for sure. Generally, however, this early in the semester, being dropped from a class by a prof due to non-attendance is exactly like dropping the class yourself. You will not be charged for the class, you will not earn a grade in the class, etc. Your friend’s primary concern at this point is probably just to make sure she is still taking enough credits to maintain a full load of classes (if she is supposed to be a full-time student). However, please be sure to check with the Registrar and review the student handbook at your school so that you can know for sure. Better safe than sorry–always!

I think you may benefit more from changing the study habits than anything else. I would recommend looking up different study techniques and see which one would be best for you.