Making it Ok to Skip Class

By no means should skipping class be something habitual—you risk lowering your GPA, getting kicked out of the class and are basically throwing your money down the drain if you pay for college and refuse to attend. But every now and then there may come a time where you just can’t make it to class—you’re sick, have to use that time to study for another test, or got invited to an impromptu vacation in Cancun. Whatever the case, you need to know when is the correct time to skip to reduce consequences.

If you are thinking about skipping the first thing you want to do is check your syllabi and make sure that your professors don’t have any strict policies about attendance. Some professors only allow you to be absent no more than two or three classes, after this time frame they start deducting points from you final grade which can hurt your GPA substantially. So if this is the case, make sure you save these days for more important situations like when you’re actually sick or for that trip to the Swiss Alps.

You also want to make sure that you don’t plan on skipping on quiz or test days. A zero can damage your GPA indefinitely. So if a once-in-a-life time opportunity arises on a test day, try asking your professor first if there is any way you can take it sooner or later. Or if you have an important test the day that you return from your trip, make sure that you study way in advance. Don’t bother bringing study materials on your trip—you will most likely get none done. But if you carefully plan and study vigorously the week before your planned trip you should be in ok shape.

Lastly, you want to make sure that you make at least one friend in each class in case you plan on skipping. This study buddy will be able to provide many services, including keeping you up to date with important assignments/lectures you may have missed, can share their notes with you,and they can even sign you in on the class roster if they are daring and bold enough. But just remember that if you happen to find a classmate that is willing to help you out in this way, it’s important that you return the favor.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 26th, 2010 at 11:33 am and is filed under Campus Life, Tips & Tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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