Campus Life

Skip-idemic

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From first grade to twelfth, students have woken up at the crack of dawn in order to get ready for school. Whether mornings consisted of waiting on the bus at the corner of the street or driving to Starbucks to get that venti iced coffee, students always seem to mutter, “I can’t wait until college! I can pick what time I wake up.”

In theory, college attendance should be higher due to the fact that many students design their own class schedule so that it satisfies personal needs or preferences. Yet, there is an obvious epidemic of students not showing up to the classes they enrolled in. Due to the expectation that students will skip class, there are some professors who have established attendance guidelines that heavily determine a student’s success in their class while there are other professors who do not have a preference. One final question remains: Does it really matter if I attend class?

For all intents and purposes, “skipping” is defined as the act of not attending class for non-emergency reasons. There are a plethora of reasons why students skip class. As a writer for The Activist, I have interviewed several UC Blue Ash students about why skipping class happens so frequently. I have disguised these UCBA college students as characters from The Office to protect their anonymity.

Pam said, “I should not have to attend a class that I paid for. It is on my conscience whether I attend or not.”

Meredith reasoned, “I would say not wanting to wake up in the morning, taking a boring class or a class that doesn’t interest you, or maybe not having the work or reading done for the class that day.”

Jim explained, “The real reason I skip class is because it’s usually really early. I have to take the shuttle from Clifton to Blue Ash. It really tires you out, you have to catch the bus like an hour early just so that you are able to get on the bus. Another reason is if I have many classes that have something due, and I know I didn’t do a certain assignment. I usually just stay inside until I have my assignments in. Sometimes I just need a day off.”

Michael said, “I feel like people skip because either they don’t want to go or they just are too tired. I personally skipped because I would need to do work for another class and if I’m doing good in the class I’m skipping, I think it’s not a big deal.”

In my opinion, skipping class can be harmless if the repercussions are minor. However, skipping class can often lead a student down a dangerous path of comfort when they begin to assume nothing “important” is being missed. It is difficult to quantify what students are missing when their seat is empty in a lecture, because knowledgable information is transmitted and received in a variety of ways. Even if there is no assignment due during a class period that is missed, and no points are being deducted in the grade book, the lack of learning can cause students to fall behind.

A solid rule of thumb is that a student should attend class if they are doing poorly or feel that the class is one of their weaker subjects. Once one determines how comfortable they feel with the subject matter, they are able to decide how much of a negative impact skipping brings to one’s performance. Sometimes skipping class irregularly is necessary for a “recharge” day or when there is another class that takes higher priority. In general, regularly attending class is good so that you know you are doing everything in your power to strive towards a high grade. Although there are a scarce amount of days that require a skip, it should not become a normal habit to stay in bed instead of going to that 9 am Microbiology lecture.

About Emily Bick

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