College is an extremely busy time. Between multiple courses, homework, meeting with friends, extracurricular activities and more, your planner is likely jam packed with “To Do” lists! Often college students skip out on class to catch up on sleep or go out with friends. Unfortunately, this can backfire, as tempting as it may be. Here are 5 reasons why you should never skip classes in college.
You are throwing money away each time you skip a class. When you pay tuition each semester, you tuition pays for the time you will be in class. This ends up totaling at least a few hundred dollars per class each term you are enrolled in school! You are paying your professor to be there and to educate you, so why would you give the school money and not take advantage of what they are offering? Get more bang for your buck by being in class and furthermore by utilizing all opportunities and resources you school have to offer to students.
Professors usually cover additional material besides what is in the textbook. This means, reading alone and keeping up outside of the classroom is often not enough. If you do not attend class, you will likely miss the additional information, which could be included on test, papers or exams. In addition, teachers often provide students with useful tips, tricks or resources that can make the course or coursework easier throughout the semester. When you don’t go to class, you miss out on all of this insight and will likely have to work harder to keep up or find resources on your own.
You could miss out on important information or due dates. Often teachers will present when papers are due or even change the dates or assignment requirements. If you are not there, you may not know that a research paper due date has been bumped up, and so you may end up submitting a late assignment, losing points or credit altogether.
When you aren’t in class, you won’t be able to connect with your fellow classmates. Being in class can help you to meet new people who may end up being great friends. In addition, many classes will require group projects. If you are not there, you may not get to choose who you work with and could end up with a lousy group. When you are in class, you can make connections and determine which people will be the most reliable to work with on projects or assignments.
Your professor will not think you are taking the class seriously. One day you will be looking for graduate school or even job recommendations from your former professors. If you skipped class often and did not invest your time or energy into being active and engaged throughout the course, professors will remember. Likely, they will not write you a recommendation, or if they do it may be vague and impersonal.
Skipping classes is not a smart move financially, academically, socially, and career-wise. To get the most out of your college experience, be sure to learn more about college or attend class so that you get the most for your money, stay up to date on assignments and due dates, grasp all course content, make connections with your peers, and develop a rapport with your professor.