Does missing your college classes matter? (How to do it)
College student’s guide to missing college classes
As a former professor of 15 years, I am going to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about missing a college class.
I don’t advocate that students miss their classes, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. And you shouldn’t feel defeated if you have to miss your college class.
In this article, I am going to tell you if missing one day of college classes is bad, and help you understand what to do if you miss a class here and there.
If you just want to know how to email your professor when you miss class, you can jump to this article instead.
Is missing one day of college classes bad?
If you miss one day of college classes, it is not necessarily bad, and you’ll be able to catch up. Many students miss at least one day of their classes, but as long as you get notes from your classmates, and avoid missing class when you have a pop quiz or something due, you’ll probably be fine.
There are a few instances when missing one day of class is bad like when you have an all-day college class.
I have actually attended a college class that was held on Saturdays from 8am-5pm. If I were to miss that college class, that would have definitely of been bad.
So, if you have a LONG college class, you should avoid skipping class.
But if the class meets multiple times a week over several months, it won’t be the end of the world if you miss a day.
Another reason why it would be bad if you missed a college class is if you had an exam that day or needed to turn an assignment in.
Unless your professor has a very relaxed make-up policy, I wouldn’t risk missing on these days.
The last reason why I think missing a college class is bad is if your professor keeps attendance and uses it as a grade.
Now, most professors will allow some absences, but you need to use those absences for emergencies only.
So, check your course syllabus and read about your professor’s attendance policy.
As a former professor, I do not think it is entirely bad to miss ONE day as long as you let your professor know and make sure you make-up any missed material.
However, I would definitely AVOID missing the first day of your college classes because the college could drop you from the class.
Even though your professor may not actually teach the first day of class, you need to hear all the important information that your professor shares that day.
How often do college kids skip class?
The majority of college students are likely to skip their college classes at least once during the semester. Some college students may miss classes for medical reasons while others just skip for entirely no reason. If you don’t have a reason to miss, you should just attend. But missing classes is common in college.
In my courses, about 80% of all students missed at least one day of their college classes. Most students can afford to miss ONE class day if they get notes from their classmates and read any missed materials.
As a former professor, it was rare for students to have perfect attendance in my classes.
Although around 20% of students had perfect attendance, most missed AT LEAST ONE DAY of my classes.
It was totally normal for students to miss a class here and there, but it shouldn’t become a habit.
If you have an appointment or something else scheduled around your class time, maybe you can still go to class, and just leave a little early to attend your appointment.
Do whatever you can to attend your classes, but give yourself some flexibility because you still have a personal life too.
I would have preferred my students leave early or come late instead of missing an entire lecture.
What should I do if I miss too many classes and assignments?
If you miss too many classes and assignments, you should meet with your professor immediately to discuss your concerns. Check their syllabus for an opportunity to make-up any assignments, and determine your likelihood of passing their course. If you are going to fail the class, you may want to withdraw.
The first thing you need to do if you have missed too many classes and assignments is to speak with your professor ASAP. You might actually be able to come back from a bad grade and recover.
Your professor will be able to assess your performance in the class, and can tell you if they think you have a good chance of passing their course.
Don’t leave it up to your professor to tell you this though. You can actually look at the syllabus and see if you can turn in assignments late, or if they will allow you to make-up any assignments.
But it is important to talk to your professor if you are failing their class.
There could be a possibility for your professor to give you an extension if you’ve missed any assignments.
But don’t expect it.
If you have missed entirely too many classes, I would be concerned that you did not learn the necessary information to get a passing grade from the course. If you rarely attended class or submitted the assignments, I don’t think you have mastered the course objectives.
If you are in this situation, I would really think about your knowledge about the course.
Do you really think that you deserve a passing grade?
If you were the professor, would you give a student a passing grade in this situation?
Are you missing critical information for a future career?
Did you really learn the information?
I want you to consider these things because your professor might allow you to pass the course by submitting late assignments, but you may have missed too much material to have really learned the information.
This is problematic because you are likely going into the workforce, and you will need that information to be a good employee.
So, answer those questions before you try to barely scrape by with a passing grade.
Finally, if you can’t bring up your grade enough or catch up on all the missed material, you need to look into your college’s withdraw policy.
Maybe you can drop or withdraw from the course instead.
But read this before you drop or withdraw.
What should I do if I miss a college class?
If you miss a college class, you need to check your professor’s syllabus to see what their attendance policy is and then find out what material you missed. Then try and catch up on the material yourself and ask a classmate for notes.
As a former professor, I need you to understand that students missing class is way more common than you might think.
However, you need to know what your professor’s expectations are for their course.
Maybe your professor allows absences, or they need some documentation for an excused absence. Either way, check the syllabus to learn more about their policies.
My first recommendation to students who missed class would be to ask a classmate if they can scan or copy their notes. If you have a smartphone, most have a feature for you to scan documents.
The second thing I would do is review all the missed material.
Do you have any readings that you need to complete?
Do you need to submit an assignment?
Do you need to provide documentation about your absence?
The last thing I would do is send an email to your professor, if necessary. Some professors don’t want to be bothered by an email if you missed class, but others would appreciate you reaching out.
PRO TIP: Don’t ask your professor if you missed anything important. Every class and all the information is important to them. And definitely don’t ask them to tell you what you missed.
You are only emailing your professor to be polite, and show them that you really do care about their class. Most of the time, you don’t need to email them though.
What happens if you keep missing college classes and stop attending?
If you keep missing college classes and eventually stop attending, you may receive a failing grade in the course if you miss too many assignments. Most colleges will not automatically drop you from the course if you stop attending. This F will be on your transcript, and it could impact your financial aid or you might be placed on academic probation.
Some colleges will give you an unsuccessful grade like this college. They assign you a WU (withdrawal unauthorized). Depending on the college, this is pretty much treated like a F in the course.
MOST colleges won’t do anything and this just means that you will keep racking up zeros for all your assignments and you will just make an F in the course.
Sometimes a professor might have a policy about attendance. For example, a professor might say that a student will automatically receive a failing grade if they miss a certain percentage of the course. You might still have a passing grade, but they could still fail you if you miss too many classes.
I recommend that students check their professor’s syllabus for their class policies.
But don’t stop there.
Check the college’s handbook to see if they have any written documentation about how they handle students who stop attending altogether.
I find that most colleges don’t do anything special if students stop attending their classes, and you will be assigned the grade you earned in the course whether that was a passing or failing grade.
Why do I feel so guilty when I skip class?
College students may feel guilty about missing their colleges classes when they set high expectations for themselves or know that they could attend but are making a choice to skip class instead.
I realize that you might want to skip class just because, but you should probably go if you are going to have guilt about skipping anyway.
Who wants to sit at home and not enjoy their time off if they feel bad about their decision?
Students who feel bad about skipping their lecture are those students who probably care about their education so I would try and find a way to motivate yourself to go to class instead.
But if you think you really deserve a day off, or you really just need a break, you might just need to relax a little and realize that you work hard and you should get a break every once and awhile.
Try not to beat yourself up over missing class.
If you still feel guilty, email your professor about your absence because you could just be worried that your professor is disappointed in you.
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