The etiquette of missing classes

 I will be leaving town next weekend, and will be missing two days of class. While I may know how to address this, my two summers as an Orientation Peer Advisor [[basically guiding new students through their orientation day, answering questions and providing insight]] have shown me that many incoming/prospective students do not. During the orientation times, I was often asked about missing class and attendance policies, and so I figured I might as well talk about the issue while I’m dealing with it

So college is quite different from high school- there is a lot more freedom, and therefore a lot more responsibility. Most classes do not have a specified attendance policy, it is up to you whether or not to go to class. Because they do not take attendance, many students are confused about what to do when they miss a class.

An unexpected absence:

This happens- you get sick, you get a flat tire, whatever. The best thing to do is to either send the professor an e-mail letting them know why you missed class, or just talk to them in person after the next class/during their office hours. Get notes from a fellow classmate, and ask the professor what you missed, not if you missed anything. It may seem trivial, but professors can definitely get annoyed when people ask if they mised anything [[of course you missed something- the professor was teaching!]].

In larger classes [[60+]], however, it’s not really necessary to tell the professor if you only missed one day [[unless you missed a quiz or homework assignment or something]], although you certainly can. 

When you know you’re going to miss class:

If you know in advance that you will be missing class because of a doctor’s appointment or relative’s birthday or something, it’s nice to let the professor know as soon as you find out, and then remind them again the day before. This way, you come off as being a responsible, conscientious student. They’re also more leinent towards make-up work if they are notified in advance.

Missing multiple days:

This can be tricky. If you know in the beginning of the semester that you will be missing 3 or more classes [[especially if they're in a row]], ask the professor if it’s worth you taking the class. They’ll probably say yes, but if they say no then it’s better to find out before the deadline to drop classes has passed. You can always add another class with a less-intense workload/attendance factor, and just take that particular class next semester. If you find out that you will be missing classes after the semester has started, then the sooner you notify the professor, the more likely it will be that he/she will be willing to work it out with you.

 

I’ll be out of town Thursday-Monday, because I’ll be in Maine. I let my professors know, took off of work, let the organizations I’m in know that I’ll be missing their meetings, and made sure to do it with a couple weeks notice. Everyone was understanding, and I’ll be able to go on my trip worry-free!

 

Hope that helped!

 

 

♥Jen