One thing that I often hear college professors complain about is the lack of attendance in classrooms. Students often think professors are gullible when it comes to excuses. They will feed them an entire story about why they have missed 7 days so far this semester. With most colleges now implementing strict attendance policies, professors are getting fed up with the regular skippers and correlating grades with attendance.
Over my 4 years at college, I got the pleasure of hearing many excuses from my fellow classmates. My top 5 favorite reasons for missing class include:
1) The sidewalks were too icy to walk to class. As a commuter student who just drove 35 miles in snow, ice, and fog, this excuse annoyed me the most. Buy a pair of Yaktrax to stretch over your winter boots and hold on to the railings. Allow a few extra minutes to walk slower. In most cases, campus maintenance has the side walks cleared away by 8 am.
2) I woke up with a killer headache. Okay, yeah we all get headaches and sometimes need to stay home. However, your 10th headache excuse of the semester seems to indicate that you are either partying too much or just overusing that excuse.
3) I just couldn’t get out of bed. Really? It’s a 11:00 class and you couldn’t get up by 10:45, brush your teeth and hair, and walk to class?
4) I think I have the Swine Flu. This past year, college administration and staff feared an outbreak of the swine flu. If any student even sneezed or coughed the wrong way, they were sent home. However, students caught on quickly to this. They may have been suffering from seasonal allergies, yet throw in the “swine” word and professors were granting excuses.
5) I lost track of what day/time it was. In the “real” world when you get a job, there is not going to be second chances for “lost track of time.” It is your responsibility to know when and where you need to be.
We all know the student who is constantly late, disrupts class, never comes, and always has an excuse. Perhaps that student is you. If you find yourself constantly alternating between these same overused excuses, it may be time to check your priorities. Maybe you are unhappy in your major or maybe you are bored in your classes. You may need to discuss this with your adviser.
Maybe you need to think about your schedules. Perhaps you are juggling a 30 hour a week job and a full time course load. Maybe you need to cut back on the job. Maybe you are going out with friends every single night. Consider keeping your nights out to weekends.
In the end, the only person who is really going to suffer is you. Your professors, mom, or dad aren’t going to see their future affected. Your grade and your future depend on the education you are getting now. Take it seriously.
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