Campus Drift

So it is a given fact that in college you will skip a class at some point. Probably several, for varying reasons. Maybe you are sick, maybe it’s Friday afternoon and you want to party, maybe it’s just Monday morning - it’s going to happen eventually. For some reason or another you will not be at a class when you are supposed to be. Although it may not be the best thing to do, there are some things you can do to ease the consequences.

1. Make sure you catch up.
   You skipped. Now it is your job to make it up. Try to get the notes from your course’s website if there is one, or from a friend. Some classes even have podcasts that you can download and hear/watch the whole class as if you had attended.
2. Skip intelligently.
   If you know you are going to have a quiz or a class has some attendance grade, try to not skip it. Though it might seem like fun to hang out with your friends or get another hour of sleep, a few zero out of ten quizzes might change your mind rather quickly. If you know you have a propensity to skip class, make sure you aren’t losing points by skipping the wrong ones.
3. Don’t do it during exam week.
   Often during the week of an exam your professor will give some small insights into the format or content of an upcoming test - this is information you really don’t want to be without walking into an exam. There is no worse feeling than walking into an exam not sure if it covers chapter six or not.
4. Don’t do it twice in a row!
   If you are going to miss one class, it is really important that you show up to the next one. Get there a minute or two early and really be ready to listen (and possible even write) as soon as class starts. Many professors will briefly review their previous lecture because continuing on to the day’s content. Be ready to listen and absorb. If you skip two classes in a row you are setting yourself up to get lost in a hurry. Avoid it at all costs.
5. Get ready for next class.
   After you skip a class make sure you are completely ready to handle the next lecture. If you had a reading assignment the day you missed, read it. Courses often have every day’s reading assignment mapped out from the first day of class, make sure you check and know what is due and you keep up with the content.

Though maybe not the best course of action, you can skip class a time or two without it killing your chances at decent grade. The real trick here is just keeping up and making sure you do not fall behind in your absence. It’s going to happen one way or another, but you can handle the consequences will a little thought and effort.

Now, get to class.