A Student Scholarship Search study shows that the average student skips 13 classes per semester. The cost of a class for the average undergrad, Texas-native student is $743.91 and if that student has 40 classes in a semester, each class would cost $18.60. That means the average student loses $241.77 a semester just for skipping classes. By putting in the time to attend class, students would be using the investment they’ve already spent more efficiently.
The most common reason why students skip class, according to the study, is because of the inability to get out of bed. Others include enjoying weather and tending to other obligations.
Sophomore Amanda Koontz, Advertising and Public Relations major, said another reason could be that students don’t feel like attendance is necessary.
“Some students are in college because their parents are forcing them to,” Koontz said. “They don’t realize that it’s important to come to class to see the professors personally. They miss out on taking in the perspective of someone who is more experienced because they don’t think it will help them.”
Koontz said one key component in the college experience is application of knowledge, which must be executed in a classroom setting.
“The amount of content to learn in college is exponentially larger than it is in high school,” Koontz said. “Skipping one class could mean a whole chapter of information along with a class discussion or an in-class project that was missed. It makes it much harder to catch up.”
Dr. Emily Kinsky, Mass Communication professor, provides incentive for students to attend her classes. Kinsky has daily assignments that are not on the syllabus and takes attendance.
“I have mentioned to students that their attendance can make the difference in a grade on the bubble,” Kinsky said. “For example, if a student has never been absent, and she has an 89.4, I’d be more likely to bump it up to an A than if she’s missed five classes. I have also mentioned that some day when they need a reference for a job or for graduate school, I want to be able to say good things about them. In order for that to be possible, they need to be in class to start with.”
Kinsky said most students show up to class every day and value their education. For those who don’t Kinsky, said it’s sad to see that they haven’t figured out they need to go to class in order to do well.
“If a student misses a class more than once, it sends the message of not caring about the class, not believing it’s worth his/her time, so that’s disappointing when we obviously care about the subjects we teach. It’s easy to take it personally,” Kinsky said. “It makes me sad for those who keep skipping, and I can see failure on the horizon.”
Although some students skip class out of apathy, Student Accounts and Billing Coordinator Lynette Lough said many students come to her because they struggle too much with extracurricular issues to make the most out of their class experience.
“[These students] are paying a lot of money for even one class, and it is their own future they are determining when they enroll in a course, choose a major and begin to dream of their future career,” Lough said. “My hope is that they either have or will seek a dream, and that they will be willing to do what it takes to accomplish the goal that will lead them to realizing that dream. I hope they won’t let how easy or hard it is to get to that classroom, how challenging it is to learn the material, the teaching abilities of the professor or anything else stop them from going to class, learning, participating and reaching their goals.”
