An underrated challenge college students face on the regular is whether or not they should go to class. The struggle might seem counterintuitive at first—why would students not attend classes they chose, at the times they picked, for their desired major? After all, it is the students who finalize their schedules every quarter. From an outside perspective, you may think it’s simply laziness prompting students to miss their lectures or an inconsiderate mindset toward their education. However, it is actually more nuanced than that—there can be benefits to skipping class from time to time. This habit may even yield better results for some students.
Picture this: a student has an 8 a.m. lecture every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which is quite common. If they are not naturally a “morning person,” it may be hard for them to wake up so early, especially after staying up late. Nonetheless, they decide to go to class to avoid the guilt associated with skipping lecture but end up dozing off in lecture and not grasping any of the content. In this case, it would be better for them to skip class altogether, especially if it is recorded (as some classes are). It makes no sense for students to go to class in which they are aware they will not be able to concentrate. It is a waste of time and effort.
There could be other scenarios where students may find it more beneficial to skip class as opposed to attending it. For one, if the student finds the pace too fast, it would be effective to watch the recording of the lecture instead so you can pause and replay segments that you prefer. This way, they can take better notes and move at a speed that is comfortable to them. Similarly, it can also be advantageous to skip classes if a student does not like the professor’s way of teaching. Although there is no ‘wrong’ method to teach class, not everyone’s learning preference is the same. With limited competitive class enrollment and stress, students might not always get the professor that they like the most (at least according to Bruinwalk reviews). As a result, it could be preferable for them to learn through other methods (lecture notes, textbooks, TA sections, etc.). There is nothing a student can do to change their professor’s teaching style; it is neither the professor’s fault nor the student’s. If a student finds themselves acquiring the content more effectively through self-teaching, perhaps they should go ahead and try it.
Furthermore, students are very busy—some more than others. If the class conflicts with an extracurricular activity or job, they will find themselves wanting to skip class. This is not them neglecting their academic responsibilities per se, but rather finding a way to work around their various duties. This could be particularly useful if the student is on top of watching the recording lectures right as they’re released and completing assignments on time. It is hard to create classes every quarter that are guaranteed to work around your schedule, which is why students may face this dilemma of whether or not they should skip class.
Despite these advantages, skipping every single lecture and not attending classes the whole quarter is an absolute no. Students should be encouraged to go to as many classes as they can because that maintains a schedule for them to be motivated by. This university has world-renowned professors who are some of the best in their field; it would be a loss to miss out on opportunities to interact with them. However, if a student has attempted to attend classes all in-person and has found this to be ineffective to their learning, they may be prompted to skip class. As long as this does not encourage a pattern of laziness and inactiveness in their schedule, it can provide more benefits than cons.
This entire piece is not to say that students should skip class; I am not here to encourage that. However, if you find that skipping class is a better option for you personally, you do not have to feel guilty for doing so. Yes, lectures “should” be attended in-person because that is what you are paying such high tuition for. Yet, if you find that you are unable to retain information for reasons out of your control, it is not the end of the world if you skip a class (or two).
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Featured Image Photographed by Emily Chandler/BruinLife
