Skipping Class: Is it worth it?

by AIMEE FRANCO

Depending on the professor, you could have merely missed a boring lecture, or even worse, you may have missed a test that you could have sooner acted out than made up.

What do students think of skipping?

"If I skip class, I'm usually sleeping," said J.C. Berrios.

"Yes, I have skipped class this semester...to be quite honest with you, I'm in my last semester here and...if I don't want to go, I just wont go." senior Eric Ruamo said.

"I pay so much to go to this University, it would be a waste of money not to go to class," senior Claire Smith said.

One Radford Alumnus had a different view on skipping. "I think skipping classes is very important for every student. College isn't about remembering and regurgitating facts. It's about learning to think for yourself....Sometimes, you just don't accomplish anything by attending class. I learned far more in the time I skipped than I did in any class."

According to the recent survey in Whim, it seems that the vast majority (81.24%) of students DO skip classes. So how do professors handle this sort of behavior?

Some professors give pop-quizzes if over half of the class is absent. Dr. Shannon in the Sociology Department uses a technique he calls "name quizzes". You write your name on a sheet of paper, pass it up and he gives you extra points in return for being there.

Radford University professors also had some things to say on the issue of skipping class.

"I don't have as strict of an attendance policy as some do, except on test days." remarked one marketing professor. "Sometimes the more outlandish excuses are the most believable because people are unlikely to make them up. The most difficult ones to deal with are a death in the family. You want to show sympathy and not put a student in that situations under pressure but at the same time there are probably students who abuse that."

Dr. Rachel Janney of the Education Department said, "I just tell the students that they're paying for their education. Sometimes I let the class decide if they want some sort of incentive for being there but usually they don't."

Whim conducted a survey of its readers to find out how many students skip class and why. Below are the results from our survey.

Please note that these results hold no scientific basis and are not necessarily an accurate representation of student opinion.

1. Are you an RU student?
88.24 percent answered: Yes
11.76 percent answered: No

2. Did you skip class at all last semester?
81.25 percent answered: Yes
18.75 percent answered: No

3. If yes, about how many times?
42.86 percent answered: 1-3 times
0.00 percent answered: 4-6
21.43 percent answered: 7-10
7.14 percent answered: More than 10
28.57 percent answered: Don't know (too many to count!)

4. Have you skipped class this semester?
50.00 percent answered: Yes
50.00 percent answered: No

5. If you have skipped, what was the most common reason for the absence?
8.33 percent answered: Sickness
0.00 percent answered: Not prepared for class
58.33 percent answered: Overslept
33.33 percent answered: Had better things to do
0.00 percent answered: HEY! It was a nice day outside!

What kind of skipping class stories do you have? Leave your stories below!

Name:   

E-Mail: 
Year:   

Major:  

Comments:

Name: Jeff
Major: IS
Comments:
What is funny is all the people who don't underdstand that they are WASTING THEIR MONEY to be at school. If you're going to do nothing but be a lazy peice of filth, do it at home where it doesn't cost you ANYTHING! Personally, after I graduate from school, I'll have some $30,000 worth of loans to pay back to the bank..I don't know about you, but I'm getting my money's worth. It's all of the people whose PARENTS are paying for their ENTIRE education that don't understand this factor. Try paying for it yourself one time and see how many times you skip THEN.

Name: Rosco Gregory
Major: General
Comments:
I think skipping is great and so is jumping rope, especially when there are two ropes going opposite ways. We all need to play a little and if skipping is your thing, then skip around the whole campus. I, of course, would prefer a pogo stick!

Name: Kristie and Jen
Major: sleeping
Comments:
classes are pointless. i hate em. so we dont go because we have better things to do and i would rather get wasted. remember....life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, so lets get wasted all the time and have the time of our life =)

Name: Brian :)
Comments:
As a professional skip..err..student, I have to say that I'm one of those "do what I say, not what I do" people when it comes to the issue of skipping. It has gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion. How do I justify it then? I can't. One thing I am proud of is that I take face the consequences like a man. Skipped the test? I don't go crawling in begging for a re-take. Slept through a meeting? I don't lie about my family members dying or getting married or some lame excuse like that. Bottom line: If you take the risk, assume the risk. There. That's my $.02

Name: Olivia
Major: Criminal Justice
Comments:
I have to admit that I, too, have skipped class a few times. However, to be honest, I feel lost the next time I attend. Sure, maybe you can get the notes from another class member, but actually being there makes it a whole lot easier to understand the material.

Name: Scott
Major: Criminal Justice
Comments:
Theres sometimes no point into going to class. Its just as easy to collaborate with someone else in that class and switch off days to miss and so forth.