EDITORIAL: Skipping class frequently sets bad precedent for students
Friday’s edition of Central Michigan Life helped to put the cost of skipping class into perspective by showing that by skipping twice-a-week classes, students lose out on at least $35 per session.
According to CBS News, the average college student skips 13 classes per semester, or 26 classes per year. That equates to $910 in wasted cash for skipping, on average.
While it might sound tempting to silence your alarm and catch a few extra hours of sleep in the morning (we've all been there), it’s not a viable option.
In college, you might lose a couple attendance points or miss a lecture, but in the professional world, you'll lose your job.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers predicts the starting salary for the graduating class of 2013 to average $44,928. Even if you manage to stay employed despite skipping out on work, skipping work as frequently as the average student skips class would still mean losing out on about $4,500 per year.
The implications of skipping go far beyond simply losing a little bit of cash. Skipping builds a habit.
Attending a four-year university is an experience, an experience all 20-somethings should take advantage of.
Central Michigan University – along with an abundance of other colleges – boasts hundreds of organizations to get involved with, thousands of people to meet and a million different things to do, meaning it can be difficult to lose track of the central focus – gaining an education.
While class might not always be an entertaining experience, it is a necessary one. A degree is impossible without passing grades, and passing grades become exponentially more difficult when attendance becomes an issue.
CBS News also reports that those who regularly skip are three times more likely to remain unemployed after college and two times more likely to live at home with their parents.
And skipping class affects more than just your level of success. It affects your education. It affects relationships with professors and other students – people who want to help you, network with you and see you succeed.
The ramifications of skipping class can be seen outside the classroom as well.
If you're willing to waste your precious money by laying around and choosing to opt out of the opportunity to gain an education, what else are you willing to let go to waste?
Employers who don't see their workers willing to sacrifice a little sleep and free time will likely look the other way when hiring.
By getting into the habit of being able to slack off on attendance, it builds a pattern for how to operate in life. So, it’s important to wake up, make it to class on time and realize the real reason for being in college.
So, why even bother going to class at 8 a.m. on a Friday morning?
Because,in the real world, the work day isn't 50 minutes long. You can't drop a work shift because it's too inconvenient.
