The annual price tag for tuition at the University is more than $10,000. When calculated, each class costs roughly $1,000 for the average full-time student.
College differs from high school in the sense that attendance is not always mandatory for classes. Although attendance may not be a requirement, it is profoundly distasteful for an individual to be absent for even an attendance-optional lecture.
For biology freshman Joanna Yuen, the topic is a pet peeve.
“I don’t understand why anyone would skip. If you’re paying so much for an education, then you would think people would want to go to class,” Yuen said.
Do not waste money coming out of your pocket or your parents’ pocket. Even if a professor is not teaching in a stellar way, respectful attendance is still expected.
For every student skipping class for a reason like this, there is a student on the sidelines who may have had a strong desire to be present in that class. However, that student may not have been granted that opportunity because of barring circumstances.
Access to a class is a privilege, not a burden.
Billy Graham once said, “I can barely walk, but it’s a privilege to be able to move at all.”
This is a powerful analogy to this attendance situation.
While you may not be able to have a perfect education, a student should be thankful to have an education at all. Not only that, but in the future, a student may come across an undesirable boss or colleague who cannot be similarly avoided by absence. Diligent attendance to a class being taught in a different and, sometimes, difficult way is great practice for the dealing with obstacles one may face in their desired career.
Aristotle once said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
While this difficult professor may currently be the most negative aspect of your life, 10 years from now, relevant knowledge may have been obtained. Overall, the point of college is to be independent and take initiative.
If someone is not willing to put effort into attending a class, which could essentially affect their grade and whole college education, they will likely not succeed in the future.
Opinion columnist Blake Mudd is a journalism freshman and may be reached at [email protected].
