Should You Ever Skip Class? - College Info Geek

Professors will tell you skipping classes is tantamount to burning your diploma; cool guys wearing leather jackets during the summer will tell you it's rad, and to stop being such a nerd. Who reads books anyway?

Let's look at this question from a more objective point of view, putting special attention on the opportunity cost.

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~ created by Thomas Frank

Music: Broke for Free - "Nola"

[avafrav]

skip if you know what you're doing. don't skip if you don't know what you're doing.

the problem is the people who don't know what they are doing are the ones who usually skip lol...

[xWINfinity]

I skip almost every class and I've never had problems with it. I can't focus in class, it's boring, it usually goes either too slow or too fast and I never have the feeling that I "truely" understand something. Skipping every class was the best decision I made during my first year being an engineer and was probably even good for my grades.

[papl]

And I'm skipping a class right now....

[HumayounAhmed]

I've realized that sometimes I learn a lot faster and better when I skip class and study the material by myself. For some classes I've only been there for exams and other classes I've been there everyday. I have a GPA of 3.71 and I'm starting pharmacy school in the fall.

[symbioticcoherence]

I now feel really sorry for those born in the us who have to pay that much for education.

[KhanStopMe]

Can you do a episode on catching up when you've fallen terribly behind (Because that's me)

[LawsonTaylor]

If you're sick. SKIP CLASS! and sleep.

You need time to rest and recover which will in turn get you back in class quicker.

Also infecting others with your illness is super lame.

By the way great advice as always Thomas.

[WorldoftheNebulous]

I'm in medical school and I get WAYYY more out of skipping class and watching the recorded videos: don't waste time traveling, being around Type A people who stress you out, and can speed up/rewind/stop recordings as you please. Much more productive option really.

[SomethingNick]

I watch all my lectures online at 1.7x speed to get through them quickly, always go to the tutorials and labs though to cement my learning

[IssieWeimo]

what if you're feeling really emotionally stressed and overwhelmed is it okay to skip?

[aurino]

I always watch this video on days I don't feel like attending classes. Tom always gives rational advice and it actually makes me WANT to go to college (unless I want to do something more worthwhile)

[freedomishere]

Funny this should go up today! I skipped class this morning because I have two mid-term exams tomorrow and felt the time would be better spent studying than in a class I'm already really comfortable in. So there's that opportunity cost/benefit! I hope it works out for me tomorrow!

[firstleyva]

What about feeling like a burden to everyone and overall depressed to even get out of bed and go to college.

[cgaslesen]

Another important consideration: Some classes, especially at technical colleges, have an attendance policy. In our nursing assistant course, absence of more than 8 hours results in failure of the course.

[maddieroxxeva]

Great video. I always used this theory when considering whether or not to miss class. I'm a film studies major, so when I had an opportunity to go to a film festival instead of going to Spanish class, naturally I wasn't going to go to class. Likewise, if I need to work on an assignment which would be late if I did go to class but on time if I didn't, then obviously I'd feel justified in missing class.

[ThatLadySith]

I've never looked at missed classes that way before. Yeah you're right. We do pay for those. Considering that, What do we do about lecturers cancelling class? According to what we paid, should they be required to reschedule to missed class?

[Just_Shaun]

This is surprisingly reasonable. I'm a freshman at my final semester of the year and I'm studying accounting and finance but I live at home and commute everyday. But it takes an around 2 hours to get there which I could easily be spending doing coursework or just studying for exams. If you live on campus or closer to the college then there really isn't an excuse...

[AzariaBell]

Whenever I think about sleeping in through a class or 'just catching up later' I remember how much I'm paying.. I wouldn't pay for anything else and then not do it. So why skip your education?

[lucassg]

In Brazil, presence in classes are mandatory, and we have a French style of education, which means: long classes and exhaustive timetables. Sometimes we have pretty useless teachers, which we can't absorb anything from. Hence, I skip classes just to get a break, but I liked your insight on how to skip classes in a smart way. I had an opportunity to study in UK, which has a similar method to USA's, and I loved to have this freedom to choose wether I should go to classes or not. Keep the good job dude!!

[MadMazReviews]

I totally agree with getting to know your professors! Everyone I know who is in college I give that advice to. When I went to my university I became pretty close to a lot of my professor and not only are they more apt to help you when you're struggling or need help, but it also helps you get more invested in your classes. I am still friends with with a bunch of my professors and even invited a few to my wedding-- professors are people too =)