Lying in bed nauseous and coughing. Reluctantly grabbing my computer, and typing that awful message to my professor: I’m sick. I can’t make it to today’s class. I’m so sorry.
The Irish Catholic guilt takes hold as I fall back into a NyQuil induced set of strange dreams. Missing class, what will my professor think? I can’t believe it.
This is my reason for missing a class. Sickness. Not laziness.
Skipping class. One of college’s greatest perks. No hall monitors, no parent-calling and best of all: no detention. As a freshman, what a phenomenon! But, in one’s later years, I’m more inclined to say…grow up.
As millennials, we already have the “lazy” stereotype. Openly disrespecting our professors by blowing off class for beer only contributes to our already tarnished reputation as a generation. While I don’t support the whole “these damn kids” mentality, I don’t like to be taken as a joke because of the actions of some of my peers.
Don’t further confirm the “laziness” profile by texting class away or skipping it. Believe it or not, there is a world after college. With real responsibility and the application of the skills we’re supposed to learn in class.
When I actually think about the money I’m wasting when missing a class, it makes me physically ill. How much am I metaphorically burning? $200? $500? The world may never know.
Also, most students at a private university wouldn’t be here without a little (a lot of) help from Mom and Dad. I mean, what a slap in the face to the people who saved every possible cent since the day we were born to just throw it away, right?
Not to mention, think about the money that we’re spending on ourselves for this education. Granted, much of it may be loans, but when we’re paying those back, do we want to be paying money that we technically didn’t even use?
Perhaps my main pet peeve of consistent class skippers, —and class texters for that matter— is the blatant disregard for the one reason we are here: to learn.
Why even come to college to not pay attention, or to blow off a class entirely? We spend tens of thousands of dollars on four incredibly short years, and for what? To skate by doing the bare minimum and drive our professors nuts?
Newsflash to all students: professors are taking time out of their lives to teach a class of unengaged, blank staring twenty-somethings. Put the phone down for an hour. Or better yet, show up.
I know, Bill Gates didn’t only skip class, he dropped out of college altogether.
But here’s the thing: You are not Bill Gates.
Emily Mulcahey is an Associate Editor for The Bona Venture. Her email is mulcahek12@bonaventure.
