April 04, 2017
Daryn Vlad
Last week, I was sitting in class when I looked around the room and realized that I was one of only a few people left. Did I miss something?
Did I zone out right as the professor announced that she was letting us out early?
Nope.
Aside from the handful of students who decided to stay, everyone took it upon themselves to leave class an hour early with their friends.
And it wasn’t just one or two people trickling out; it was groups of five or six students packing up and leaving at the same time. Of nearly 50 people in the class, I was one of maybe 15 students who stayed to the end.
It’s one thing to quietly step out of class, but to leave with five other people is disruptive to other students and rude to the professor.
One of the great things about college compared to high school is the flexibility. If you need to leave class early for any reason, nobody is going to stop you.
But it’s a problem when students take advantage of this privilege and leave class in the middle of a lecture in groups with their friends.
Our instructors and professors are dedicated professionals who work hard to make their courses engaging and informative. We’re lucky to have them.
Imagine spending several hours working on a presentation and your professor packing up and leaving in the middle of it. This is what our instructors experience on a daily basis.
Communication instructor Janae Stansbery said she spends eight hours a week preparing lectures and researching relevant examples. Aside from lecture, she spends 20 hours a week grading and helping students outside the classroom.
According to Stansbery, it is disheartening when students leave early.
Some students may believe that they have the freedom to leave whenever they want due to the fact that they’re paying for the class.
But what these students don’t realize is that a student paying the average tuition cost loses roughly $21 per hour spent skipping class. That’s money that is instead wasted on a cup of mediocre coffee or your next Chipotle burrito.
Why not get what you’re paying for and make the most of your college experience?
We’re all adults here. That means you can make the decision to leave class any time you want, but it can ultimately hurt your grade and your wallet, if done repeatedly.
In many classes, I’ve noticed that professors save the important material for the end. If you leave halfway through, you may miss out on crucial information for future exams or homework assignments.
Professors who don’t use Blackboard often announce homework just before the end of class. If you aren’t present to hear the assignment, it is easy to fall behind.
If you do need to go, let your professor know at the beginning of class and leave quietly and respectfully by yourself. Be mindful of the students around you who want to learn and participate.
Life happens. There are plenty of reasons why you may need to leave a class early on occasion. But it becomes obvious when you leave in a group or when it becomes a pattern every week.
Be respectful of your instructors and the time that they put into educating you.