College chronic absenteeism can be avoided

Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer

To anyone who thinks missing a day of class wouldn’t affect you, you are sorely mistaken. Chronic absenteeism is already plaguing college life without us even realizing it.

Chronic absenteeism is when students miss 3 weeks of school or more during an academic year, which can make them fall behind in their classes and possibly drop out of the university if their grades are not up to par for passing. 

This educational crisis has only gotten worse during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When schools were reopening back in 2021, I remember coming to high school and seeing almost half of the seats in the classroom empty, as some of the students had chosen to stay home and attend via Zoom. 

At the time, no one gave it a second though. Classes were more intimate, there were shorter lines during lunch and no one had to worry about going from class to class by weaving through massive crowds. 

Now looking back, I can tell this had a massive impact on college students who indulged in chronic absenteeism during their high school years.

Students need to assess the dangers of chronic absenteeism, as the training wheels of life are being taken off in stages throughout their academic careers. If they were comfortable with it during high school, it quickly becomes second nature in college.

By the time students reach college, they’re practically on their own since teachers aren’t going to be keeping tabs on them on adhering to assignment deadlines and coming to class. Those students become complacent with this behavior and are in for a rude awakening if they receive a dismissal from the university.

Being late to school or not showing up at all without any explanation isn’t an excuse to risk being kicked out, dealing with the money wasted on their education and being fired from their job because they didn’t show up on time or at all.

I understand that students come into college under different circumstances and may come across scheduling conflicts with classes, jobs and other adult responsibilities. 

However, it is vital now more than ever that time management be a priority for any college student.

One way of managing your time is organizing a weekly schedule and keeping track of it. Write down what times your classes are and plan your other appointments and work hours around them. It doesn’t have to be perfect and these plans are subject to change, but a rough idea of how your week is going to look is a good start to managing your time. 

It also helps to arrive at the class building about half an hour before the class starts, so there’s no rush in coming into class and you’re better prepared to learn.

Don’t wait until the last minute to take action and fight the absentee habits. You won’t regret showing up earlier than not at all.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.