Attendance In College

Many students will be doing their best this year to attend every one of their classes, postmaster-style (rain or shine, sleet or snow),believing that if the professor sees their shining faces gleaming at the front row of ever lecture they can win their professor's hearts into giving them good grades for attendance. However, the important part of Ð''getting the grade' is getting one the student deserves from a well written essay or a correctly done test paper.

When the professor (or most likely the TA) goes to grade the student's assignments he/she will most likely be grading without actually knowing which student's work it is. What that means is that the grade will come from the finished product alone. The reason for grading papers this way is so that there will not be any prejudices towards any of the students and they can focus on the assignment's craftsmanship rather than how well they like (or dislike) the person being graded. Being onetime to class everyday will not make much of an impact if the student has turned in a poorly written paper with no handle on the subject matter.

To really do well in the class, students must put forth more effort than just simply showing up. A very large percentage of learning comes from outside the classroom's four walls (homework is the subject at hand here). The professor assigns extra out-of-class work for more than the amusement of frustrated students. The homework is given as a tool to decode what is being said in the lectures as well as a guide to understanding the subject and what the students will be tested on later. Another good idea for students to try is to make use of classroom time as well. Taking notes and becoming an active participant in the lectures help the students familiarize themselves with the subject being discussed.

Attendance is very important part of doing well in class but it is still only a part of the learning process as a whole.