17 Reasons Why You Should Go to Class in College

17 Reasons Why You Should Go to Class in College Some days it can be flat-out impossible to find the motivation to go to class. Its a lot easier to come up with reasons not to: You havent had enough sleep, you just need a break, you have other things to do, theres something more exciting going on, the professor is bad, the professor wont notice, you wont miss anything - or you just dont want to go. Even if all of these excuses are true, its important to take a step back and gain some perspective about why going to class in college really does matter. 1. Skipping Class Is a Big Waste of Money Lets say your tuition costs $5,600 this semester. If youre taking four courses, thats $1,400 per course. And if youre in class 14 weeks each semester, thats $100 a week per class. Lastly, if your course meets twice a week, youre paying a whopping $50 for each class. Youre paying that $50 whether or not you go, so you might as well get something out of it. (And if youre going to an out-of-state public school or a private school, youre probably paying way more than $50 per class.) 2. Youll Regret It If You Dont Going to class is like  going to the gym: Youll feel guilty if you dont go but awesome if you do. You know how, on some days, its nearly impossible to make yourself hit the gym? But on the days when you do go, youre always glad you did? Going to class often works the same way. You might lack the motivation at first, but it nearly always pays off later. Make yourself feel proud all day for going instead of guilty all day for not. 3. Today Could Be the Day You Learn Something Life-Changing Your professor might mention an organization that sounds interesting. Later, youll look it up, decide you want to volunteer for it, and ultimately land  a job after graduation. Does that seem far-fetched? Maybe. Maybe not. You never know when inspiration will strike in college.  Set yourself up for it by going to class and keeping an open mind about what kinds of things you can learn about and fall in love with. 4. Remember That Youre Here Because You Want to Be Is college easy and lovely and enjoyable all the time? Of course not. But you went to college because you wanted to, and there are a lot of students out there who dont have the opportunity to do what youre doing. Remember its a privilege to be working toward a college degree, and not going to class is a waste of your good fortune. 5. Youll Learn What You Need to Know You never know when your professor is going to drop that critical sentence in the middle of the lecture: This will be on the exam. And if youre home in bed instead of in a seat in class, youll never know how important todays lesson really was. 6. Youll Find Out What You Dont  Need to Know Conversely, your professor may say something along the lines of This is important for you to read and understand, but it wont be part of the upcoming midterm. Thatll come in handy later when youre deciding where to focus your efforts when studying. 7. You Might Learn Something Interesting Maybe youre only taking the course to meet a graduation requirement, but you just might - gasp! - learn something interesting in class today.   8. You Can Socialize Before and After Class Even if youre still wearing your pajama pants and barely make it to class on time, youll likely still have a minute or two to catch up with some friends. And even if you just commiserate about how youre still recovering from the weekend, the camaraderie can be nice. 9. Itll Actually Save You Time When Youre Studying Later Even if your professor just goes over the reading, that kind of review will help solidify things in your mind. Which means the hour you spent in class reviewing material is one less hour you have to spend studying later. 10. You Can Ask Questions   College is different than high school in a lot of ways, including the fact that the material is more difficult. Consequently, asking questions is an important part of your education. And its much easier to ask questions of your professor or TA when youre in class than when youre home trying to catch up on what you missed. 11. You Can Get Face Time With Your Professor While it may not seem important now, its incredibly helpful for your professor to know you - and vice versa. Even if he or she doesnt interact with you much, you never know how your class attendance might benefit you later. If, for example, you need help with a paper or are close to failing the class, having the professor know your face when you go talk to him or her down the road can definitely help you make your case. 12. You Can Get Face Time With Your TA Its important for you to make yourself familiar to your TA, too. TAs can be great resources - theyre often more accessible than a professor, and if you have a good relationship with them, they could be your advocate with the professor.   13. Youll Get Some Exercise Getting There If you dont think your brain can get anything out of going to class, maybe your body can. If youre walking, biking or using some other kind of body-powered transportation to get around campus, youll at least get some exercise from going to class today. And thats a good reason to go, right? 14. You Can Talk to That Certain Someone Is class for your academic pursuits? Definitely, and those should always take priority. But it doesnt hurt if just so happen to be taking a class with a person you want to get to know better. Even if you both are commiserating about what else youd rather be doing, neither of you would be talking with each other if you didnt show up for class today. 15. Youll Be More Prepared for Upcoming Work Its hard to be prepared for upcoming assignments if you dont go to class on a regular basis. Can you wing it? Maybe. But the amount of time you spend trying to undo the damage youve done by skipping class is likely much more than the amount of time you would have spent just going to class in the first place. 16. You Might Actually Enjoy Yourself You went to college to expand your mind, learn all kinds of new information, learn how to think critically and live an examined life. And once youre done with college, you may never again get to spend so much time doing those things. So even on the days when its super hard to find a reason to go to class, persuade yourself to go by reminding yourself how much you enjoy learning. 17. You Want to Graduate Dont you? Because that might be difficult if you get bad grades, which is more likely to happen if youre not going to class. Remember: Investing in a college education is only worthwhile if you actually get the degree. And if you have student loans, theyre going to be a lot harder to pay back if youre not benefitting from the higher earning potential that comes with a college degree.