North Texas Daily

Many classes in college still require attendance to be mandatory.

If a class has mandatory attendance, it usually entails a certain number of absences before crucial consequences are put into place for the student. For example, my communication class states if you miss a total of five absences in the class, you will be kicked out of the course, earning no credit for it.

But why exactly is attendance still required in some college classes?

College is all about placing sole responsibility onto the student and managing your time efficiently. It’s about making sure you set aside the right amount of time you need to keep up with all of your required work. Most students are enrolled in more than one course, usually ranging from 12, 15, to even 21 hours — for the real brave students out there.

If you are enrolled in the average 15 hours — or five classes — and three of your classes require you to show up when the class is held, are you more likely to show up just to the classes that require mandatory attendance, or all of them all the time?

I would sure like to sit here and tell you I would show up to all of them, all the time, but I am afraid I would be a liar.

Look, we all have those days where we need a mental break or a sick day, and sometimes we just do not always show up to every class. I, myself would certainly make sure to go to the classes that require attendance more than the ones who do not.

However, like I said previously, whether you go to class or not is your own decision.

You pay for each class in tuition, so if you don’t want to go, it’s your own money you are essentially wasting.

As the semester continues, students begin showing up less and less, even though attendance is oftentimes mandatory.

Just pay attention to the surrounding seats in the classroom and see how many are left unfilled as each week progresses on. But, I strongly believe if all classes had optional attendance, I am positive the attendance rate would either go up, or stay consistent like the first few weeks of the semester. Students then would not being forced to attend a class simply because the professor requires attendance to be mandatory.

Featured Image: Illustration by Austin Banzon