A Note from Dr. DeLoatch, Director of the Sociology Undergraduate Program

 

HOW TO FINISH YOUR SEMESTER STRONG!! 

Attending Class

It is absolutely vital that you attend class regularly. Missing a class should be a rare occurrence; something that happens at most once or twice a semester. If you miss class more than this, it will interfere with your learning and could have negative effects on your course performance and your grade.

 

A prerequisite to success in any endeavor is "showing up", and classes are no exception. If you're not showing up to class, you're forfeiting every opportunity provided to you in the classroom.

Benefits

Going to class does far more than simply giving you credit for attendance. Class attendance facilitates learning in a variety of ways, and here are just a few:

• Lectures and classes supplement reading assignments. Class gives you another perspective on the material besides just the textbook. Even if you think you already understand the material well, classes always add something new. The instructor may go over examples or applications you haven't seen, concepts in class may be presented in a different way than in the text, and student questions and discussion may elaborate on the material or provide new insights.
  
  
• Professors often use questions or class discussion to enhance critical thinking skills. Attending class can be an opportunity for you to engage the material with the guidance of the professor and the help of your classmates. A professor may pose a question or lead a discussion in class that directs you to make connections between concepts and helps you to think about the material in new ways.
  
  
• If you pay attention in class, you may be surprised by how much you can cut your study time later on. No textbook can explain something to you like another person can. Even if professors seem as though they are just going through the material in the book, there will always be added clarification and insights that you can discover in class. Time in class is one to two hours during which you are actively thinking about the material and practicing it.
  
  
• Your professor will emphasize the important concepts, giving you a better idea of what is important and what you should focus on. The professor is an expert on the material, and they design their lectures to organize the main ideas and extract the important concepts. Attending class and taking good notes can help you to put the ideas together and focus on what is important.
  
  
• Some professors are not very textbook oriented. Their lectures may be very different from the way the textbook presents the material, and class may be used to convey the professor's own viewpoints and perspectives. In a class like this, test questions will more than likely be based on lecture notes rather than the text, so attending class and taking good notes will be one of your best preparations for exams.
  
  
• Classes give you more interaction with the professor and other students in the class. Attending and participating in class shows the professor that you are a serious student who is taking responsibility for your education and making an effort to learn. This increases your interaction with faculty members, and raises the likelihood of finding mentors and role models who can help guide you in your academic, career, and personal development. In addition, class time is a chance to meet and interact with other students in your class. This can help you to form study groups or meet other students in your major.
  
  
• Taking your own notes during a class is more useful than getting a copy of someone else's notes (even the instructor's). In a recent study, only 8% of students reported that getting class notes from a missed class is as useful as attending class. Additionally, this 8% who thought borrowed notes were as good as going to class had significantly lower reported grade point averages than those who valued class attendance more. The act of attending class and writing down your own notes will help you to learn the material and solidify your understanding in a way that is much more effective than when you miss class and read someone else's notes.
  
  

 Skipping class can be a fast track to poor performance, increased stress and anxiety, and a low GPA. It is something you should avoid at all costs.

Best,

Dr. De Loatch

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Nicole De Loatch, Ph.D. 

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Maryland Population Research Center Faculty Affiliate