I was wondering if you received an update from the student in which the blog was written about.

I haven’t heard from him recently. But if I do, I’ll definitely post a follow-up. Typically I find that student transitions are rarely dramatic. Usually lots of small steps (and back steps) en route to an utlimately different lifestyle.

I was wondering if you received an update from the student in which the blog was written about.

Was your advice taken to heart and was there a significant improvement in marks?

Thanks

This article is getting handed out to my freshman calculus classes this fall right alongside the syllabus.

Thanks Robert, that means a lot coming from someone of your academic stature.

Although I agree that one experience doesn’t necessarily prove a generalization, my instinct tells me that there’s a lot of truth to this. Hours don’t necessarily equal great grades. Can I add a couple suggestions of my own?

Good stuff…

The whole purpose of going to any class is to reduce the amount of studying you need to understand the material and get an A.

Vincent, your summary of your work habits is a great snapshot of the type of student lifestyle pushed here on Study Hacks. Well done!

1) If you’re having a hard time on tests despite serious studying, talk with your TA or teacher. Maybe you’re having a hard time understanding what you’re studying.
2) If it’s memorization you need, use memory tricks, rather than repetition alone, to memorize.
3) If it’s writing, start early and take lots of breaks.

What else is there to do with your time in the early morning besides have fun alone? Is there anything that happens in the morning that might benefit your resume that would make skipping class worth it? Any clubs meeting? Not really. Any people socializing? Most likely not. Any big things going on around campus in the morning? Sorry, try the weekends or after dark. Nothing else really happens around campus except for classes. What are you gaining except the thrill of having fun (which can be done anytime), 15 seconds of fame when you tell someone how you’re a hotshot who can skip class and still get by, and, if you care about your grade, probably an obligation to study MORE than people who went to class because you don’t know what’s important in the reading.

The one instance where skipping probably harms you less is in certain science classes where you just go over the textbook rather than introduce new material, and you get plenty of extra feedback in the form of homework, quizzes, and review sessions over key problem sets. Another might be classes which podcast their lectures (I know of some Med Schools which are doing this), but I don’t see this as “skipping” class, just attending class whenever you want to.

@Joshua “I know there are plenty out there like myself who won’t give you an A, or even a high B, if you don’t have good attendance”

Yes this has happened to a few people I’ve known who have skipped class, EVEN when class attendance is not “required” and participation doesn’t make up part of your grade.

I know not all professors are as revealing and transparent about how grades are awarded, etc., as I am, and that’s a real shame. But I know there are plenty out there like myself who won’t give you an A, or even a high B, if you don’t have good attendance. It’s all about participation. I don’t give points just for showing up either just to force people to come to class. I expect discussion, participation in group exercises, etc., from my students. This is 10 percent of their grade for each unit.