For my junior year for some classes I have up to 30 absences, and no solid reason for the absences. This year I have more than a week of absences for all my classes so far. does this make colleges think less of me ?
I guess it would depend on the attendance policy, if any, at your school. If they don’t have one and you are doing well than I guess it isn’t a problem. The real problem comes into play when you aren’t doing well and you seek help from the professor and he/she checks their attendance records and sees you have missed a substantial amount of class time. You are paying for classes just go to class. Don’t get into bad habits. Practice a good work ethic.
I’d like to clarify that I am a high school senior and am wondering if it’ll have substantial impact on my admissions chances
I’d like to clarify that I am a high school senior and am wondering if it’ll have substantial impact on my admissions chances
thank you so much… you have no idea the relief this brought me
If I were the AO, I would notice it. I’d assume that this trend would continue in college when there isn’t even a requirement to go to class but yet attendance is part of college success. My friend’s son missed a lot days of high school - sick, religious holidays, family vacations, something better to do. His grades weren’t top but his scores were and I feel his gpa kept him from some top school acceptances.
It can only be a negative to have a lot of absences, it can never be a positive.
Go to class.
actually, my absences gave me the space to complete the same exact work that my classmates were doing in the comfort of my own home and allowed me MORE time to study and do exercises! Misses test dates were easily rescheduled and I definitely did better and my gpa is higher as a result of my absences. Yeah, as a general rule absences are negative but theres no way colleges would think this if it’s not gonna be on file! I would suggest that more people do this (-;
Ask your guidance counselor for a copy of your HS transcript that will be sent to colleges and see if attendance is listed. Most schools don’t list it attendance on the transcript but some do. Your poor attendance history might also come up in a letter of recommendation. A ton of unexcused absences may raise a red flag with some admission officers. But at this point it is a done deal so there is no sense spending time worrying about something that cannot be changed.
I’d also note that it is a horrible idea to suggest that people skip school. If it works for you and your family that is not my business, but most students benefit greatly by being in taught material in a classroom setting.
This also won’t work in college. Professors don’t easily reschedule exams because you didn’t show up. More likely you will get a zero.
thats obvious but why would i not take advantage of my schools lenient policies! I just wanted to know if colleges would know, didnt really want criticism
But you took advantage of them in high school. What if everyone treated the teachers like you did? Five kids took Monday off to get work done at home, but then had to rearrange quizzes, and then Friday 15 kids were gone and missed the test. If you wanted to be homeschooled and set your own schedule, you should have done that. When you are part of an organization be it school or work, you have an obligation to show up when you are supposed to be there.
Maybe you’ll be lucky and all your college professors will feel like you do and only require you to be in class when you want to be there. Don’t count on it.
You asked the question so you realize that it might be a problem. My kids’ school included attendance, even tardies, on their transcripts. I don’t know if their colleges cared, but I do know that they rarely miss classes in college because they know that a lot goes on in class. And they are paying to be there so why waste that money? I was the mean mom who did not excuse my kids when they sniffled or were tired or wanted to go to a rock concert instead of school. When my daughter lost her district play offs, she was the only senior from her team in class the next day. She could have skipped, but I wasn’t excusing her.
My first thought was that your guidance counselor may mention the amount of unexcused absences (if they seem excessive) in his/her recommendation letter. Also, if you are required to send one or more teacher recommendation letters, the teacher(s) may mention the absences.
“…my absences gave me the space to complete the same exact work that my classmates were doing…”
That’s not college logic. Past and present choices are a hint of future actions. Plus, your thinking and maturity. You don’t get to make your own rules.
Many hs do show attendance on the transcript. It would be smart to change this behavior now.
It depends on two things. One is whether your absences are on your transcript which depends on the school. Secondly, without valid excuses as other posters have mentioned, it may appear in your recommendation letters without you even knowing. Colleges work on the principle of students attending class. Missed classes result in an F for the work you missed such as an exam or project that is due unless you have extenuating circumstances and even then there is no guarantee. Makeups in my experience do not exist past high school.
Depends on the school!
@lookingforward actually i feel like it is closer to college logic than not since it’s not the same classes daily in college and alot of work is studying and practice on your own? but i see where you’re coming from
@twoinanddone you must not know that homeschooling is a privilege that many cant afford… Yes I realized that colleges might see it as an issue but it’s not something that bothers me as I have already been accepted… Unlike college, in my classes in high school It’s very easy to make up for anything you miss since theyre 42 minute periods! I understand all of your thoughts and I never suggested that I missed test dates on purpose as I had times where I had to leave the country due to family death, and doctor appointments when i’d miss tests. I feel a sense of criticism within your comment and alot of peoples and id prefer if you’d stick to answering the question at hand and not judging ! thank u
@scubadive @FlippersMom Only one of my 3 letters of rec were from a teacher i had in class and they are aware of the situation that revolved around my absences, and the teacher is quite fond of me ! do you think they would still mention it? that makes me wonder but ive been accepted to university already so im not too stressed
There are classes that are daily in college depending on the school and major. In high school you have accountability to parents whereas in college there is no one. Hence if you cant make it to class in high school the likelihood you can in college diminishes. Class everyday can be easier than a three hour boring class twice a week.
@scubadive I personally have no accountability to parents when it comes to my attendance to school so I’m not worried about anything diminishing. Actually, my parents don’t even know where i’ve applied to college, have not payed for me to apply to college or send scores, or anything like that. If I decided based on boringness i’d probably actually never go to school, haha! Some of my absences make up for things I can’t control but also a lot are just my choice. I can’t imagine a productive 3 hour class, even if it’s boring, being worse than days of school where things are stretched out and often unproductive even at blue ribbon schools like mine!! Granted I’ve never gone to college yet so IDK but i’ll reflect back when it comes. I don’t regret my absences, but I was just wondering if it would make an impact on my acceptances (-: What will be will be, so i’m not too worried.