<p>to attend one of my lectures. Why, you may ask, am I considering no longer going to a class that I am essentially paying 1 grand for? Today was a prime example. The professor is quite boring, so that's problem number 1. However, I know that not all of my classes will be extremely interesting, so that's a problem that's not too big of a deal to me. The one that bothers me the most is the heat and stuffiness of the lecture room. The lecture room feels like 85 degrees in some places of the room and closer to 90 in areas where a little bit of sunlight goes through. The class is also filled to the brim with students (there are students sitting on the ground because the 200 seats are at full capacity) so there is no room for anyone to cool off, let alone move. This also leads to a not so pleasant, peculiar smell in the room, because all of the kids are quite literally sweating it out. Not only that, but my allergies flared up a bit today so I walked out 10 minutes into the lecture and it felt so good outside in the rest of the building and outside.</p>
<p>I'm probably being a baby about this since the rest of the 200 students seem to be tolerating this just fine, but I find it difficult if not impossible to learn in an environment like this one. I'm sure multiple students have already consulted the professor and the TA about this, because he has commented that he is trying to get the AC fixed. So since there's almost nothing the professor can do to fix anything at this point, I guess I'm just ranting.</p>
<p>Has anyone else had any situation or circumstance that led them to not attending class/lectures for a brief, or even long, period of time?</p>
<p>If you can learn the material on your own, don’t go to lecture, especially if the professor isn’t very good. It’s really that simple. Learning doesn’t have to occur in a lecture hall, and at the end of the day, it’s just important to learn the material and get credit for learning it. It’s nice when the professor is an expert in his field and a great lecturer, in which case it’s valuable to go to class. But if not, why bother?</p>
<p>If you’re not getting anything out of lecture, then it’s fine not to go. There were classes that I never went to except for exams, and I did perfectly fine.</p>
<p>That being said, if you do get something out of the class or you would otherwise like to go because you’re paying for it, then you could try to just keep cool during class. Is this a lecture hall that’s kind of like an auditorium or movie theater where the back is higher up than the front? If that’s the case, try to sit near the front of the room (lower in the room), which may be cooler. In many of the lecture halls where I went to school, the front of the room was significantly cooler than the back of the room. Sitting on edges might also help, rather than sitting in the middle where you’re surrounded by other people. Also, bring a nice cool drink with some ice in it might help to keep you cool. If the smell really bothers you, put a little bit of lotion or something under your nose so you can smell that instead.</p>
<p>Talk to the professor and ask if they have called maintenance to do something about the temperature in the room.
Also, are there windows? Can you open them?</p>
<p>If it’s really uncomfortable to the point where it is making it difficult to concentrate then I would definitely escalate the issue with the professor after class. You don’t know if there is an actual problem with the heating/cooling system or if the professor just prefers the temperature a certain way, so don’t get too confrontational about it. If he/she blows off your concern then talk to someone higher up in the department (or a dean).</p>
<p>Chances are other students feel the same way you do about the classroom being uncomfortable, but are either more tolerant to uncomfortable environments than you are, or figure someone else will bring it up at some point.</p>