<p>how do professors usually handle students who miss or skip class? this is because i just found out i wont be able to go to class at all on the second day of classes (court date for a speeding ticket...) and im afraid i may miss the important stuff that comes at the beginning.</p>
<p>...maybe i should just pay the 140 dollar fine and go to class.</p>
<p>Most professors don't care if you miss class. And if they do care, then they usually allow 3 or so free absences for the semester.</p>
<p>Usually, unless it's a lab class, the teacher probably won't mind and in some classes might not even notice. But since it'll be only the second day of classes I would contact the teachers and let them know, as some schools will drop you if you miss the first few days of class.</p>
<p>Do you have a drop/add or shopping period during the first week of class? If so, your absence probably won't count toward a total (since there are people who could not come all week and add the class on the last possible day, and it would be unfair to punish them). Try to find out your prof's e-mail and let them know now though, both as a courtesy and so you can possibly figure out what you're missing!</p>
<p>yeah, i missed my first two days of classes this past fall semester (funeral).. i just shot an email to my profs (most of them i knew from previous semesters) and everything was fine.</p>
<p>depending on how large your class is, the profs may care--don't skip without a good reason/excuse in a class of 12, but in a class of 312, you could probably get away with it. Remember though, you're spending an obscene amount of money to be there.</p>
<p>A day of college classes is probably worth more than $140...</p>
<p>i don't think skipping class is a problem. I mean, if you skip to sleep all day - that's not good.. that's a waste of money. but if you skip for a reason (funeral, court, etc) it's fine.. and your professor's won't have a problem with that. those are "excused" absenses. </p>
<p>it also depends on your relationship with the professor.. for example, i missed my one art class quite a few times - because i did all the work at my apartment. I actually didn't go for two weeks once because i was working on my project at home rather than in class. my prof was fine with it, and i got an A. but since you don't know the prof's and it's the beginning you should just shoot them an email.</p>
<p>if you are guilty of whatever the ticket is for, it probably is not worth skipping class to go to court. They might knock something off the $140 just to appease you so you don't insist on a trial (which would be another day of missing classes to go back to court). But they are unlikley to knock off the whole $140 if you're guilty. The cost to you of skipping class is really just the amount of the discount, maybe $70. Not worth skipping class IMO.</p>
<p>If money is no object, you could hire a lawyer to handle your ticket and then you wouldn't have to appear in court at all. They can also get your charge reduced. Most handle traffic tickets at a flat fee of a couple hundred dollars, sometimes more, sometimes less (I work in a traffic attorney's office).</p>
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A day of college classes is probably worth more than $140...
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<p>Somebody did the calculations once and discovered that, given MIT tuition, each lecture missed here results in $96 "wasted". :)</p>
<p>just email the professors, and you'll be fine. If it's a big class, you don't even have to do that, unless you want to get any papers you miss.</p>
<p>molliebatmit</p>
<p>I did a calculation like that for my school... that's when I decided not to skip class anymore to sleep (skip the 9am, and get up for 10am). I was like... *** am I doing. I'm throwing away money.</p>
<p>but if you email the prof, don't say "I had to go to court for a speeding ticket." He'll start to judge you already...</p>
<p>thing is my parents really want me to go to court for this because the odds are i will get it reduced or probation, given that this is my first ticket. also i will get 2 points on my drivers license, which in turn might increase my car insurance rates by a whole lot, at least according to my parents, so im starting to think i should at least try to get the points reduced in court. the classes i would miss are 2 large lectures (microeconomics and psychology).</p>
<p>its only the first day or so of class, so it's not a big deal...</p>
<p>I'm not sure if it's true for all universities, but for virtually all of my courses the material covered in the first few days (especially in psychology) is just course policies and overviews of the course. If there's a syllabus given out at that first class, you should be able to read up on what you missed (or make a friend and eventually get a copy of the notes for the day if you really want) and not have any issues.</p>
<p>For moving violation, you might be able to take a class to get the points removed or whatever.</p>
<p>Some you can do online. Cost about 45dollars. Don't know what state you are in, but that is something in California</p>
<p>What pkp said. The first few days are VERY laid back, especially in HUGE classes. Just skip and go to the court. E-mail the profs if you have guilt conscience...</p>
<p>"but if you email the prof, don't say "I had to go to court for a speeding ticket." He'll start to judge you already..."</p>
<p>... so just say "I will not be able to be in class on X day due to an event outside of my control, and I would appreciate it if I could set up another time to come up to pick up and handouts that are given out that day. Thank you."</p>
<p>You'll get your syllabus on the first day, and that should tell you about the attendance policy. I don't recommend e-mailing the professor, since that's rather impersonal and shows some immaturity on your part. I would simply talk to the professor after the first class and let them know about the absence, or preferably visit them during office hours a few days before classes start and let them know then.</p>
<p>Also, it goes without saying, but be sure to ask about any material that will be covered in class on the day you miss, and also about any assignments you will need to make up. Even if you won't be given credit for late assignments, do them anyway as they're important for the learning process and also show commitment and maturity on your part.</p>