<p>Placing a cap on absences is not stupid. It prevents what otherwise happens too often in college courses -s tudents get in the habit of skipping then start to cry when they realize they’re getting bad grades on their papers and failing their finals and getting academic probation because they didn’t come to class. And frankly, going to class is your job in college. You need to do it, unless you’re unwell. Missing 7 classes is a lot, unless you have a medical condition. </p>
<p>You can talk to your prof, but if she doesn’t want to change then that doesn’t make her a bad person or a bad professor. You signed up for the course having read the syllabus and understood what’s expected of you. If you choose not to live up to those expectations, that’s fine, but there are consequences.</p>
<p>This isn’t a mistake that you can “fix”. You had too many absences and there isn’t really anything you can do about it. You should have gone to class.</p>
<p>Your dean probably won’t do anything. They only interfere as others have said if the prof did something egregious, like violated school policy or behaved in an inapprorpriate way towards a student (by the way, I wouldn’t tell your Dean that your prof “doesn’t like you” they hear that all the time and it will automatically udnermine your case.)</p>
<p>Did you try to email your professor? It’s not ideal but at least it helps you communicate. Or you can email her and ask if the two of you could speak on the phone about it.</p>
<p>“She never liked me even during the beginning of the sem because i asked her if i could just pass the course (it was an advisor that suggest me to ask her)”</p>
<p>If you can test out of the course (if this is a Gen. Ed class) then why didn’t you do that before you enrolled in the class? Your adviser should have known this and it seems weird that your adviser would suggest you ask a teacher that.</p>
<p>Anyway, did you miss class for a legit reason (serious illness or death in the family)? Most professors are good with working with the student in those cases. If you just missed bc you didn’t want to go then you’re probably not going to get anywhere with the professor or the dean. Honestly, what’s the point in going to college and PAYING for it if you never go to class?</p>
<p>Also, if you’re missing class for a medical condition, you should really talk to student services, they will work with the teachers/dept to accommodate you.</p>
<p>If you’re in sports and you’re missing class, then your team or coach should have given you a sheet to have the teacher sigh so she would know that you would be missing some classes.</p>
<p>@Miakaa – I think maybe the OP was saying that they wanted to take the class “Pass/Fail” instead of for a grade, not that they were able to test out of the course. Some students think asking this will make a prof dislike them because it sends the signal that the student isn’t really serious about the course or something. Which is baloney. Most profs don’t care. And I’m sure it’s not that this prof “didn’t like” the OP (which is a very high-school reaction to have to a teacher. They failed me because they hated me).</p>
<p>I doubt that the dean can do anything for you, especially since your professor’s syllabus clearly states her attendance policy. In fact, this might even work against you if/when your professor finds out that you went straight to the dean without speaking with her first. Have you tried emailing the professor and asking to meet with her? Of course, now that school’s over, you might have to wait until the beginning of the fall semester to resolve this issue.</p>
<p>“Placing a cap on absences is not stupid. It prevents what otherwise happens too often in college courses -s tudents get in the habit of skipping then start to cry when they realize they’re getting bad grades on their papers and failing their finals and getting academic probation because they didn’t come to class.”</p>
<p>Plenty of students get very good grades even while missing several lectures. Students learn in many ways, and it should be their responsibility to figure out the best way for them to learn and to get a solid grade. Failing students for not showing up places 100% emphasis on class attendance. If you think attendance is vital for learning and that not showing up equals poor work ethic, then make class participation/attendance PART of the grade, not the sole determinant. </p>
<p>If the syllabus clearly states that >3 absences = fail, then he deserves to fail. That doesn’t mean we can’t question the rules on the syllabus. Sounds like a classic case of the professor overvaluing attendance as an indicator of work ethic or understanding.</p>
<p>This is not like employment, where the employer pays the employee to perform and show up. The student is paying the university, and the student needs to decide what they’re paying for. It’s the professor’s responsibility to identify who learned the material.</p>
<p>Failing students for not showing up doesn’t put 100% emphasis on class attendance, any more than failing students for not taking a midterm places 100% emphasis on that midterm. The reason for both kinds of policy is the same: students can’t just blow off things they don’t think are important.</p>
<p>Not “any more,” correct. Both policies place 100% on one part of the curriculum–a test or class attendance–for particular students. Neither policy is reasonable; a student who gets an A on a midterm and a final and a 0 on a 2nd midterm because he/she missed it should have their test scores averaged, just like any other student who attended the 2nd midterm and got a 0. </p>
<p>So, yes, I agree, both policies should be prohibited. Different students shouldn’t be subject to different grading criteria, unless there’s a learning disability involved.</p>
<p>OP, I wouldn’t even think about going to the dean about this. If the syllabus clearly outlined the attendance policy from the beginning, you don’t have a leg to stand on. You’ll just make yourself look stupid. </p>
<p>Think about this…</p>
<p>What about the students who did adhere to the policy and dragged themselves to class every time it met? How would it be fair to them if you were granted special consideration and allowed to pass the course? </p>
<p>I’m sorry to be harsh, OP, but you made the choice to blow off the attendance policy. You should absolutely accept the consequences and use it as a learning experience. Next time, if you can’t abide by the attendance policy, drop the course and save yourself the headache.</p>
<p>Attendance policies in college irritate me. There is no A for effort in the real world, so college should be training you for that. Grades shouldn’t depend on attendance…</p>
<p>If you can make the grade without going to class, then good for you. You’re a superstar. If not, then go to class.</p>
<p>Indeed. My dad unfortunately had to fire someone because the person decided that he could just work from home whenever he felt like it without consulting anyone at the company.</p>
<p>How is this thread even still going on? I don’t think even the OP believes that there’s anything that CollegeConfidential can do about his bad choices.</p>