So here is my dilemma... I am going home on Friday, normally I would go to my 9am discussion, hang around then go to my spanish class at 3 and drive the 100 miles home after class. But here is the idea I came up with. So for my discussion class we are allowed one free absence, which I haven't used yet. But why would I miss discussion Friday morning, if I still had to stay til Friday afternoon for Spanish? It would only make sense that I would just miss discussion and spanish and go home Thursday night. But on Thursday night I have a salsa class til 8, and I don't want to leave that late so I'd miss that. And the only other class I have on Thursdays is my film class, and all we are doing is watching a movie. So why would I stay an extra day just to watch a movie I could easily rent and watch at home? Which means I could just leave Wednesday night and have a nice long relaxing weekend at home. Which is what I've really been wanting.

The only problem is, I've already missed spanish twice and so if I miss a third time they reduce my grade by 1%. So the question is...should I skip my classes (where I really wouldn't be missing anything) and lose 1% of my spanish grade to gain 2 extra days at home?

The moral answer is no...but if I'm really not missing much I think its worth it. It will help rejuvinate and remotivate me to finish out the rest of the term strong...

I've been there. Trust me; 4 years of college lead to a lot of these dilemmas.

My thoughts....are you going to regret later on that 1% loss. I completely understand wanting to be with family, and if you think it is honestly going to help you then go for it. However, if you think later you will end up regretting missing those classes then leave friday later on and enjoy the time with your family all the same.

Either way I hope you have fun with your family.

I guess it depends on how well you are doing in Spanish doesn't it? You'd be missing your Salsa too which I assume is good exercise. Are you going to do that at home?

How far are you in the quarter/semester? What happens if you end up missing more days?

If it was ME...I'd enjoy the long weekend. I really think it's ok to take some time for yourself every so often. Especially if you've been keeping up on work, have been stressed out, etc...just make sure you know what you're going to miss in your class, or let your instructor know beforehand that you'll be missing. They may pardon you for letting them know in advance.

But I say enjoy yourself! Enjoy your family! Especially if you don't see them very often.

Wow, your professors let you off easy! My husband teaches at a University and after 3 absences he drops a student's grade by a whole letter. A 1% drop is really nothing, as long as your grade is fairly good.

This really is something you need to weigh for yourself. My personal thought is that time shouldn't be taken off just for fun. If you REALLY need the break that is one thing, but Spring break isn't too far off either. You just never know what the future holds and what if you get sick and need those absences for later in the semester/quarter? That's something to think about. Ultimately, only you can make the choice for yourself.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

um.. I don't think you'd like my answer but I would stay.. I'm a bit nerdy and hardly ever miss a class unless I'm really sick..

I would definately take off on wednesday. There are more important things in life than a 1% better grade in ONE class (even if its one more day with family.)

What about if....you missed Spanish and worked on some spanish homework over the weekend? I guess to balance out the guilt of missing it!

For myself, I would always just skip, 1% is just that 1%. I could be totally off here but I am going to guess that Spanish isn't the most important course of your course load so as long as you make it out with a decent grade, no biggie.

What happens if you miss a 4th time, and how many classes are left in the semester? What happens if you get the flu next week, or your car breaks down on the way to class? What kind of tests does the professor give, and is there a lot of ambiguous or arbitrary aspects of the grade? For example is class participation graded? Are there essay portions on the exams? I think the answers to these questions really determines the best course of action.

In college I had a philosophy professor who claimed that attendance was not part of the grade. His tests were mostly essay. Luckily, I had a girl sitting in front of me who had taken (and failed) the class the semester before and she tipped me off that the professor penalized students on papers and essay questions if they missed class. When I got my first paper back (even though I hadn't missed a class) I got a D. I'd never gotten a D in my life, and another student told me that she had heard that if you asked him to review your paper before turning it in, you got a better grade (I learned by trial and error that if I asked him to review a paper once I got a B, and if I asked him to review my revisions I got an A).

I know that when I taught college classes, attendance did affect my perception of a student, and while I tried not to let it influence my perception of the student's work, I'm not sure that I was completely successful, just as I'm sure my philosophy professor didn't realize he was grading based on a kiss-up factor, but the kiss-up factor can't be dismissed.

I was thinking exactly what kaplods did, what happens for the next class you miss. See my university was very lax and most classes did not have any attendence policy at all. That was also because most of the classes were over 250 students.

Either way, just be sure you are 100% positive on your decision

Yeah, if your university is on the same calendar system as mine, there's still most of the semester left. Taking that 1% off might not seem like a big deal NOW, but what if you end up missing classes between now and the rest of the semester due to some big deal that prevents you from getting to class, like a personal crisis, illness, car problems, etc. I wouldn't risk it, but that's just me.