Going to Class
by Sophiya Iftikhar '27
As temperatures continue to plummet, many of us must face one of the most difficult seasonal dilemmas in our academic lives: stay toasty under our weighted blankets in our double-padded memory foam beds or undertake the brutal trek to our 8am lectures. As someone who’s spent 3 semesters living in Orchard Hill (which might as well be named Everest in the winter), I cannot emphasize the number of times I’ve fallen victim to the siren call of skipping classes. Especially when the trade-off appears to be looking like a marshmallow and falling flat on my back after failing to dodge black ice on the way down.
That said, we must resist the urge to skip. Regardless of credit hours and course difficulty, attending classes is one of the easiest ways you can stay on top of coursework (especially if you’ve been slacking off on studying on your own time.) Although I'm far from being the first to suggest this (as this advice is one of the first things Professors say during syllabus week) I acknowledge that it’s an increasingly tough pill to swallow. End of semester burnout and tundra weather conditions aside, time and time again, I, and other students recycle the same excuses: “attendance isn’t mandatory/the slides are uploaded on canvas/It’s too early.”
While giving in is tempting, going to class and paying attention for that 1h15 period will ultimately serve you despite these difficulties. Why? Merely exposing yourself to the content in spurts throughout the week will save you time studying or completing coursework by streamlining content application (google spaced practice). Sure, you could flip through the slides on your own time but in doing so you run the risk of missing midterm hints, core-questions that’ll come up later, or even the psyche of your professor (sometimes learning how to tailor an answer gets you over that one or two mark line to an A). Yes, even if their teaching style doesn’t resonate with you, showing effort might foster a positive working relationship with your professor/TA’s and allow for some grading/late submission leniency (true story).
Although I’d argue simply being in-class will allow you to experience these benefits to some extent, actively being attentive will take you that extra mile. I know this is easier said than done, luckily there are two good-starting points: not sitting at the back of class and eliminating as many distractions as possible. Speaking from personal experience, sitting at the front not only allows me to hear much better, but it also makes me more conscious of behaviors like checking my phone or switching tabs to play the NYT crossword (simulates surveillance). Furthermore, although I am admittedly not the best in-class notetaker, I find jotting down terms or even content-specific “doodling” to be better for retention than taking notes on my laptop.
Of course, different strategies work for different people, so you’re at liberty to engage in trial-and-error where you see fit. Regardless of what you choose, going that extra mile to be present and engaged will always be to your benefit. If that includes investing in a pair of fuzzy slip-ons or a wool-robe on standby, so be it.
Stay warm out there, Happy trekking!