Missing a week of college as a freshman?

[AllyG47]

I'm currently a college student and my last semester is next fall. I have a 7-day cruise scheduled with my parents for the beginning of November and the week before we are going to Disney World. I'm taking 4 classes and I've already talked to my professors and they are fine with it. I have taken these same professors for other classes so they know I'm responsible. My classes are online so I can do the lectures and homework at the hotel. I think she will be just fine missing a week of classes. Just make sure she talks to the professors first. She might have to turn in some homework early or make up a test but most professors will be accommodating. It might be harder for her if she is taking a lot of science classes with lab. I took chemistry, calculus, geology, anthropology and physics my first semester as a freshman and it was a nightmare. That was the only semester that I didn't get on the dean's list.

[funfamilyfun]

My high schooler doesn't want to miss a day of school because he has too much work to make up. I wouldn't want to miss a week? I think it's early to tell if her work load will be easy or hard. There could be something exciting going on at her school that weekend. I guess I would suggest waiting for her spring break.

[raylene5]

IMHO, Bad Idea! :eek: The profs may not know if she's there but to make up a week's worth of college is huge!!! Go in August before school starts or winter break in January. She won't know how stressful or challenging the semester will be until she's there. My son is a college freshman and I can't imagine him missing an entire week.

 

I agree. Missing a whole week of college work is A LOT to make up. We would have entire novels assigned in one week...sometimes even less than a week. And October would be around mid-terms, no? Some professors might notice and might take attendance, some might not. But again, the main concern would be the amount of work to make up.

[rae.holmes]

I intend no disrespect but I am guessing you are not at one of TX academically competitive Universities, A & M comes to mind. You are right the professors might not notice if you are gone but you are totally expected to make up all missed work on your own.

 

My college freshman daughter just missed one full week from the U of Ark, (go Razorbacks) due to illness, multiple tests and a procedure. She is in the Honors College and has notified her professors and offered medical documentation but her Honors Philosophy Professor will not offer any additional instruction and DD was told to get notes from someone in her class, well, she does not know anyone in her class... so how is she to know which notes she can rely on?

 

DS is at Texas A & M and has only missed three days in the past 3 yrs, one due to the stomach flu... tried to make it to class but got sick along the way :p and the other two were because he was representing A & M at a national conference on Emergency Medicine/Medics at the Collegiate level. Both DD and DS would never miss a week willingly, just too great a cost academically.

 

Just a note that DD is hoping to get accepted at A & M as a transfer student but she knows how competitive the admission process is so this past week that she has missed at U of Ark carries a great price, so we'll see how it turns out.

 

My input is... if the University is academically competitive, DO NOT DO IT, but if it is a 2 year/junior/community college you will probably be fine, but I would hate to make that decision for my student because we did not anticipate our DD wanting to transfer to A & M, she was so against it in the beginning, but now she is thankful she has good grades and has the opportunity to go to such an academically prestigious University.

 

Just my thoughts as the mother of 2 college students ;)

 

I do go to a "academically competitive" school by the way, it seems your family has Maroon stuck in their eyes so that tends to cloud peoples judgments! And no the professor shouldnt need to provide any additional instruction, your daughter is in at least her fourth month of college and doesnt know anyone in her class! You dont have to be best friends with someone or even know their name as a matter of a fact. The OP's daughter will not fail a class just for missing, what is likely, three days of class! (if shes on a MWF schedule) You people are so judging have you not been listing to what the OP has been saying!? Her child is leaving for college this is at least for the next three years the last time they will have a chance to vacation together!

Edited April 2, 2011 by rae.holmes

[JenzyKY]

No way would I have missed a whole week of school!! College is WAY more work than any high school. It would take forever to make up the work if it was even possible. I honestly do not think I would have had any fun on a week cruise the middle of my first semester freshman year. That's already a really stressful time.

[KMSnevit]

This is a very bad decision. You should not schedule the cruise for this time. Surprise her and give her the itinerary for a cruise DURING HER BREAK. That would be a fantastic gift and something she could look forward to.

 

The issue is not "would the teachers be understanding" the question is are you putting your daughter at a disadvantage during this time. I can tell you, without doubt, that if I had missed a week of school at my University, I would have been at a serious disadvantage and could not have succeeded at the level I graduated by missing a week. Not the way you want your daughter to start her college career.

 

Skip the cruise in October and choose a time that works better for her.

Edited April 2, 2011 by KMSnevit

[uniondiva]

my dd and ds are in college. one dd, is at a private, very competitve academic school.she is always concerned about workload,... no way would she miss and all of the adjustments of freshmen year..???. ds is at a community college but has classes where attendance is critical. btw, we are doing a cruise in may after finals...it is a great way to bond with my young adult children. DD loves cruising and our time together. She hangs at the dance club, goes to the comedy shows and the spa....i am just saying...after college her perspective could change!

[alexieb]

Honestly I'd wait for a break. As a college freshman myself (WAY OLDER college freshman, by hey!) I sceduled this last cruise during my Spring Break. It overlapped ONE day which one professor had assigned a multiple choice online quiz, luckily he was very accomodating about allowing my test to stay open until I returned (had to do the test on my way HOME :( ) But he also offered a friendly reminder that he didn't HAVE to allow me to makeup this test.

 

I am assuming she is fulltime? She could miss alot of assignments. Most professors would probally let her makeup material and some might even give her assignments ahead of time but that would be up to each individual.

 

Also some professors really stick to the "hours" in class rules and only allowed the acceptable amount of absenses. Again, this will vary depending on the individual, sadly.

 

I will say that I take my elementry school aged kids out for 7 days every year to go to Disneyworld. They are allowed to make up all work and are all very good students. I have never gotten any grief from our school system for doing so. So its entirely up to you as a parent. :)

 

I would love a break for a cruise about right now!!!

 

If she is taking college algebra or something like that, missing even one class would be detrimental her grades. It is very difficult to catch up on math as each step is built on what you learned in the previous step. I am in my third semester of college math and have never missed a class. It's SO not fun to play catch up.

[pafam4]

Of course OP will make the decision best for her and her daughter, however, I know that I could not take my son out of college (or high school) for a week, for a couple of reasons. First, he's only in high school and due to the amount of work and group projects, he would fall so far behind. And he is a bright kid, but you just can replace those classroom hours. At least not in his school. Secondly, he would not consider it a happy surprise, because he would know all the work, tests, quizzes he'd be missing. Knowing my kids, they would much rather go on a vacation when they had no schoolwork hanging over their heads. They can just relax and enjoy!

 

Professors do take attendance and do grade lower based on multiple absences.

[BallFour4]

Please listen to a Provost of a University, as well as a parent of a college aged child. Don't do it. A semester is only 13-14 weeks. Your daughter will be missing significant time. I know many of my Professors would not tolerate this absense and the work can not be made up easily. Also, if she is part of a "group project" her team will be hindered as well-and believe me her peers will "rat her out" as not pulling her weight in a group. I use groups as examples because a lot of Freshman classes utilize group work for team building. Many classes have projects that are due weekly, as well as quizes weekly. www Freshman English classes have journaling that is due weekly and many due daily as well. Yes, many Professors expect work to be turned in electronically, BUT why risk your daughter not being able to have her work submitted while on a ship.

And as a parent, why would you want to have your daughter miss college? This is the greatest time of her life. What if she wants to rush a Sorority? What if she wants to write for the school newspaper? What if she has the best roommates in the world and doesn't want to miss that bonding time? This is her time to SOAR, to find herself, to have professors learn her name, to meet a cute guy, to hate the food, to gossip late at night with a roommate, to cry because she is worried she did horribly on a test/paper. She will have many more birthdays mom, but missing that much time at University is very much frowned upon.

Just my 2 cents, but and "educated" 2 cents

 

This might well be the best reply on this thread. At the very least it is the best so far. The first half is is the real advice, the second is meant to entertain us a little.

 

I hold an advanced degree and have one in her final year of a tough degree plan. In my era and my daughters university this is a potential for a mess to a first year of your investment in time, talent and treasure.

 

The patterns many freshman set determine if they will graduate in four years. College is a big deal, it comes on fast and heavy. Is it possible you are offering an outlet for not taking your academics serious?

 

Put some value on the education and go on vacation when the semester is over.

 

My opinion...

Edited April 2, 2011 by blusry

[pafam4]

I'm currently a college student and my last semester is next fall. I have a 7-day cruise scheduled with my parents for the beginning of November and the week before we are going to Disney World. I'm taking 4 classes and I've already talked to my professors and they are fine with it. I have taken these same professors for other classes so they know I'm responsible. My classes are online so I can do the lectures and homework at the hotel. I think she will be just fine missing a week of classes. Just make sure she talks to the professors first. She might have to turn in some homework early or make up a test but most professors will be accommodating. It might be harder for her if she is taking a lot of science classes with lab. I took chemistry, calculus, geology, anthropology and physics my first semester as a freshman and it was a nightmare. That was the only semester that I didn't get on the dean's list.

 

That is just what I'm talking about...I know for a fact that my kids would not want to do homework in the cabin on vacation. That would be the worst vacation ever for them!

[mcarlson]

Well coming from a university student on her second degree I can say it fully depends on her program (how demanding it is) and the policies of the school. I could have easily taken weeks off my last program and been able to keep on top of it myself but if there were any examinations it wouldn't be possible because my university has a policy that any missed exams have to have the value added onto the final (which can be a disaster). In my current program, however, it would be impossible to miss more than a day (it's an unreasonably intensive program). I've taken vacations during the semester during my last degree but it's important to wait until she has her course outline so you can schedule around examinations, etc. That way she can discuss it with her prof's before booking so she knows if it's possible or not!

[loves2run]

Why would you even consider doing that? Wait until a break. You have no idea what her schedule will be and October sounds like mid-term time to me. I'm pretty sure that the "I'm sorry prof -- but I need to reschedule my midterm in order to go on a cruise" excuse isn't going to impress her professors. College is a big deal and it's important to attend class. Otherwise, your daughter might not be the first in her family to actually earn her college degree.

[baymadsus]

More replies, more thanks. My daughter will be attending the University of Hawaii. The cruise is actually Oct. 30, so after Mid-terms according to the current students this year. She is a bright girl and has had to make up a lot of work this year due to 2 serious illnesses and a torn ACL, so the extra work load would not be all that new to her.

 

If we go, this will probably be the last time she will cruise with me. As I stated before, she doesn't want to cruise from 18-20 years old. I love our mother-daughter time and want it one last time.

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

 

I'm curious as to what your daughter will be majoring in. If she will be taking a variety of math, physical sciences courses than she may well find it tough to miss a week of lectures. This really depends on her learning style though; if she is able to gather meaning from simply reading over text and lecture notes (which some people are) then she would be ok. You should also consider whether or not she will have weekly labs (biology etc...) These are generally not able to be made up without a valid reason for the absence.

 

I graduated last year with an honours bachelor of science in psychology. I could have VERY EASILY missed a week of class in first year. It would not have been an issue at all as long as no tests were scheduled (and I maintained a 90% + average in order to maintain a scholarship). Read ahead, complete and submit assignments ahead of time and get lecture notes off another student.

 

The points of others who feel it is not a good idea are valid, but I feel some are forgetting the diversity of experiences in post secondary education. The solution is context dependent. You must consider your daughter and her study habits, learning style and the type of classes she will be taking.

 

Again, good luck! :)

[hockeygirl14]

personally at my school the teachers would prefer things to be handed in early and don't really care if it's in late, you still get the late penalty. That being said, schools up in Canada have fall reading week(not all of them) where we get a week off which is in October.

As a university student now I feel that missing a week of classes would be OK as long as I got the notes from friends / got the slides from the online portals, had completed all my work early, had no midterms coming up and really had nothing going on.

Otherwise I'd wait until Christmas break.

 

Ps I'm just finishing my first year of University.

[hockeygirl14]

I've never heard of attendance being taken in at a college level.

 

 

I go to Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo and for my smaller classes my profs do take attendance and especially in tutorials/labs attendance is always taken and around 10-15% of the grade is based on attendance to those sections of the course. But like you said her profs probably wont notice she's gone if she has large lectures.

[CanWeGoYet?]

This is a bad idea. To all who say they could miss a week of college and it would not impact their grades - these are students who have already successfully made that transition from high school to college. Not a 17 year old who will be in her first months of college, this is a huge period of adjustment. If she will be living away from home for the first time, that is even more to take on.

 

Your heart is in the right place Mom, and a cruise is a wonderful gift. Make it an even BETTER gift by scheduling it when your daughter can relax, and not feel anxious about what she will return to when she comes back to her classes. If she truly does not want to cruise when she is 18 to 20, book the cruise for summer vacation before she goes in. This is her future and as a Mom I am sure you want to support her and help her be successful academically.

[baymadsus]

I go to Wilfrid Laurier in Waterloo and for my smaller classes my profs do take attendance and especially in tutorials/labs attendance is always taken and around 10-15% of the grade is based on attendance to those sections of the course. But like you said her profs probably wont notice she's gone if she has large lectures.

 

I was wondering where you went becuase you mentioned fall reading week. I know a few people at Laurier. I go to Queen's! :)

[NanCan]

My daughter (now a senior in college) has chosen to miss two vacations (and she loves to vacation with her sister and me) over not missing school. I can't remember what the particulars were but one of the times was during rush and she was also worried about the missed school work. We revolved last summers Disney trip around her scheduel so she could go on a worry free vacation and another time we had to pay top dollar (grr!) for a cruise so she could go during Christmas break...It's very hard to surprise an adult with a vacation because of their personal responsbilities and that's what she is now!:)

Edited April 2, 2011 by NanCan

[bigfig63]

Just chiming in. I got my B.S. after high school and did ok then but not 4.0 work. Prolly could of missed a week but the make work would be a pain and it wouldn't be 4.0 work.

 

Fast forward 20 years and I am back at school. I passed up a free family cruise last year, felt guilty going on the Epic this year, and did not enjoy myself. I am at a 4.0 gpa and to miss a week that gpa would be in jeopardy as you do miss out on topics that build on others. If she is in any of the sciences it could be bad. With what I know now, I would pass on the cruises, focus on studies and focus on maintaining my grades.

 

Competition for good jobs is too stiff nowadays and if you are paying the money for school and you can edge out the other guy with a GPA advantage....hold off on the cruise. Take a summer vacation.

Edited April 2, 2011 by bigfig63

[bplazo]

I would not do it when my daughter was in college. She had a long winter break at the end of November through December and that is when we went.

[nytraveller53]

Yeah, right. BOTH my parents were/are math professors at Union College in upstate NY - a private, very exclusive college. If you went up to them with a note from Mommy saying, "Please excuse Kate for a week for a cruise", she would promptly be taken to the deen's office, and she would be kicked out. This is not kindergarten.:rolleyes:

 

And when I went to Dartmouth, they wouldn't let you do that either.

To me, it's a waste of money - remember, you're paying about $40,000 per school year. When you take a week off, you've just thrown out $1,000 worth of education.

Edited April 2, 2011 by nytraveller53

[Liffey]

So many black/white replies. It really depends on what kind of student she is, what she is studying, and what the syllabus is for those exact courses.

 

If you can get the syllabus for each class ahead of time to review attendance policies and due dates, that will help. However, these are often tweaked (if not overhauled) from year to year, and vary from professor to professor (except for uni-wide policies), and odds are won't be available until the first day of class. (Sometimes not even then.) It's worth a try, though. (Although I wouldn't tell these profs why I was asking.)

 

As for what kind of student your daughter is, that might completely change once she is in college. She might become a procrastinator, might find she struggles with unfamiliar forms of assessment, might not have the amount of study time she expects due to new interests/commitments - who knows? She won't know until she's in the swing of things.

 

I understand wanting to book early, get the best price, pick the best room, lock in a dining preference, and her wanting to get in one more cruise before the 18-20 "dead zone" is also understandable. But waiting until the last minute to book if possible just seems like the safest thing. (What if she is sick for the week before the cruise and then has to cope with missing two weeks?) If it doesn't work out, maybe you can really splash out for her 21st instead? :)

[mdvlprof]

Some profs are understanding...other are hard-nosed. That date might fall when she has a bunch of tests. I'd notice if someone wasn't there, if they usually came to class..

Edited April 2, 2011 by mdvlprof

[Jolimont]

Don't do it Mahalo, it sends the message that college doesn't matter as much as a cruise, and that's not a good message to send to an 18yo.