Senior English and criminology and criminal justice major
It’s that dreadful time of the semester when we are faced with the impending doom that is finals, and all we have to battle it with are random class notes (that make no sense now anyway) and a lack of motivation. The combination of stress, laziness and this state’s weather, for so many of us, leads to a surprisingly enlightened outcome: skipping class.
It’s bad, I know. Miss class, miss notes, miss assignments. But there’s actually something about missing class that feels kind of … liberating.
In a world in which unintended consequences hit us like a train and we have no idea what we’re doing, the act of skipping class is a knight in shining armor, the light at the end of the tunnel, the curly fry in the french fry dish.
When we make the conscious decision to skip a class, we fully acknowledge the risks associated with it. We have time to think about how many notes we will miss, whether we could get them from a classmate, the chances of a new assignment being posted and every other consequence.
And when it comes time to make that final decision, we are confident about the outcome. Sometimes we throw all caution to the wind and say, “Screw it,” too. But either way, we exercise control over something, and it just feels good to have that power once in a while.
The freedom to do whatever you want also feels amazing to exercise. Sure, we college students have the autonomy to never do our laundry or to drive to McDonald’s at 3 a.m., but something about exercising the freedom to not go to class is more significant. If anything, it’s an adult decision because we recognize the potential consequences and go through with it even though it’s risky.
And last but not least, it’s fun to talk about skipping with friends. In the weeks leading up to finals, we change from the competitive hopefuls we were during most of the semester into pitiful sacks of misery, feeding off one another’s pathetic circumstances. If admitting to your friend that you skipped your morning class to lie in bed isn’t bonding, then I don’t know what is.
So should we skip class? I can’t answer that for you. Teachers would likely say no. However, in the midst of the guilt (or lack thereof) incurred while skipping class, you can think of yourself as a functioning adult who makes tough decisions through logical reasoning. I’d like to think that’s an accomplishment.
Margaret Zelenski is a senior English and criminology and criminal justice major. She can be reached at mzelenskidbk@gmail.com.
