Here’s a truth I learned in class recently: college is the only place where most people find it okay not to get their money’s worth.
That got me thinking. Imagine going to a mechanic, paying him or her to fix and spray your bumper and then halfway through, him or her saying, “I’m done,” and then walking off with your money. I bet you’d be pretty PO’ed. I would be.
It’s no surprise that it came from a professor after our class did the group happy dance after her announcement that Friday class was canceled.
Ask yourself how many times a professor saying, “No class” made your heart sing. Consider the number of times you got up, and on the way to class said, “No, I don’t feel like going today.”
I’m guilty too. Sometimes, that break is refreshing, but it costs.
Fact is we have already paid for those classes, and if you’re an out-of-state student, you paid a lot more – three times as much – for those classes. The U.S. financial aid system, as I understand, doesn’t actually pay students. Grants pay the university and recipients get the balance in those vaunted net-checks. Since most students don’t actually see the bills, they fail to understand just how much each credit hour is worth.
By constantly skipping classes, you’re shortchanging yourself.
In response to whether our class could get off the Friday before the Atlanta Classic, my Spanish professor shrugged and joked that she already has her two Ph.D’s. In the end, she decided to cancel class, admitting that everyone needs rest. But her point rings: She has proof of her hard work – a doctoral title affixed to her name. Now, that’s getting your money’s worth.
Are you getting yours?