Missing college for cruise? Does it happen?

[disney1990]

I will be the voice of dissent. I am amazed at the number of posts about professors who didn't care. That is NOT the situation at my daughter's school. Or, to be more clear, while there may be some classes that you could miss once with no problem, missing two in a row, or missing certain dates (mid-term exam date for example) that some professors tell students up front that they cannot make up unless they have a documented good reason (serious illness, death in the immediate family, etc.) would be a major hit to their grade.

It really depends on where your daughter attends college, the types of classes she is taking (higher-level course professors tend to be more sticklers on attendance) and the timing of the days off. Hopefully she will have understanding profs and the dates will not be ones on which major tests or reviews or other "can't miss" events are scheduled.

Good luck!!

I agree with this poster. My daughter would never be able to be off from school to take a cruise. She doesn't dare miss a day.

At least one of her professors lowers grades based on attendance.

 

[minniemoms]

I am sure that some schools are more lax than others. My daughter attended and graduated from a 4 year University. They are very strict there. But she is a good student, with good attitute and good grades. I think it might depend on the student too. She wasn't a pre-med student or anything like that. Just a good hard working college girl. Who took 16-18 units each semister and worked 20+ hours a week.
What ever decision you make will be the right one for your family.
Have fun...

 

[tomspixie]

You got some great advice already and I would like to share what my two DD's did when they had to miss some college.

First, my older DD was invited to spend a week in Scotland at the last minute all expenses paid. She spoke with her professors and they were Ok with it as long as she made up work when she got back....she had a fabulous time and even ran into Prince William in their hotel!!!

My younger DD, just this past September, was invited to work London Fashion Week as an intern (she had done a semester in London last january and worked London FW and they invited her back to intern again). She was thrilled to be invited back but it was during the school term. She also spoke with her professors and it was Ok with them as well (she is a Fashion major and they all thought it fantastic that she would be getting "hands-on" experience). She worked her butt off in London and again when she got back to make up work but it was well worth it in the end. She made some fantastic contacts and gained a ton real world experience.

So, it can be done with no ill effects, but much has to do with the type of student your DD is and the repore she has with her professors.

MJ

Congrats to both daughters! How exceptional for your fashion major though!!! Hope the pixie dust continues to shower you!

 

[pouncingpluto]

I'm actually skipping a week of law school for a cruise this week. That said, I would never, ever schedule it during classes intentionally. This one is free (not Disney)... my husband's company is taking everyone + 1 guest. I just can't say no to a free vacation.

I made sure it was OK with my professors before I registered for these classes (luckily, all of them said it was fine, so I didn't have to adjust my preferences). I'm taking a lot of class reading with me on the ship, but I figure it's nicer to do it there than at home, so it's no big deal.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

ABSOLUTELY IT HAPPENS....It happen last week. I made my professors aware that I was celebrating my parents 60th and 65th birthdays and what days I would be gone. I also told them I realize that I would be responsible for the work. They were all cool with it.

 

[CandyMandy]

I agree with this poster. My daughter would never be able to be off from school to take a cruise. She doesn't dare miss a day.

At least one of her professors lowers grades based on attendance.

I also do. While I guess it depends to some extent on the level of school your are in, looking back on my undergraduate and graduate days missing more than a day of class would definitely have been a problem, in terms of just keeping up with the often very challenging curriculum. Or stated another way, if a parent is forunate enough to have a son or daughter in places like Juilliard or Stanford this discussion wouldn't even be happening.

 

[pouncingpluto]

I also do. While I guess it depends to some extent on the level of school your are in, looking back on my undergraduate and graduate days missing more than a day of class would definitely have been a problem, in terms of just keeping up with the often very challenging curriculum. Or stated another way, if a parent is forunate enough to have a son or daughter in places like Juilliard or Stanford this discussion wouldn't even be happening.

You realize that you are implying that everyone who has said that they would miss college for a cruise is going to a relatively unchallenging institution?

 

[robsmom]

I have to agree with the i would never miss college for a vacation camp. For me it was less about professors taking attendance or having rules than it was about the work load and expectations. She probably needs to look at the syllabus for each class and see. There were some professors who would cancel a class the day before a vacation, but not many. Sure, i had a few "easy classes" that i would not have minded missing but I had way more that even one day missed would cause me to fall seriously behind.

 

[kcromley]

especially at Ivy League school, and most others as well, students are expected to master the material and be responsible for their own studies. When and how they accomplish that goal is not really important, so as long as your student masters the material, attendance is optional.

 

[pouncingpluto]

especially at Ivy League school, and most others as well, students are expected to master the material and be responsible for their own studies. When and how they accomplish that goal is not really important, so as long as your student masters the material, attendance is optional.

Exactly.

 

[FredS]

especially at Ivy League school, and most others as well, students are expected to master the material and be responsible for their own studies. When and how they accomplish that goal is not really important, so as long as your student masters the material, attendance is optional.

This is completely incorrect. Attendance is very important in the higher-tier colleges. I can't imagine why you would attempt to represent that "attendance is optional" as it is absolutely not the case.

If someone is in a position where they can miss several days of class then that is fortunate for them in their travel plans. However, being present for instruction, lectures, discussions with the professor is generally necessary to do well in advanced courses, and many teachers penalize students for unexcused absences.

Yeah, I could have skipped 3 days of classes in community college with little effect on my grade. However, my daughter, who takes a full course of challenging classes at a major university, would never consider missing days for a trip. She is a very smart girl and well liked by her teachers, but in 3 of her current classes it would definitely reduce her grades by one, if not two, letter grades to miss 3 classes for a vacation. There is no "she should tell her teachers and if she does ok otherwise they won't care" attitude. And honestly I don't have a problem with that, as she is getting an excellent education.

 

[lbgraves]

I believe that you are making a wide generalization about "higher-tier colleges" since you have no idea where anyone who has posted about their own personal experiences went to school. I myself never set foot on a community college campus and completed my four year degree in three years from a major university taking 21 credit hours a semester and full summer terms, however I would never begrudge anyone who went to a CC. Also each university's policies vary as well as each professor can have their own policy. Perhaps your DD's experience has been different than others who have posted about their own experiences; however, that does not make their experiences wrong or "completely incorrect" or deminish the quality of the education that they received.

 

[jedijill]

Back to the OP's timeframe, check the final schedule. The first two weeks of December are usually finals weeks so the OP's daughter may need to be prepared to study of Thanksgiving break. You can probably get away with missing those classes but be prepared to study study study.

Jill in CO

 

[FredS]

I believe that you are making a wide generalization about "higher-tier colleges" since you have no idea where anyone who has posted about their own personal experiences went to school. I myself never set foot on a community college campus and completed my four year degree in three years from a major university taking 21 credit hours a semester and full summer terms, however I would never begrudge anyone who went to a CC. Also each university's policies vary as well as each professor can have their own policy. Perhaps your DD's experience has been different than others who have posted about their own experiences; however, that does not make their experiences wrong or "completely incorrect" or deminish the quality of the education that they received.

Did you even read the item I quoted and my post?! I didn't said that anyone experiences are wrong! (Nor "deminish" the quality of their education.) I certainly didn't question your personal experience, but things have changed in the college world in 25 years, so perhaps sharing MY understanding, experience and opinion that may differ from yours is not "wrong" either. If you had read it, you would see that the post I disagreed with went beyond a "wide generalization" in stating that most colleges, "especially at Ivy League school [sic] . . . attendance is optional." I firmly believe this is simply an incorrect statement.

How you got to some sort of perceived snobbery on my part against community colleges -- hello, I said that I attended a community college and while it wouldn't have been a big deal for my situation, I know for a fact that my daughter, her friends, my nieces, nephews, younger interns at my place of employment, etc. etc. etc. have indicated how important attendance is at their various colleges. I did not want OP to rely on the quoted statement that attendance is optional, as in my recent experience, knowledge and understanding this may well NOT be the case, and her student may not be able to take the cruise without it seriously affecting her college grades.

Particularly that late in the term, my daughter would simply not have been able or willing to miss that many classes.

 

[CandyMandy]

You realize that you are implying that everyone who has said that they would miss college for a cruise is going to a relatively unchallenging institution?

No, because I was not. I was pointing out that those who kids are in highly selective (ergo, acceptance rates of 10% or less) and expensive schools are more likely to be in environments where "skipping class" isn't the norm and is not seen as acceptable.

especially at Ivy League school, and most others as well, students are expected to master the material and be responsible for their own studies. When and how they accomplish that goal is not really important, so as long as your student masters the material, attendance is optional.

Not to pound my own drum, but as an Ivy Leauge graduate I will politely point out that the generalization made above about it couldn't be more wrong. Attendance in programs at that level is not "optional."

 

[kcromley]

well, we will have to agree to disagree. It certainly was at my Ivy League college and grad school, as well as those of my seven immediate family members who have attended various Ivy League schools. However, your experience may have differed, and that is fine. OP should consult with her adult daughter as to the necessity for attendance at her particular institution, of course.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Personally, I wouldn't miss school for a vacation in college. I'm not saying that I never missed school when in college but I think missing multiple days in a row will not help your grade. But it also could depend on your major. I was an accounting major and most of my professors required attendance.

The thing with college was that we got 6 weeks off at Christmas time from mid-Dec through end of January. Does your dd get time off like that? Maybe it would be best to schedule the cruise during those times. That's what I would do.

But again, my parents didn't take me on trips when I was in college because I was more focus on my studies and working to make it through college. I took classes during my breaks so, I could graduate sooner.

I think, it would be worst if she does get sick during the term and can't take time off to attend class because she knows she'll be missing a lot of days during Thanksgiving time.

 

[pouncingpluto]

No, because I was not. I was pointing out that those who kids are in highly selective (ergo, acceptance rates of 10% or less) and expensive schools are more likely to be in environments where "skipping class" isn't the norm and is not seen as acceptable.



Not to pound my own drum, but as an Ivy Leauge graduate I will politely point out that generalization made above about it couldn't be more wrong. Attendance in programs at that level is not "optional."

I am in the top 10 percent of my class at a top 10 law school. As long as I master the information on my own, I will be fine.

 

[CandyMandy]

It certainly was at my Ivy League college and grad school, as well as those of my seven immediate family members who have attended various Ivy League schools.

You stated earlier that class attendance (including that at Ivy League institutions) is optional. That is an interesting comment in the context of what is in the Harvard College Freshman's Parent Handbook, which can be found at:

http://www.fdo.fas.harvard.edu/icb/...academic_program.html#a_icb_pagecontent193280

An excerpt from the latter on attendance policy:

Class Attendance and Absence from Cambridge

Students are expected to remain in the immediate vicinity of Cambridge during term time with the exception of scheduled vacations and holidays, as well as during the Reading and Examination Periods.

I am in the top 10 percent of my class at a top 10 law school. As long as I master the information on my own, I will be fine.

That's nice, but as I recall the OP was discussing Freshman year in an undergraduate institution, not a professional graduate program, where the level of independence in studies varies dramatically by program and school. The top ranked M.B.A. program I went through employed the case study method, which meant a huge percentage of the grade in a given subject was still based upon participation in class.

 

[WendyinMaryland]

I am quite certain that if I had told my professors that I would be missing class to go on a Disney Cruise, they would have laughed right in my face. I can't imagine missing college for a family vacation. I can't remember ANYONE doing that when I was in school.