College is a stressful time. Between being away from home for the first time, learning to balance school with work and meeting new people, a college student is bound to be stressed out. When life throws more chaos on top of that, flexibility in attendance policies is highly important to a college student’s success. After all, understanding is crucial to fostering a positive learning environment.

There are an array of unexpected situations that may arise throughout college. This can include a family emergency, personal health struggles or even moving unexpectedly. Strict attendance policies and little due date flexibility adds more stress onto already stressful situations. 

I experienced this firsthand my freshman year of college when I went home for Thanksgiving break. The day I got home, my mom had to be rushed to the hospital. She had a stroke, and was hospitalized for two months before coming home.

During that time, I still had assignments and final exams, and was expected to be at school, since most of my classes had mandatory attendance policies. I didn’t know what to do, or if I’d even return to school following the break. Luckily in my case, my professors were all understanding and I was able to stay home for an extra two weeks. I managed to stay on top of my assignments and I somehow pulled off all A’s. However, I realize this is not the case for everyone. I don’t think someone’s situation should have to be that extreme to get a little bit of grace. 

Mandatory attendance and strict due dates are great for trying to hold students accountable, however, the students that need to be more accountable are likely the ones who are going to disregard these policies anyway. We all know the one student that only shows up on exam days. If it is clear a student is trying, and they reach out to explain they’re struggling with something, I think leniency is best.

Professors need to be understanding and flexible. Not only will flexibility alleviate stress, but it will build stronger relationships in the classroom. If someone provides a legitimate reason for missing a day, don’t knock their attendance grade just because they’ve missed more than two days. If they explain ahead of time that they are dealing with an ongoing issue and that an assignment might be late, extend the due date by a day or two rather than knocking their grade 10%. 

At the end of the day, we’re all adults who are capable of making our own decisions. If a student feels something else takes priority over a single class period, why should they be punished for it? Most of the time, students aren’t engaged in class when they’re there anyway. I frequently see students online shopping, texting on their MacBooks or entertaining themselves some other way throughout a class period. If they’re getting “participation” points just for being there, so should the student that didn’t show up for good reason. 

In saying all of this, I don’t believe professors should throw away these policies completely. It’s important for students to show up and do the work so they can actually learn the material. However, they should always be able to catch up if life throws a curveball their way. I want more students to be able to look back and not only appreciate a professor’s understanding, but be able to build a comfortable relationship that allows them to explain their struggles and ask for room to breathe. If I hadn’t had an understanding professor, I don’t know if I’d even be graduating this semester. Flexibility is very important in a college classroom, and it needs to be stressed.