Should Attendance Be Mandatory in College Essay Example

The discussion of whether college attendance should be necessary is a controversial debate. Some people believe college attendance should be necessary, and some do not. I think that college attendance should be mandatory. College is costly; therefore, not attending is a waste of money, no matter whose money it is. Students take out hundreds to thousands of dollars a year to attend college which is a dangerous game. According to Sophie Quinton, “The students may end up borrowing for many years, racking up more debt or even hitting federal loan limits before they manage to graduate” (Quinton 2016). Student loans can be expensive and difficult to pay back, but they can be a big help when it comes to paying for a decent education or taking care of a student’s needs such as books, food, or transportation. I think college attendance should be necessary because college is costly and can put students in debt, students pay for a good education, students can learn time management, every student wants to know what’s going to be on tests, exams, and midterms, students can learn how to be successful, and attendance boosts social activity.

I think that college attendance should be mandatory because students go into debt by spending thousands of dollars they don’t have, or taking out loans every semester to attend college, not attending class is such a huge waste of money! Student loan debt is a growing problem and is seen as a common problem. As stated by Mark Kantrowitz, an estimated two fifths of students graduate with no debt and three fifths graduate with $10,000 or less in student loan debt (Kantrowitz 2011). A student who is on financial aid is in a situation where their attendance is especially mandatory. Most financial aid agencies will take back their money just as quickly as they gave it to the student if it is discovered the student isn’t showing up to class. If you aren't going to go to class, why pay for it? Paying tuition only to miss classes is doing nothing but hurting many student’s pockets, or their parent's pockets whether they realize it or not. As if paying back thousands of dollars isn’t enough, most loans come with interest, and that can pile up as time goes by. As stated by Miranda marquit, some student loans offer fixed rates, but if they don’t a student might find themselves with a higher monthly payment, given interest rate changes (Marquit 2017). It is necessary for students to know loans may seem like free money at first, but it isn’t. Melanie Kesler stated that it is important that students know that at some point loans do have to be paid back (Kesler 2016).

College can be costly but that’s what loans and scholarships are for and debt doesn’t have to be such a problem when loans are used responsibly. Loans are often seen as a scary process that will make you perpetually broke but they are helpful in some cases. According Tim Stobierski, loans can help you build your credit score when you pay them back, and good credit can help you do things like purchase apartments, apply for credit cards, and look for jobs (Stobierski 2018). Another advantage that could come from taking out student loans is that it helps more students go to college, even the ones who didn’t have nearly enough to do so. As stated by Ryan Lane, taking out student loans is a common practice and helped over 70 percent of the class of 2014 attend college (Lane 2014). Lastly, One advantage that can come with student loans is the possibility of loan forgiveness. As reported by Justin Pritchard, there are ways a student can qualify for loan forgiveness, such as working for a non-profit organization or being a government employee (Pritchard 2018).

There are several reason why a student should consider going to class. A student who attends class has opportunity to receive help from their teacher/professor, participate in class discussions, listen to lectures that may be of importance, and some teachers hand out free points to students simply for showing up! A student who cuts class run the risk of missing out on more in class than they think they will. According to Koprowski, the student is accountable for what they learn or don’t learn, they decide the quality of their education (Koprowski 2015). The teacher could have discussed test content, quiz content, exam concepts, or things students need to know about upcoming assignments, therefore, the absented student missed out on a lot of valuable information. According to Kelci Lucier the professor could use the line "This will be on the exam." And if you're not in class you’ll miss out (Lucier 2017). Attending class also strengthens a student’s learning experience, it is a lot easier for a student to sit in class and learn a lesson than it would be to sit at home with notes that their teacher or professor sent them wondering what the heck they’re even looking at, when attending class a student is given the opportunity to write their own notes, this is helpful because they can write them in a way they understand them. As stated by Jonathan Golding copying notes from a classmate isn’t a substitution for attending class, because that classmate may not take the same, meaning they may be difficult to comprehend (Golding 2015).

Attending class will make a person more likely to be successful. According to Naykeshia Head students often make the mistake of thinking their success is not based on their class attendance (Head 2013). If someone doesn’t attend class the odds that they won’t graduate increases, and it’s not easy to kickstart a career or get something a corporate job without a college degree. If someone wants to be successful, they should go to class. There are classes for everything, and some could even teach important life skills like writing a resume, how to do good in an interview, or even how to get a great job. A person who applies for a job has a lower chance of being hired if they’ve dropped out of college, or have bad attendance; However, getting a job isn’t impossible and Thea De Gallier states that It’s okay for a student to admit college wasn’t for them, only if they are looking for alternative opportunities to be successful (Gallier 2017). College can be stressful and sometimes a student can’t take anymore but Sarah Goldy-Brown suggests if you are going to drop out, don’t do so when you’re almost at the finish line (Goldy-Brown 2018).

College attendance can also help a student become more socially active. In the classroom setting a student can socialize with their peers or their professor. Students can also meet new people, friends, or even someone who can help them in the class. Social interaction is a big part of college and sometimes it’s good to meet people in the same class that you’re in because they’re learning the same things that you are and if you need help they can maybe provide it in a way you’ll understand it, or a way that differs from how a professor taught it to make it easier. Julie Mayfield believes that colleges have tons of resources and it’s the students’ job to look for them, and being socially involves helps them do so (Mayfield 2011). Getting involved in college can also make studying easier because a student is surrounded by other students who may know or understand things they don’t. According to Anthony Geremia nobody knows everything there is to know and it always helps to share your knowledge or for others to share their knowledge with you (Geremia 2014). Finally, social interaction in college can reduce stress. If a student makes friends they have someone to talk to when times get hard. Nicki Frazer says that social life in college is important because having friends help reduce stress levels and make life somewhat easier (Frazer 2017).

In conclusion, I think college attendance should be necessary because college is expensive, students pay for decent education, students can learn how to manage their time, no student wants to miss hearing what’s going to be on tests, exams, and midterms, students can learn success, and attendance can boost social interaction. A student’s financial status is at stake when they decide to attend college, put all the money spent to good use. Student loans are meant to help students, not hurt them, therefore loans should be used responsibly. College attendance can help student be more prepared for upcoming assignments, making it easier for them to receive good grades. College can also put a student’s success in life at stake, it decides what their future will look like. Finally, College attendance can help boost social interaction, which can help students reduce their stress and make it easier for them to find help when they need it. Not everyone in this world is fortunate to be able to attend school or college, therefore, it is a privilege that nobody should take for granted. College attendance should be mandatory because it doesn’t make sense for thousands of dollars to go to waste meaning paying for classes only to not attend them or to get bad grades. Every student fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend college should do so. According to Kelley Holland President Obama stressed his views on college by saying it is "one of the crown jewels of this country" and "the single most important way to get ahead” (Holland 2015). Every student able to go to college should, it can be rewarding.