im a senior working on my college applications right now, and i have so many questions about how college actually works.
when students talk about how they are constantly skipping class or have attended barely attended class, how is it that you can still graduate or get credit for this class or even pass the class without hearing the lectures? i dont understand that concept because speaking from a high school perspective attending class is most of work you have to do, its where we recieve our assignments and where we learn everything and it would be near impossible to pass without attending class
what do lecture hours mean, when it says u need 15 lecture hours to pass a semester does that quite literally mean you need to be in person in class for 15 hours in total by the end of the semester?
how many lectures are there for each class every week? with a semester being a few months long 15 total hours of class time sounds short unless each class only meets bi weekly or something
if a student wanted to could they attend every single lecture? or is that something that virtually no one does
In: Other
More than likely your guidance counselor could answer these questions but:
1. Some classes are recorded and/or you can borrow notes from friends. Some classes have weekly assignments, some classes don’t – for example a course could have their entire grade split between a midterm and a final. Some classes (say first semester single variable calculus) the curriculum is so standardized you can watch youtube videos to fill in the gaps. Some people skip all their classes and still make a passing grade by either cramming from textbooks and cobbled notes. As you get into higher level classes this is rarely feasible though, as less people you know will be taking the class, the information is far more specialized, and generally discussion/participation becomes a bigger part of the class.
2. Lecture hours are basically a way for the college to measure the credit a student receives for a course. It’s not always 1:1 reflective of the hours you’ll spend in class nor is it reflective of the effort you’ll need to spend. The college just needs a way to say that all students have had a large curriculum of courses they’ve taken and its a simple way to measure that.
3. Lectures can be weekly, bi weekly, or even every day. Some classes will have a large lecture class and a separate discussion class in smaller groups. It really just depends on the nature of the course (intro language classes, for one, generally meet every day).
4. The recommendation is to attend every lecture. But generally you’re going to miss here and there a few – sickness, too tired, need to cram for another exam, other life stuff.
Latest Answers