If you have been missing classes, the best thing you can do is reach out right away in order to minimize the negative impact on your grade. Whether attendance is mandatory or not, if you miss class you will miss important information that is meant to help you learn the course material and perform well on assignments. Even if you are embarrassed and thinking you should have reached out sooner, today is better than tomorrow or the next day.
Who should I contact?
Email your professors
Email each professor for the classes you have been missing, or anticipate missing, to ask for guidance on how to get back on track with the course material. You can also stop by during their posted office hours, which are found in the syllabus for your course and are posted outside of your professor's office door. Each professor may have different ideas about what might be most helpful for that particular class, so be sure to reach out to all professors of the classes you have been missing. Do this today-- it only gets harder to turn things around the longer you wait.
Tips for How to Best Reach Out to Your Professors
Do not ask if you have missed anything important during your absences! All course material is important.
Do not expect the professor to review the entirety of the missed material with you.
Check the syllabus before you contact your professor, and ensure you have done (or indicate that you understand you need to do) the posted readings, and then ask questions specifically about any material that you did not understand.
Acknowledge you have gotten behind, and simply ask the professor's advice for strategies on how to catch up and stay current with course material.
If you want to meet during office hours but your professor's office hours do not work with your schedule, email them your full availability for the next few days or week, and ask to meet at one of those times. Be sure to check for a response and attend at the time you both agreed upon.
What's been causing you to miss class?
It is also important to consider what has been getting in your way of attending class. Click on the options below to learn about additional resources to help you overcome obstacles.