Getting to class on time is easier said than done, but attendance can say a lot about an individual. Let’s talk about whether colleges can see your attendance.
Punctuality and time management are essential factors in everyday life. And even though colleges don’t closely monitor your high school attendance, it can still impact your admission in other ways.
When deciding if you will be admitted, colleges often prioritize your grades, test scores, GPA, the overall difficulty of your classes, and extracurricular activities like sports and clubs.
So maybe they won’t ask you why you missed class or why you were always running late, but an attendance and tardiness issue will affect you in another way you might not have thought about.
Attendance matters– Here is why.
First off, it shows a lot about the student’s morals and will to arrive on time and be committed to showing up to class. Skipping classes, missing too many days, or always being late to class usually comes with repercussions.
Many high schools have a penalty system in which the students will have to serve detention, attend Saturday school, or even get a referral. Though these things might not get a college to reject you if you are a good student, it does not make you look like a stellar applicant.
Issues become evident when the student’s grade drops, they misbehave in class, or they skip class to hang out with their friends. Furthermore, missing an unusual amount of days from school might create a problem and delay the student’s graduation.
Thus, it is clear that attendance itself probably won’t severely hurt your chances of getting accepted into a college. However, the side effects of not being in class can be detrimental to your admission.
One might think that attendance is unimportant after you are admitted; however, it is important to remember that colleges can revoke admissions as quickly as they give them out.
Don’t take attendance and the importance of being in class for granted. At the end of the day, the more you apply yourself, the better you will become. Grades tend to slip and suffer when students stop showing up and being active in lectures and class time.
What do colleges look at?
Sure, colleges can see your attendance, yet it matters very little to them. There are more significant factors that play a role in your admission, and you should highly focus on them.
Grades Up
As previously mentioned, your academic success is a great starting point for colleges to establish their decision. For instance, colleges are more likely to accept a student who is doing fair in a challenging class than a student who has straight As but is taking four electives and simple courses.
Your grade point average, GPA, is also a good measure of how well you are doing in your classes overall. You will most likely not have one at the start of high school. After a certain amount of time into the school year, GPAs will be calculated.
Keep in mind that your GPA travels with you throughout high school, so don’t think that slacking off in a couple of classes in freshman year won’t affect you at the end of senior year, four years later.
Pencils Down
There are also testing scores and how well the student performs on the ACT or SAT. Scores are usually compared with other applicants to determine whether it is a good enough score for the student to be admitted.
A good rule of thumb is to take both the ACT and SAT at least once. After you receive your score, retake the one you did your best in. Don’t be discouraged if your first test isn’t as you wish; to practice, you can always take the PSATs or purchase ACT guides or SAT prep books.
Furthermore, a lot of students don’t do well under pressure or are not good test takers. In this case, you can make it up by having other factors in your application that stand out, such as extracurriculars and volunteering.
There are various other factors, both academically and personallity related, that make a student the perfect candidate. If you want to know what else colleges look for in a student’s application, check out the article!
Does attendance show on transcripts?
It depends. Some schools include attendance on your transcripts, while others leave it out. You can rest knowing the majority of high schools do not include attendance.
But if you are worried about it, it never hurts to take a trip to the counselor’s office to ask. It is likely that colleges can see your attendance if they so wish to, but they pay it little mind unless it is something to be concerned about.
Is there attendance in college?
It varies from class to class, professor to professor. Some may take the time to roll call and include it as a grade for participation. While others don’t pay it any mind.
At the end of the day, professors get paid whether you show up to class or not. Remember that college and high school are different sides of the same coin.
As a college student, making your schedule, and choosing the classes that work for you, is entirely your responsibility. Even if you don’t get a grade for showing up to class, you should still go every time. You are paying for it and should get the most out of it.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot you should focus on when trying to make the best possible college application. And though colleges can see your attendance, they will probably pay it no mind if it does not affect your grades or graduation.
Nevertheless, remember that your presence in class can speak volumes about you as a person and as a student. Being academically applied goes further than just good grades and doing your homework.
If you get used to getting to class on time and missing as little class time as possible, then you will be on track to being a stellar college student in the future. So do yourself a huge favor, and go to your classes!
