As the end of the spring semester nears, many Salt Lake Community College students may feel exhausted and worn down – something often reflected in class attendance.
According to faculty, the end of the semester is often a crucial time for students, so it is important to find the necessary motivation to finish strong.
Before the week of spring break, however, some teachers started noticing issues with attendance.
“I have [already] seen a decline in attendance before [spring break], actually about three to four weeks ago,” says Sarah Billington, an assistant professor of communication.
While teachers can motivate students through the use of messages and grades, it is ultimately the responsibility of each individual student to attend class and communicate with instructors in the event of an absence.
“I try to reach out to students, when and if I notice they are not attending,” Billington says. “Once in a while, a student will respond back and explain why they haven’t been coming.”
Billington says students who miss several days leading up to the break often don’t end up finishing out the semester.
Flora Sasa, an SLCC student majoring in sociology, says having people who encourage her to get to class is helpful in the post-midterm slump.
“My baby brothers motivate me to keep coming to class,” she says, noting it’s important to her to set a good example for her younger siblings.
Emma Hall, who is double majoring in film and psychology at SLCC, says she feels instructors crack down after the break.
“I do go to classes after that time,” she says. “I feel that teachers are stricter about attendance and quizzes at that time.”
Getting good grades motivates her, Hall says, and that can’t be achieved by skipping class.
Money can be another motivating factor. According to the SLCC website, one semester for a full-time student costs $1,921.50, and the potential of wasting that money could encourage some students to finish the semester.
There are also some unique benefits to attending classes when there seems to be fewer students around, Hall says.
“I find that it’s easier to talk to professors around [this] time and try to tie up the loose ends that I might’ve been struggling with at the beginning of the semester,” she says.
The current student section of the SLCC website has some resources for anyone looking to find motivation or help getting through the semester.
