First day of school and fundraiser event on the same day!

[Mercurial Girl]

Alright so...

 

I signed up for, and have already had friends and family sponsor hundreds of dollars towards an Easter Seals event where I rappel down a building downtown.

 

Not until yesterday did I realize that this event also falls on the same day as my FIRST day of classes for fall semester. It is for my Social Work classes as well, so fairly important and not just some willynilly options class where the first day is rarely necessary.

 

The event begins at 8am, but they cannot guarantee that I can rappel first thing, I may have to wait until afternoon. I have classes from 9am-2pm that day and would likely have to miss just my first class, but *possibly* my second.

 

So my options are:

 

1) Email my brand new teachers who I haven't even met yet and explain that I have this event lined up and may be unable to attend the first day of class.

 

2) Go to class, let down those who have thus far sponsored me.

 

It could look very unprofessional to not go to my first day of class, but on the other hand I do already have it planned and have people counting on me to do this, also it IS a Social Work class and they might have a LITTLE more sympathy towards a social services event. ALSO, I would email them very early, say July, (classes begin Sept 9) and give them a heads up -- so it's not like I just decided not to show up.

 

Any thoughts? I am nervous about not going to my first day of classes, equally nervous about letting my teammates and sponsors down and I admit a little bummed that I wont be able to experience this.

 

Thanks

[meteorstrike]

don't go to class. i always skip the first month.

[IphigeniaSaysHi]

Arrgggh, this is rough. I would definitely discuss things with your professors since you have so much time. Even though it seems you'd be making a bad first impression, if you email them now and start a rapport, you might make a better impression than you would have just showing up to class like normal. They may remember you as the one who didn't show the first day, but was communicative and dedicated to her obligations.

[BellaDonna]

1) Email my brand new teachers who I haven't even met yet and explain that I have this event lined up and may be unable to attend the first day of class.

 

I would contact the professors and ask for a syllabus in advance so you don't miss readings, etc. Let them know that you will be on the roster and that you will be at the 2nd class.

 

Not much usually happens in a first class besides introductions and going over the syllabus.- Don't most colleges have an "add/drop" period in which students can add or drop courses? Usually there are at least a few students that add a course later, so they end up missing the first class.

[Mercurial Girl]

I would contact the professors and ask for a syllabus in advance so you don't miss readings, etc. Let them know that you will be on the roster and that you will be at the 2nd class.

 

Not much uaually happens in a first class besides introductions and going over the syllabus.- Don't most colleges have an "add/drop" period in which students can add or drop courses? Usually there are at least a few students that add a course later, so they end up missing the first class.

 

Good point about the ability to add/drop classes which usually runs for at least a week after the first day of class; it's true that there is a good deal of student movement in the first week of the semester, however because my classes are in such high demand I find this is less so with classes such as these ones vs. say Romance Studies or Spanish 101.

[RockyRaccoon]

Does your department have a policy where if you miss the first day of class then you're dropped from the class? The department i'm in doesn't, but i know our philosophy department and a few others have something along these lines. If that's the case, then you definitely need to talk with your professors.

[Mercurial Girl]

Arrgggh, this is rough. I would definitely discuss things with your professors since you have so much time. Even though it seems you'd be making a bad first impression, if you email them now and start a rapport, you might make a better impression than you would have just showing up to class like normal. They may remember you as the one who didn't show the first day, but was communicative and dedicated to her obligations.

 

You're on the same wavelength as me. I figured that since I would be taking responsibility ahead of time and letting them know well in advance that I wont be attending the first class, I may actually look MORE professional than those who just decide not to attend "because it's the first day of class".

 

I'm still worried though because at my advising session it was mentioned to us many times that professionalism is VERY important in your SLWK classes, because those teachers are the people who are going to be giving you practicum references in the future. I don't want one charity event to ruin my reputation.

[Mercurial Girl]

Does your department have a policy where if you miss the first day of class then you're dropped from the class? The department i'm in doesn't, but i know our philosophy department and a few others have something along these lines. If that's the case, then you definitely need to talk with your professors.

 

I don't imagine so, but I shouldn't assume so I will have to look into it. Good idea.

[IphigeniaSaysHi]

You're on the same wavelength as me. I figured that since I would be taking responsibility ahead of time and letting them know well in advance that I wont be attending the first class, I may actually look MORE professional than those who just decide not to attend "because it's the first day of class".

 

I'm still worried though because at my advising session it was mentioned to us many times that professionalism is VERY important in your SLWK classes, because those teachers are the people who are going to be giving you practicum references in the future. I don't want one charity event to ruin my reputation.

 

Yanno what I'm thinking? Go all out, then. Email your professors now and let them know about the event. Ask for the syllabus and schedule a brief visit with them in their office a day or so before the first day of class to go over it. Show up friendly and well dressed, discuss the syllabus.

 

It may seem like overkill, but you'd have your bases covered. I think any professor would appreciate that. They usually love when a student wants to meet in person for the class and shows interest.

[Mercurial Girl]

Yanno what I'm thinking? Go all out, then. Email your professors now and let them know about the event. Ask for the syllabus and schedule a brief visit with them in their office a day or so before the first day of class to go over it. Show up friendly and well dressed, discuss the syllabus.

 

It may seem like overkill, but you'd have your bases covered. I think any professor would appreciate that. They usually love when a student wants to meet in person for the class and shows interest.

 

Something about that makes me feel like...a burden?

Like "I'm not coming to the first day of class, but I wondered if you could give me a private class alternative BEFORE class, even though you're a busy person - JUST so I can attend this event? Oh and since you're REALLY busy, I'd also like to have you do extra work by emailing me the syllabus...rather than me just coming in to class like I should be doing"

 

Maybe I'm over thinking it though lol

 

Maybe I should email the practicum and advising coordinator who led my advising session and ask her opinion? She has been good about answering my questions thus far.

[IphigeniaSaysHi]

I definitely understand that, I guess it depends on the professor. I've had professors who basically wanted the whole class to stop by for after hours everyday... lol

 

I guess offering a visit would be a good gesture, and it would put the ball in their court, but I think asking the coordinator for her opinion would be best. She would know the best thing to do.

[BellaDonna]

Something about that makes me feel like...a burden?

Like "I'm not coming to the first day of class, but I wondered if you could give me a private class alternative BEFORE class, even though you're a busy person

 

It shouldn't seem like a bother to the professor. They are supposed to have office hours in which they can see students.

[Mercurial Girl]

So I spoke to a respresentative with the fundraiser event and she said I could rappel at 8am and be finished by 8:45 thus only making me late for my first class by maybe 15-30 minutes.

 

Should I still email my instructor and let them know that I will be late?

[BellaDonna]

I would send a short e-mail just as a courtesy. That way you won't get any surprised looks if you walk in late.

[karvala]

Something about that makes me feel like...a burden?

Like "I'm not coming to the first day of class, but I wondered if you could give me a private class alternative BEFORE class, even though you're a busy person - JUST so I can attend this event? Oh and since you're REALLY busy, I'd also like to have you do extra work by emailing me the syllabus...rather than me just coming in to class like I should be doing"

 

Maybe I'm over thinking it though lol

 

You're not overthinking; from my perspective I would completely understand if you missed the first class because of an organised charity event that you had lined up for a long time and for which you'd got a lot of sponsorship, but I wouldn't understand if you somehow assumed that entitled you to an hour or more of my time in private tuition. I like dedicated students, but not to the extent that I'm supposed to give them free private tuition! On the other hand, most professors will have an "office hour" or some such equivalent, which is scheduled time in which students can drop in for any reason. Go to that instead if you want to emphasise that you're still taking the class seriously. And meanwhile, definitely do the charity event; missing some of the first day of classes is not the end of the world.