I can't even describe my outrage while reading the opinion article, "Lack of attendance policy harmful to students." At first I found it hilarious, but the longer I read, the more I felt embarrassed and disappointed in my school. The tonality is that of a whining child: "It's not fair!"
To which I say, "deal with it." While I admit that I wasn't always the model student and did my fair share of complaining, never once did I suggest that it should be DePauw's responsibility to make my life easier. It was mine.
I write this to every DePauw student. What you think is hard is nothing compared to what waits for you. Sometimes I pull out my essays and laugh, because I can't believe that was ever hard. Staying up until 4 a.m. to write essays was fun. So I'm going to "give it the old college try" and plead for you to listen.
What you do now decides your future. You learn in class. You earn references in class. Good luck asking professors for recommendation letters if they don't know you. Do you think HR will take a second pass at your resume if your references say you skipped class? It doesn't matter if you wrote good essays. If you don't show up, you aren't reliable, don't manage time and think you're the exception to the rule. This is not the case.
As someone who knows fellow grads who struggle for jobs and struggled for a job herself, I can tell you now that you better buck up and give it everything you've got. Outside of that university bubble is the real world, and boy is it REAL. You will laugh that you ever complained about going to class and beg to get those days back. It's time to turn your little faces forward and prepare yourselves. This is five percent of your life that decides the rest of it. Learn to prioritize and manage your time now, because you won't get another chance. So, no matter how busy you are or how crappy you feel, go to class. You are in your future right now.
Melissa Burklow
Class of 2012