NWMR - Excuses for missing college classes

itsmevkb

My husband teaches at a university and he's always telling me stories about the excuses his students use for missed assignments, missing classes, etc.  But, just in the last two days he's gotten some really crazy ones.

First, he received an email from a student asking if she could take the final exam earlier than scheduled because the time for the exam was interfering with when her friends were planning her 21st birthday party.  She said she realized it was a long shot but thought she'd ask anyway.

The second he just got today after a student completely missed a test.  She emailed him saying she had an "accident" while riding the bus to school.  The accident turns out to be that she got her period, bled through her underwear and so she hid out in a bathroom for over an hour waiting for a friend to come and pick her up.  Then she went home, "fixed things" and then took the bus back to school and finally decided she'd better write him to explain her absence.  She's hoping he doesn't fail her because she's done fairly well on the other test and assignment.

 I'm just having a really hard time wrapping my head around this sort of thing.  Am I just really, really old, or maybe too responsible, in thinking these emails are crazy?  Is this what email has brought us since I'm guessing neither student would have said the same things to his face?  I know I never would have asked or told my professors things like this (there was no email when I went to college - so yea, I'm old.)

But, as I think about it, I've heard some crazy excuses from co-workers for why they had to miss work, so maybe this is what they were like in college!

aglenn

My father was a college professor for over 40 years and he had some crazy stories like that.  I wish I could remember some of them, but your examples totally sound familiar.

Then again, I once had a coworker who was telling me she didn't know what to do because every day she was getting to work 15 minutes late, no matter what she did.  I said, "Well, have you tried leaving 15 minutes earlier?"  I was already annoyed with this dingbat and not in the mood, and this kind of slipped out, so I expected her to be offended.  Instead she said, "No, I haven't, but that's a good idea!"  And she was totally serious. 

Netty_3

I would NEVER write that to a professor! I was once late to a final because I thought it started an hour later...luckily I was able to still finish and got an A.

Right now, I'm getting the excuse from my admin to not work because it's her daughter's birthday dinner, and she'd have to rush home and get ready...her daughter is 42 and they're going out to eat! BTW, last year I had tickets to the theater and dinner reservations, plus I live an hour away, and I somehow made it out.  We don't typically work weekends, but this is the exception, (two weekends out of the year, she also tried to pull the whole "I didn't know about it"...but she had to do the permit for it, and it has been brought up in meetings she does the minutes for!) and she bailed on me last week for her granddaughter's play...meanwhile I missed going on a mini vacay to be there...and this weekend I have people in town...so if she pulls this diva card  BS I may lose it!

mexicolombiana

aglenn:

My father was a college professor for over 40 years and he had some crazy stories like that.  I wish I could remember some of them, but your examples totally sound familiar.

Then again, I once had a coworker who was telling me she didn't know what to do because every day she was getting to work 15 minutes late, no matter what she did.  I said, "Well, have you tried leaving 15 minutes earlier?"  I was already annoyed with this dingbat and not in the mood, and this kind of slipped out, so I expected her to be offended.  Instead she said, "No, I haven't, but that's a good idea!"  And she was totally serious. 

lol at the co-worker story.  We had a paralegal who ALWAYS got to work late.  We never actually told her to leave her house earlier but wanted to.  She ended up leaving anyway so it wasn't an issue.  Also she has NO kids so really she had NO excuse.  

Oh one of my favorite excuses of her for being late was: It rained so hard her porch was all wet and she had to dry it off (I guess...) 

Another time she texted me and said that she was late because she drove in (she usually took public transportation) and she had no idea there would be SO much traffic! DUH.  There is traffic in the mornings.  

rubber_chicken

The first one is funny.  At least she's asking to take the test early instead of late.  And hey, there's no harm in asking right? 

The second one I totally get.  Most women I know have had something similar happen at some point.  I'd give her a pass. 

EMOmamma

rubber_chicken:

The first one is funny.  At least she's asking to take the test early instead of late.  And hey, there's no harm in asking right? 

The second one I totally get.  Most women I know have had something similar happen at some point.  I'd give her a pass. 

That's what I was thinking.  First one is more funny than anything - especially if she wasn't really expecting it.

OP - are you saying that if you bled through your clothes you would have still gone to class in college?  I would have been mortified and skipped the test too. I went home early from work once a few years ago because AF showed early and I didn't know until it was too late.  

oooCarrieB

I was in a car accident in college and broke my right collar bone and had my arm in a sling and couldn't use my right hand. My professor gave me a week and then said if I still couldn't use my right hand, I would have to take an oral exam. Well played, professor. I took the written test a week later.

itsmevkb

Yes, I'm saying I would have gone to class if not going meant possibly not passing. At the very least I would have called the professor ASAP and not hours later. And, I would have said that I had a personal emergency.

It was cold and rainy here today so if she's normal she was wearing a coat so that could hide something for an hour. Additionally, what grown woman doesn't carry at least one tampon in their purse? Or, I don't know, buy one from the machine in the bathroom.

pitterpatter129

I think the second one counts.  I personally probably wouldn't continue on my merry way with blood all over me.  The first one is funny, and ridiculous.  Unless you are missing a test though, why on earth would you contact the professor at all??  Even with college classes I took that did have an attendance policy, you were allowed some misses and it didn't require an excuse. 

 

 

thedash

itsmevkb:

Yes, I'm saying I would have gone to class if not going meant possibly not passing. At the very least I would have called the professor ASAP and not hours later. And, I would have said that I had a personal emergency.

It was cold and rainy here today so if she's normal she was wearing a coat so that could hide something for an hour. Additionally, what grown woman doesn't carry at least one tampon in their purse? Or, I don't know, buy one from the machine in the bathroom.

Wow really?! I would not go to an exam if I had visibly bled through my clothes. Although I probably would have made a huge effort to call or email the professor sooner than it sounds like she did.

I missed a final once when my car broke down an hour away from campus. I was terrified but my school had makeup sessions with proctors for random finals and it all worked out fine.

Sunidaze

itsmevkb:

Yes, I'm saying I would have gone to class if not going meant possibly not passing. At the very least I would have called the professor ASAP and not hours later. And, I would have said that I had a personal emergency. It was cold and rainy here today so if she's normal she was wearing a coat so that could hide something for an hour. Additionally, what grown woman doesn't carry at least one tampon in their purse? Or, I don't know, buy one from the machine in the bathroom.

Yeah...I'm not going to class had I bled through my clothes.  Mortifying.  Cold and rainy?  I'm guilty of running around without an extra layer (and always regret it) as do many people I know.  And the tampon in the purse?  Yeah, no.  Perhaps she had used the last one she and forgot to restock, or she is a person (like me) that frequently switches purses and not everything makes it from one to another...or (I am guilty of this too) shove only what is needed in a pocket to cut down on what I need to carry.  And the last point?  I rarely have change on me these days.  Usually plastic and a cell phone.  

Long story short, I think you're being a bit harsh on the poor girl in an already mortifying situation. 

Iblamethebeer

itsmevkb:

Yes, I'm saying I would have gone to class if not going meant possibly not passing. At the very least I would have called the professor ASAP and not hours later. And, I would have said that I had a personal emergency. It was cold and rainy here today so if she's normal she was wearing a coat so that could hide something for an hour. Additionally, what grown woman doesn't carry at least one tampon in their purse? Or, I don't know, buy one from the machine in the bathroom.

How does a tampon in her purse help her if she's sitting on a bus when her period starts and she has to wait until she has gotten to campus and then to a bathroom to put it in?  She'd probably already bled through her clothes at that point!  

Granted, if it was a little dot that leaked through I would probably find a layer of clothing to tie around my waist and go forward with the test, but if there was really a patch of blood on the seat of my pants I wouldn't go to class and sit for a 2 hour test -- for public sanitation reasons, if nothing else!

Lena122

Had I been in the second girl's situation I would have told the professor I got sick or had a medical issue. No way would I explain the circumstances of my period to him, especially not in writing!

LoCarb

Everyone knows diarrhea is the fool proof excuse. Seriously, who's going to question that.

Period panties-yea embarrassing but sometimes I wonder if females use it as an excuse to males bc they won't question it.

itsmevkb

LoCarb:

Everyone knows diarrhea is the fool proof excuse. Seriously, who's going to question that.

Period panties-yea embarrassing but sometimes I wonder if females use it as an excuse to males bc they won't question it.

I actually wondered this as well because it almost seems to me that if it really happened and you were so mortified wouldn't you be even more mortified to tell your professor about it?  I think she figured maybe he just wouldn't even question it and would let her make up the test.

As to maybe not having change or whatever, she could also have asked any number of women who came into the bathroom for a pad or a tampon.  She claims she sat in the bathroom for an entire hour waiting for her friend to come pick her up.  In that time she could have washed out her pants and let them dry. I didn't include her age when I posted this but she's also not an 18 year-old freshman, she's 25.  I would think a 25 year-old should be able to handle the situation a little better.............like call her friend and then call the professor or the TA and say hey, I have a bit of a personal crisis here and I'm going to miss the exam, I'm so sorry, can I make it up, instead of emailing hours later.

Netty_3

thedash:

itsmevkb:

Yes, I'm saying I would have gone to class if not going meant possibly not passing. At the very least I would have called the professor ASAP and not hours later. And, I would have said that I had a personal emergency. It was cold and rainy here today so if she's normal she was wearing a coat so that could hide something for an hour. Additionally, what grown woman doesn't carry at least one tampon in their purse? Or, I don't know, buy one from the machine in the bathroom.

Wow really?! I would not go to an exam if I had visibly bled through my clothes. Although I probably would have made a huge effort to call or email the professor sooner than it sounds like she did. I missed a final once when my car broke down an hour away from campus. I was terrified but my school had makeup sessions with proctors for random finals and it all worked out fine.

I wouldn't blame her..and I think nowadays where everything is so mobile and you don't have to face teh person you're talking to people get a little TMI...or A LOT!

rockychryslerb2010

I used to work with a girl who was always late and routinely called in 'sick'.  We would actually joke about her excuses and make fun of the craziness of them.  We all agreed that she made up these elaborate stories because she wasn't really sick or had a valid reason to be late.

My favorite has to deal with power outages, and this was before smart phones! She never called our group line to call out or say she was late, she would e-mail.  So she emailed saying she was late because her building didn't have power and she couldn't get ready. 

GreenMonkey1

My FIL teaches college and one semester had a student who was going to fail, largely because the student did not come to class.  The student wrote a letter to FIL trying to beg to not fail- other than the obvious problem of his failing grade, the student addressed the letter to Dr. Dull, and the kid seriously thought that was FIL's last name (it is not, although our last name could vaguely rhyme with Dull).

Nonetheless, the student failed.

pc150805

I work at a University and we always have the best excuses. Finals week starts Monday so I'm sure I'll have some good ones.

We regularly have people asking to take exams early because they have already booked their flights home which is definitely not a reason to move the exam. The exam schedule is posted 2 weeks into classes so  they have plenty of time to book a flight once they know their schedule!

nikip6454

Disclaimer: I have an AA in Interior Design, we had a small, tight knit group of students and professors.

 The first one is funny to me.  She is asking to take an exam early, explained why and acknowledged that it was random.  I give her points for trying.  My professors would have laughed.

The second one sucks and if it happened to me I would have called my professors right away and told them exactly the situation, they probably would have offered a new outfit. 

 

KathrynMD

I had a coworker call out once because she hasn't done laundry and did have any clean underwear. She was 30ish yo, married owned her home etc. this was 15 years ago and still a joke among these coworkers.

IBackBevo

I'm with the OP.  I think the excuse about starting her period on the bus is total B.S.  How much could she have possibly bled through her clothes on a bus ride from home to school? What is this--an 8 hour bus ride??? Buy a tampon or pad in the bathroom out of the machine. Heck, stuff toilet paper in your underpants if you have to. Also, most colleges (at least all 3 I have been to did) probably have some sort of bookstore where a person could run in and buy a university sweatshirt to tie around their waste even if they actually did visibly bleed through...or even a new pair of pants or shorts.  Frankly, I would bet the girl just made up this excuse because she knows her college prof is male and thinks he will be too embarrassed to call her out.

And I can tell you if I would have pulled that crap when I was in college (and especially in law school), I would have been told too bad, so sad. I would have been failed.  I missed an exam because I was in the ER (and had my husband call from the ER before the test) and still had to bring my ER papers to get to take the final.

My DH once got kidney stones and his residency program made him bring the medical records before they would excuse the absence...and there wasn't even any test involved...just a missed day of work.

In my world, this BS doesn't fly.  I could not skip out on court or a depo because I got my period unexpectedly.

 

 

RondackHiker

IBackBevo:

I'm with the OP.nbsp; I think the excuse about starting her period on the bus is total B.S.nbsp; How much could she have possibly bled through her clothes on a bus ride from home to school?nbsp;What is thisan 8 hournbsp;bus ride???nbsp;Buy a tampon ornbsp;pad in the bathroom out of the machine.nbsp;Heck, stuff toilet paper in your underpants if you have to.nbsp;Also, most colleges at least all 3 I have been to did probably havenbsp;some sort of bookstore where a person could run in and buy a university sweatshirtnbsp;to tie around their waste even if they actually did visibly bleed through...or even a newnbsp;pair of pants or shorts.nbsp; Frankly, I would bet the girl just made up this excuse because she knows her college prof is male and thinks he will be too embarrassed to call her out. And I can tell you if I would have pulled that crap when I was in college and especially in law school, I would have been told too bad, so sad. I would have been failed.nbsp; I missed an exam because I was in the ER and had my husband call from the ER before the testnbsp;and stillnbsp;had to bring my ER papers to get to takenbsp;the final. My DH once got kidney stones and his residency program made him bring the medical records before they would excuse the absence...and there wasn't even any test involved...just a missed day of work.In my world, this BS doesn't fly.nbsp; I could not skip out onnbsp;court or a depo because I got my period unexpectedly. nbsp;nbsp;

I'm guessing you have a light period then? I can bled through a super tampon in an hour. Twenty minute bus ride? Could leave a nasty patch. Not a little, easily hidden spot. A big patch.

And no borrowing tampons would take care of it, and washing and drying jeans with a hand dryer in the bathroom... Really?

IBackBevo

RondackHiker:

IBackBevo:

I'm with the OP.nbsp; I think the excuse about starting her period on the bus is total B.S.nbsp; How much could she have possibly bled through her clothes on a bus ride from home to school?nbsp;What is thisan 8 hournbsp;bus ride???nbsp;Buy a tampon ornbsp;pad in the bathroom out of the machine.nbsp;Heck, stuff toilet paper in your underpants if you have to.nbsp;Also, most colleges at least all 3 I have been to did probably havenbsp;some sort of bookstore where a person could run in and buy a university sweatshirtnbsp;to tie around their waste even if they actually did visibly bleed through...or even a newnbsp;pair of pants or shorts.nbsp; Frankly, I would bet the girl just made up this excuse because she knows her college prof is male and thinks he will be too embarrassed to call her out. And I can tell you if I would have pulled that crap when I was in college and especially in law school, I would have been told too bad, so sad. I would have been failed.nbsp; I missed an exam because I was in the ER and had my husband call from the ER before the testnbsp;and stillnbsp;had to bring my ER papers to get to takenbsp;the final. My DH once got kidney stones and his residency program made him bring the medical records before they would excuse the absence...and there wasn't even any test involved...just a missed day of work.In my world, this BS doesn't fly.nbsp; I could not skip out onnbsp;court or a depo because I got my period unexpectedly. nbsp;nbsp;

I'm guessing you have a light period then? I can bled through a super tampon in an hour. Twenty minute bus ride? Could leave a nasty patch. Not a little, easily hidden spot. A big patch. And no borrowing tampons would take care of it, and washing and drying jeans with a hand dryer in the bathroom... Really?

Actually, no.  At one point in time,  I had such a heavy period I was diagnosed with PMDD and put on birth control for it. 

And you better believe if it was a matter of missing a final or not (and potentially failing a class), I would do whatever I had to do. But I went to a top 15 law school and sh*t like "I got my period. I couldn't make it" would not fly.  If I had told a professor that after not showing up to a final, I would have been failed plus laughed out the door. 

 

RondackHiker

IBackBevo:

RondackHiker:

IBackBevo:

I'm with the OP.nbsp; I think the excuse about starting her period on the bus is total B.S.nbsp; How much could she have possibly bled through her clothes on a bus ride from home to school?nbsp;What is thisan 8 hournbsp;bus ride???nbsp;Buy a tampon ornbsp;pad in the bathroom out of the machine.nbsp;Heck, stuff toilet paper in your underpants if you have to.nbsp;Also, most colleges at least all 3 I have been to did probably havenbsp;some sort of bookstore where a person could run in and buy a university sweatshirtnbsp;to tie around their waste even if they actually did visibly bleed through...or even a newnbsp;pair of pants or shorts.nbsp; Frankly, I would bet the girl just made up this excuse because she knows her college prof is male and thinks he will be too embarrassed to call her out. And I can tell you if I would have pulled that crap when I was in college and especially in law school, I would have been told too bad, so sad. I would have been failed.nbsp; I missed an exam because I was in the ER and had my husband call from the ER before the testnbsp;and stillnbsp;had to bring my ER papers to get to takenbsp;the final. My DH once got kidney stones and his residency program made him bring the medical records before they would excuse the absence...and there wasn't even any test involved...just a missed day of work.In my world, this BS doesn't fly.nbsp; I could not skip out onnbsp;court or a depo because I got my period unexpectedly. nbsp;nbsp;

I'm guessing you have a light period then? I can bled through a super tampon in an hour. Twenty minute bus ride? Could leave a nasty patch. Not a little, easily hidden spot. A big patch.

And no borrowing tampons would take care of it, and washing and drying jeans with a hand dryer in the bathroom... Really?

Actually, no.  At one point in time,  I had such a heavy period I was diagnosed with PMDD and put on birth control for it. 

And you better believe if it was a matter of missing a final or not (and potentially failing a class), I would do whatever I had to do. But I went to a top 15 law school and sh*t like "I got my period. I couldn't make it" would not fly.  If I had told a professor that after not showing up to a final, I would have been failed plus laughed out the door. 

 

Well I didn't go to a top 15 law school so I clearly just don't know responsibility.