Pestka: The “skipping class” epidemic in 2026: who’s really at fault?

Pestka: The “skipping class” epidemic in 2026: who’s really at fault? Pestka: The “skipping class” epidemic in 2026: who’s really at fault? Nathan Pestka, Opinions Columnist October 14, 2026 Neil Gardner Students walk on Central Campus after getting out of class on April 16, 2025 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Ever since the COVID pandemic flipped our world upside down, the schooling landscape has drastically changed its approach. Online classes have become a prominent option for class selection, professors have digitized nearly everything, and most importantly, skipping class has become more frequent and consistent among college students than ever before. The casualness of students skipping class begs the question of when it became such a normalized thing to do and who’s truly at fault for this type of decision-making.  First, we have to analyze why a lot of students are making these decisions, and what is actually causing it to be such an easy decision. In my opinion, a lot of students don’t skip class because they’re bad students, or they don’t care about their schooling or their future; in fact, a lot of the time it’s the opposite. I know a lot of students who believe some of their classes aren’t actually benefiting them from a learning perspective, and the content being taught in the class is a “waste of time.” A lot of the classes on campus teach a curriculum that isn’t actually applicable or relevant to what the student is actually trying to do from a skills perspective, and also what they are trying to do for a career.  However, I also do believe the students are in a position to take some of the responsibility, as obviously they’re the ones choosing not to come to class. I believe for most college students, going to class should be at the top of their priority list, as many of them are paying lots of money to be here (or someone else is). I know life can be busy with jobs, relationships, social life, sports, clubs, Greek life and all the other things that a college student has on their plate. However, it seems like common sense that if you’re a college student, then you should go to class. Regardless of what the class is teaching you, if you registered for the class, you should probably go. The students also choose the time slots of these classes and work with advisors to help them build the best schedule around their busy lives. The students know what to expect when classes will be, and sign up for the classes during the times they want.  Even with this setup, it seems like so many students are willingly not going to class, even when they voluntarily registered, picked what time they wanted and paid for the class. Are some students just lazy and don’t care? Sure. However, I feel like for the majority of students in college, they truly want to learn about the curriculum that their major teaches, and they have some sort of passion in that area of study. So why is it that so many kids put regularly attending classes on the back burner of their lives?  I think colleges all across the country could do a better job of creating class environments that get kids excited about coming to class, but also teaching relevant content that’s applicable to what skills students want to learn, and making the class environment more engaging. Many of the classes I’ve personally taken here that are lecture-based often lose most of their students. Oftentimes, professors are throwing loads of information at you on a slideshow presentation, and students are just mindlessly writing down what the slides say, and then on exam day they dump all of the information that they’ve spent hours studying for (strictly for memorization purposes) just so they can get a good grade on the test and pass the class. Now, of course, some majors require lots of information to be thrown at you because it’s needed, such as in nursing, biology, kinesiology and engineering. However, are there more engaging ways to teach the curriculum in some of these classes that teach information that’s relevant and necessary, but also gets students excited about coming to class every day? I think colleges and professors could be doing a better job.  Am I completely blaming the college system for the class-skipping epidemic? Definitely not. At the end of the day, it’s the students who are ultimately using their free will to skip these classes, and students need to do a better job of making it a priority to consistently attend class and engage with the content being taught. However, at the same time, I feel like many professors aren’t creating the proper environment for students to learn and to properly digest the curriculum being taught so they can apply it to their future profession. I do hope in the future that this structure can improve, and the system as a whole can slightly change its approach to how they are educating our students. 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Tags: covid skipping class students Donate to Iowa State Daily $6,633 $10,000 Contributed Our Goal Your donation will support the student journalists of the Iowa State Daily. 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