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Some professors care who shows up, most in large classes don’t. Some classes are okay to skip, but most aren’t, particularly at a “good university.” No one is going to care if you miss a few classes here and there, but if you consistently don’t show up to classes (particularly discussions/labs), you will probably do poorly.</p>
<p>If your high school is very strict about attendance, I could see how that would make you think that college in the US would be the same. It usually is not.</p>
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It’s conceivable, but I’ve never experienced it; sounds like too much trouble. In most large lecture classes, the professors don’t really seem to care if they have 190 students or 230 or however many in the class at any given time.</p>
<p>I’ve actually never been in a class that took attendance at Notre Dame, though in smaller courses (10-15), it’s kind of obvious, and a professor might care. The most I’ve ever noticed, though, is a professor looking up one day and asking, “Is [Greg*] still in this class?”</p>
<p>*I don’t remember his name, understandably, he never showed up.</p>
<p>It’s really up to the student. I know people who skip most of their classes, and their grades aren’t determined by attendance, but by tests and papers, just like the syllabus says. It just so happens that they’re usually not as prepared for the tests and papers as students who miss class less. Professors aren’t there to babysit you, they’re there to teach and see if you learn. If you don’t want to listen to them teach, you’re less likely to learn. If you can do it without them, good for you.</p>