OnlineProfessor

Life is unpredictable, and there often comes a time when a personal emergency causes a student to be absent for one or more classes. While various instructors’ policies may vary when it comes to how they’ll deal with accepting late work, there are some simple tips that help you cope with school during your emergency.

Action List for Student Emergency Absences:

• Notify your advisor and/or instructors immediately. If it’s a hectic emergency, and time is short, just call your advisor and give them a brief outline of your emergency situation. Mention that you will not likely be able to reach your instructors individually. Remember to also leave a contact number where you will receive messages. While your advisor will not likely hassle you during a personal emergency, if there is something you need to know, they’ll need a place to leave you messages.
• Get documentation. Think ahead and gather documentation of your emergency for your student file. Some instructors will need the documentation before they accept your late work.
• Once the crisis phase has passed, be sure to connect with instructors individually. Even if your advisor has notified your instructors, it’s best to take an opportune moment to communicate with instructors to begin re-integrated into the class.
• Be aware of time. Do not let more than a week go by without re-connecting with your advisor and instructors. The more time goes by, the less chance you have to catch up. You want to take notes about how you will proceed, and your instructors will want to gain a better idea of when you can be expected back in class.
• Prioritize. Sometimes a personal emergency is so devastating that it’s best to take a term/semester off to focus on the important things. It’s better to delay your graduation than to fail a number of classes. Students should not feel ashamed for taking needed time off. Sometimes, you need to focus on things one at a time, and be prepared to come back to school the following term without monumental distractions getting in the way.

Remember, if you do not keep your school informed of your situation and simply disappear, you are severely limiting your options once you return. It’s a professional courtesy to inform your work place and your school if you will not be in attendance, particularly if it’s for more than one class. They don’t need the big, long story and all the painful details, but a professional explanation of the seriousness of the situation is definitely expected.

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