Your teacher has been standing at the front of the room for what seems like hours, clicking through the day’s Powerpoint lecture. You anxiously wait for each click of the mouse knowing that you’re a step closer to class being over and regaining your freedom. People have been packing up their things and walking out early as you look on with jealousy. Finally, your professor makes an announcement that you’ve been dying to hear–”That’s enough for today. We’ll end a little early.” A strong feeling of freedom rushes through you and you quickly get your books together and head out the door, 15 minutes before the scheduled end of class.

Sound familiar? At the start of my college career, this was the story of my life. I would sit in class unable to focus on what the professor was saying because I was constantly thinking about how much time was left. We’ve all done it, but why?

Don’t you want to get what you’ve paid for? You worked hard in high school to keep your grades high so you could get into college. Now you’ve made it and you’re trying to leave? College tuition is extremely expensive but it is a fantastic investment. For every dollar you’ve spent on tuition, books and housing, you expect to get more than a dollar back later when you enter the workforce. If you’re paying for school, why would you not want to get every second you’ve paid for?

I want you to think about this in a different way. If you met your perfect match and decided to propose, you would never walk into the jewelry store and say, “Here’s $10,000 for an engagement ring but it is fine if you only want to give me the $7,500 ring for my money.”

Why Do We Want To Be Shortchanged?

I’m on a scholarship. I’m not paying for it anyway.

Whether you are paying for your education or not, you have made the decision to go to college to better yourself. Your professor might have something great to say and saves it for the last few minutes of class. Leaving early will cost you a bit of extra knowledge. If your professor ends the lecture early, you haven’t received the education that you were entitled to regardless of who writes the check.

It’s a dumb class anyway. Why do I need to know about Antarctic cephalopods?

Chances are, you don’t! But that begs the question–why did you sign up for that class in the first place? Were you taking the easy route by taking an elective that doesn’t interest you but earns you another three credits and an A? Always take electives that interest you or directly apply to your major. Of course, there are some classes that you just have to take–people majoring in biology will still have to take art classes. In these cases, just suck it up and try your best to learn everything you can even if you aren’t interested in the topic. It will make you a more well-rounded person.

My friends are going out to dinner and I want to join them. I’m not learning anything here anyhow.

It’s time to take a look at your priorities. Always keep in mind that at the top of your priorities list is school when you are a student. You need to have a social life as well but that cannot take away from your education. If you stay in class for the full period, you won’t miss too much of the fun.

Get The Bang-For-The-Buck That You Deserve

Looking back, I have no idea why I was anxious to leave my classes early. It wasn’t until I started my M.B.A. that I realized how badly I was being shortchanged in so many of my courses. If you are being cheated out of class time, you can always email your dean of students for some help. The slackers in your classes will be upset but they shouldn’t be. They have the free will to get up and leave whenever they’d like.