Welcome to Craccum, where we put the “agony” in “agony aunt.” We’re not qualified to deal with your problems, but neither are you.
How in the ever-loving fuck do you decide how sick is too sick to go to lectures? Not all of them are recorded, but I don’t really want to be the detonator for a lecture-wide pandemic.
MAKE FRIENDS IN YOUR LECTURES. If you know people in your lectures, then you can ask them for their notes if you miss a class, or you can at least get them to tell you the gist of the lecture. I know, ugh, people, but trust me, this will save your fuckin’ life. You don’t have to have them as your maid of honour, or even really like them, but you need to know someone well enough that you can borrow their notes when you’re transformed into a fountain of puke. Plus, if you take a chance and talk to someone, you might find that you actually like them – unlikely, but possible. Having someone to sit next to is always nice, especially when you’re new.
I get that lecturers who don’t record classes are trying to preserve the moral sanctity of l e a r n i n g or whatever, but all they’re actually doing is penalising students who have extenuating circumstances, and forcing us all to sit in the spit-spray of some poor fool who’s coughing up their lung whilst trying to learn about the three branches of government. One of my lecturers decided to follow up that dull-as-dishwater corona virus video with a hearty rant about how you’ll fail if you don’t come to all your lectures. We can’t have it both ways, people.
In short, non-recorded lectures are ass. If you have friends in lecturers then you have a fall-back plan if you’re sick because they can show you their notes. You should talk to the person beside you so you can use them for your own gain. Man, I’m a really good person – wonder why I have no friends?
CRACCUM’S CRACKIN’ TIP:
Don’t buy all your textbooks straight away. Most of them will never be opened. Go to class for at least a week before you decide if you really need it.
Here’s how to know when you need to drop the cash for a textbook:
- The lecturer often brings it up/teaches from it
- Exam questions mention it (ask your tutor if they will, or look up past exams)
- Your tutorials have required readings from the textbook
Otherwise, spend that money on Sensational Chicken and thank me in the morning.