Students who live on campus can walk to class in a storm, while you may face an hour of icy roads or a bus that never comes. Here is how to hear about closures early, what your instructors' policies usually cover, and how to protect your grades when travel goes wrong.
Hearing about closures in time
Colleges announce closures and delayed openings through an emergency alert system, the college website and campus email. Sign up for the alerts with the phone you carry, since many systems send only to your school email by default. Find out whether every campus closes at once, because branch campuses sometimes follow their own schedule.
The roads from your town can be dangerous even when the campus is open. Many colleges tell commuters to use their own judgment in bad weather, since you are the one who knows the route. Look up the policy that covers absences when the college stays open and you cannot travel safely.
What the syllabus says
Each instructor sets attendance and late-arrival rules in the syllabus. Read those rules in the first week and note how many absences are allowed, whether lateness counts as an absence and how missed quizzes are handled. Some instructors open a video link when the weather turns and some do not, so ask early rather than on the morning of a storm.
When you will miss a class or arrive late, send a short email before class starts if you can. Say what happened, how you will catch up and when you expect to be back. Keep a record of transit delay notices or road closures in case a grade decision comes down to an absence.
The roads from your town can be dangerous even when the campus is open.
When missed classes start to add up
A run of missed classes in one term can turn into a pattern that hurts grades. If storms, a long detour or an unreliable bus route keep you away, talk to the dean of students office about your options before the withdrawal deadline. That office can sometimes help you communicate with instructors when the cause is outside your control.
Next term, use what you learned. A class at 8 a.m. on a route that often runs late may be one to trade for a later section, and fewer trips a week can help on a route that ices over. An academic advisor can help you plan around the season.
Steps to take
- Sign up for campus emergency alerts on your phone
- Note each syllabus's attendance rule
- Save transit delay notices when they happen
- Ask instructors about remote options before winter
Who decides
Your instructors and your college's dean of students office
Know each syllabus's attendance rule and sign up for alerts before the first storm.