Want to know a clever way to throw away hundreds or thousands of dollars in one day?

You probably don’t want to know, but we know (since several members of the editorial staff are guilty of it) that many of you have done it before.

Yeah, we’re talking about skipping class.

If you’ve lived on campus and paid attention to your surroundings, then you have definitely seen signs about how much money is wasted when you skip class. Whether that money is coming from financial aid, your parents’ pockets or your pockets, it’s still a tremendous loss.

Of course, you hear all the cool kids talk about “syllabus week” and how the first week back from break is a sit-back-and-relax or turn-off-your-alarm-and-sleep-in kind of week.

Oh yeah, we all enjoyed the invigorating luxury of sleeping in an extra hour or two instead of dragging ourselves halfway across campus to an 8 a.m. we thought we could handle. We’ve all been there, and we all certainly have had our fair share of absences for whatever reason.

The luxury of “being there” means we have the experience to tell you that it’s not worth it.

You miss out on opportunity to grow and expand your knowledge, so the next time a family member tries to challenge you in a debate you can actually (and calmly) debate them.

You miss out on being able to foster a connection with other human beings who have hopes and dreams just like you and happen to be in the same boat.

Do you know how great that is to be surrounded by people who have these incredible ideas and want to make change happen? You won’t know if you skip that one political science, biological science, journalism or history class.

You miss out on meeting professors who can help you with job hunts and will be willing to speak on your behalf when it comes time to ask for recommendations.

But most importantly, you miss out on the college experience. You’re never going to get these four years back, so why waste them sleeping in?

Seriously, just go to class.