I’m on MEXT and have to care about my grades.
I have a chronic condition that occasionally becomes unbearable and requires surgery. I have a doctors’ appointment scheduled—I finally found a specialist that speaks English, takes NHI, and is a woman. But she only works on Tuesday. So I would miss my class if I attend this appointment.
I want to ask the teacher to record the lecture for me. Unfortunately I don’t know what to say and how much power I have. I’m scared that he will respond poorly. But I’m in a lot of pain and it’s dangerous, I can’t put this off any longer.
What happens in these situations? What should I say? I’m from America and while some professors were understanding there, others basically didn’t care at all. And it’s for a gynecological concern (large ovarian cysts) which I’ve noticed many people don’t take seriously at all… so I’d rather not specify unless necessary.
by myplushfrog
12 comments
Your best bet is to just ask. Or ask a friend/ fellow student to record for you. But, It is not their (professor or students) responsibility to help you though. I would be prepared to explain your situation as much as you are comfortable with as it will help them feel for your situation. You can also see if your school has any kind of support for this as it is medical.
It is also good to not go into details about what the issue is, just that it is a medical condition that requires surgery. You’re right that it opens you up to judgement etc.
Why don’t you ask your professor, who might say, “No problem” – in which case you have no problem
Or might say, “Hell no!” in which case you are exactly where you were
And then you can go to your school’s admin & ask about missing classes due to doctor’s appointments….
Trying to understand why you think people on Reddit would be the place to ask this?
Like another person said, talk with your professor first. They may want proof. Perhaps just a receipt that you went to the doctor. You may not be able to get a 診断書 since you are going for consultation, but that’s up to the doctor.
If you are at a university, you might want to speak to the student affairs office first (or the people who you do your MEXT monthly sign in with).
The university still has a duty of care towards you and if you face difficulties, must try to accommodate them. The student affairs office should be able to support you in speaking to your professor.
If this is a one off thing, then it should easily be accommodatable. If its a regular thing, then it could be a problem. However, if you end up hospitalized because you were afraid to miss class, that would look really bad for the University.
In my experience university professors are very accommodating in situations like this, I’ve never had a professor who was upset if I missed a class due to health or whatever personal reasons, as long as I preformed well (hand in assignments, not willfully miss classes, participate adequately) throughout the semester. Don’t be scared to ask, especially because you had a valid reason. If it’s the language barrier you’re worried abt, draft an email in ChatGPT. Recording the class might give them some pause through simply because it’s kinda complicated if you’re looking for a video recording, maybe ask for an audio recording, or even just ask a friend to do it for you?
Your lecturer should be used to dealing with this situation, as should the student affairs office. Let your lecturer know in advance that you will be absent, and he should let you know what material he will cover and of any resources available. If not, ask. He might not be able to record the lecture though. Ask the student affairs office what documents they will need from your doctor for 公欠願. Give the lecturer the certificate you get from the student affairs office the next lecture you attend.
> and is a woman.
Why is this relevant?
> And it’s for a gynecological concern (large ovarian cysts) which I’ve noticed many people don’t take seriously at all… so I’d rather not specify unless necessary.
Why do you give this information to us?
You could easily summarize your situation in about two or three sentences but you decided to tell us your life story.
“MEXT Student here and have to go to a clinic for a condition during a weekday so what do you think is the best way to ask permission from my professor.”
I would rather appreciate if you specified if you are a MEXT graduate or undergraduate student instead of other irrelevant details.
Oh and my comment is; assuming you are a MEXT undergraduate student you ought to be able to speak decent Japanese. Just send an email to your professor saying that you need to go to doctor for a serious condition on Tuesday and apologize for missing their class. Unless the professor is a weirdo, they will OK you without any problems. If the professor is a weirdo, you have bigger problems.
End of drama.
I was also a MEXT student and at times didn’t attend classes without any problem with my professors. As long as you are clear with your communication, they will understand. You are a MEXT student for crying out loud, not a lowly JASSO scholarship peasant. Have some confidence.
Get a certificate from the doctor then talk with your professor. My personal experience is that most professors don’t care about missing 1 classes whether you have certificate or not. Just ask them nicely and they generally will accept your excuse. Missing classes is quite common at universities.
Send the professor an email, perhaps attach a doctor’s note stating your condition (from when you were diagnosed), if you’re comfortable. Or send it only if the professor asks for proof or something. Considering the seriousness of the situation, he wouldn’t object.
I understand it’s a big surgery, I myself is recovering from a laparatomy for the same condition. Good luck!
MEXTer here with an autoimmune illness that always has me in the hospital: Just tell your school and have 診断書 to provide to the international office/graduate school so they know about the situation and don’t penalize you. I ended up getting hospitalized with a major fever for a week during finals last year, and because the school knew of my illness, they accommodated me. It’s better to let them know than keep it secret, especially in Japan.
As a university lecturer, I think it’s fine to tell the teacher you need to miss a class for a medical appointment. However, I believe it’s a bit much to ask them to record the lecture for you. I would recommend asking the teacher if could send you the lecture slides (if the teacher uses them) and then ask a classmate if you could look at their notes.
I teach at a Japanese university, and if you’re not missing an assessment, then it doesn’t really matter. Your teacher should accommodate you.
However, if you are missing assessments, then the official policy at my school is you submit the doctor’s paperwork to the academic/student office and they email the professors with an official absence.
That being said, I’m quite happy to unofficially allow students to do makeups for many things (I get semi-regular emails from female students about missing classes due to menstrual cramps).
Is there a language barrier? You could show your reservation/something from the clinic before you go? If it’s a ladies’ clinic, he’ll figure it out.