"It's not like you're in High School anymore."

As I was walking to class the other day, I overheard the above telling remark. Two freshmen were on their way from the building where I was headed.
#1: "Why are you in such a rush, man?"
#2: "Because I don't want to be late for class again."
#1: "Dude, it's a lecture. Nobody's gonna notice or mark you late. It's not like you're in High School anymore."

This is an example, I'm afraid, of wishful thinking. (I happened to be one of the lucky freshmen who learned early on to get to class on time, but I've seen many upperclassmen who still haven't.) In high school, the dangers of coming late to class are fairly obvious, and while they might be severe--especially for repeat offenders--you can plan for them. This isn't the case if you're late to class in college, though. Here are the various classes of "threats" you might face with chronic lateness, even if you're in a large lecture:

1. The TA sees you: Believe me, often the discussion/ recitation/ laboratory sections that are attached to most large introductory courses are small enough that the TA remembers your face. Most are nice, some not so much; I've heard stories about (possibly well-meaning) passive-aggressive questioning along the lines of "Where were you in class today?" or "Have you been sick?" This happened to my friend who ran into her TA at dinner on a day she skipped a discussion.

2. The Professor calls you out: I have seen a couple of full-time faculty members who will stop their lecture, wave and greet anyone who enters late in a disruptive fashion (cellphone in hand, iPod blaring etc.). This is mostly for psychological effect, and I really see it as an overreaction on the part of faculty, but I can't imagine it's a pleasant experience to be on the receiving end.

3. The Professor notices but says nothing: This probably means the faculty member in question either doesn't care or has sworn revenge. The good part: they'll probably forget to follow up. The bad part: if you ever need something, like a paper re-graded or a letter of recommendation, they might remember. I guess this is like karma.

4. You miss the material: sometimes this will happen, and often it can come back to bite you. How do you ask without making obvious the fact you didn't show? So much easier to wait to get that double-frappe-creamachino-latte-suplex liquid at Starbucks until after class.

I guess in summary that it would be easier if the attendance/ lateness policies for every class were simple and spelled out like in high school. In many cases, this happens; but remember that faculty members are people, and some of them may interpret chronic lateness as a personal insult or a sign of arrogance which they might feel obliged to chastise. Because of the personal interactions underlying the "three lates means one absence means a  grade penalty" system, being chronically late can have consequences which are bad and made worse by their unpredictability.