skip class?

[sunnyjohn]

Hello,

I know this thread will probably get moved to the Medical student Forum, but I am begging the moderator’s indulgence until I get a few responses from folks here. The students in that forum have already offered their $.02 and I have read all the posts but I really wanted to get the opinions of those who have already "suffered the pain."

Basically, some of them are saying that it is better not to spend all day in class in med school and study on your own. One of the posters stated he/she was willing to give up high honors in order to have a life. They only seemed interested in attending the "small group work."

I read an "autobiography" of a prominent surgeon at in it he said he stopped going to class too.

Is this a good idea or a recipe for disaster? Did any of you do this? Were you successful?

Here is the thread.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=102886&highlight=employment

Agape

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[Heeed!]

Hello,

I know this thread will probably get moved to the Medical student Forum, but I am begging the moderator’s indulgence until I get a few responses from folks here. The students in that forum have already offered their $.02 and I have read all the posts but I really wanted to get the opinions of those who have already "suffered the pain."

Basically, some of them are saying that it is better not to spend all day in class in med school and study on your own. One of the posters stated he/she was willing to give up high honors in order to have a life. They only seemed interested in attending the "small group work."

I read an "autobiography" of a prominent surgeon at in it he said he stopped going to class too.

Is this a good idea or a recipe for disaster? Did any of you do this? Were you successful?

Here is the thread.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=102886&highlight=employment

Agape

Skip.

 

[klubguts]

I went to class pretty regularly during my MS1 year but discovered this was less effective during second year. The way I saw it, i needed to study four to six hours a day to keep up--plus 4-5 hrs of lecture. I tried to attend lectures which i thought would be helpful (ie, clinical medicine) but skipped many in courses like pharmacology and pathology. It is largely up to you based upon how you learn and how many hours you are able to dedicate to studying/class. Small group sessions were mandatory at my school. This strategy worked for me, but i forced myself to study during lecture time (not sleep in, watch TV, etc). I can see how this could lead to disaster if you are not disiplined enough to productively use the "free time" skipping lecture affords. Don't know if this helps or not.....Good luck.

 

[JMK2005]

Skip.

Agreed!

Takes some getting used to get over the guilt of skipping out on class. It took me until the 2nd semester of 2nd year before I stopped going completely.

I don't think pre-clinical honors is that big of a deal (unless you have a good shot at Junior AOA).

Clinical honors is more important, and skipping class or not wouldn't affect that.

Go to class if it helps but don't feel bad about skipping.

 

[NinerNiner999]

I went to class for the first three weeks of 1st semester. After that, it became clear to me that the reading I needed to complete was impossible while in class. I picked up some high yield review books, and made sure to keep one day ahead on my syllabus. I would put in power days - 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday and read, quiz, and read again everything I could that was on the syllabus. I stayed a day ahead so that if I had a question about something I didn't get, I would go to class the next day and listen to the lecture. My school also had powerpoint lectures on the internet, which make going to them redundant. Don't go to class - it will force you to learn on the school's schedule and keep you from learning how you learn best - which is more important than anything taught in a book!

 

[doc05]

skipping class is a must. you'll get much better grades. seriously.

 

[fuegofrio17]

I didn't go to class because my time was much better spent studying on my own. I got better grades studying at home and at coffee shops than sitting in class. It is a very personal decision, though. I am a very visual learner and do not absorb very much auditorially. If you are an auditory learner, you may be better off attending lectures.

Another consideration is the quality of the lectures. You have to make an objecive evaluation (free from the bias of faculty opinion) of whether or not the material being presented has a high enough yield and whether it is being presented effectively. I did attend occasional lectures by faculty whom I thought were exceptional teachers and presented material effectively. I felt the vast majority of lectures, though, were subobtimal learning experiences compared to my own self-study methods.

In the end, ignore the biases of faculty, administration, and other students who have their own individual motivations and agendas. Make the decision that is best for you personally. No one else will be there to hold your hand while you take Step I, and no one else will be there to help you throughout the rest of your medical career.

 

[kungfufishing]

pretty much ditto the above. It really depends on whether or not lecture helps you learn. The key point is to be honest with yourself. Lots of people in my class attended every lecture but spent the majority of their time playing on their palm pilot, talking with friends, even reading unrelated books. If lecture doesnt help you learn, go do something else. For me, lecture was a complete waste of time - not because the lectures were poor, but because my attention span rivals that of a goldfish. I made really good grades once I stopped going to class and started spending time doing things I wanted to do, so that when it was time to knuckle down and study hard, I had already done all the fun stuff. Work hard, play hard.

 

[timtye78]

The problem I had during school was everytime I was in class, the thought occurred to me "I need to read about this..." Finally, I realized that like the above posters said, I felt I could better use my time reading and studying on my own for 99% of the didactics.

Early in my second year, I reset my alarm clocks to 8:30 vs 6:30, ate a good breakfast, put on some real (not university/hospital) coffee, and ripped through the material in a comfortable environment, and whether or not my grades improved, I was much happier. the process was so much more positive. Also, realize that at least during your 3rd year and for the rest of your residency training, being there wasn't going to be optional!! Think about that.

I was SO much happier after I did this, and I never regretted it!

 

[Jeff05]

skip.
i found it difficult to go to class and then read after class and maintain any semblance of a life.

don't skip all classes - you'll know the ones that are going to be really helpful.

 

[USAF MD '05]

I went to maybe one fifth of my classes in the pre-clinical years. We took our exams once every 6 weeks, so basically I socialized for 4 weeks, studied like crazy for one week, took the test and repeated. Granted, I have a pretty high rate of recall, and the cramming wouldn't work for everybody....but- hey- it got me through 16-17 years of education prior to med school, and it worked here. Do I remember all those biochem pathways, phys formulas, histo slides and embryo? Hell no. The beautiful thing is, neither do my friends who studied all the time!! Enjoy yourself as much as you grades (and conscience) allows!!
Good luck!
Steve
PS- Skip!

 

[Whodathunkit]

Jeez, I wish I had skipped...

All that wasted time getting back aches trying to find that comfortable position to fall asleep in those chairs, while drowning out that incessant talking of the lecturer.

Dang that guilt!! I always felt that if I skipped class, that would be the one day the professor said "And this is what will be on the test. And don't tell the people that skipped!!!". Of course, this never happened. But I still didn't trust the gunners enough to tell me if it did.

 

[sunnyjohn]

Thanks for all the responses

 

[Homunculus]

pretty much ditto the above. It really depends on whether or not lecture helps you learn. The key point is to be honest with yourself. Lots of people in my class attended every lecture but spent the majority of their time playing on their palm pilot, talking with friends, even reading unrelated books. If lecture doesnt help you learn, go do something else. For me, lecture was a complete waste of time - not because the lectures were poor, but because my attention span rivals that of a goldfish. I made really good grades once I stopped going to class and started spending time doing things I wanted to do, so that when it was time to knuckle down and study hard, I had already done all the fun stuff. Work hard, play hard.

kungfu is right. unless you happen to have the unlucky combination of the attention span *and* brain capacity of a goldfish (thankfully kungfu only had one of those) then you'll be fine skipping. i would advise trying it out after at least showing up to a few classes early in the year-- if for nothing more than to get "networked" into the class so you don't miss any last minute changes/announcments.

most people don't make it all the way to medschool without having some type of "damage control" studying ability. take that and refine it a bit, add a little planning and networking, and viola! instant class skipping good grade fun

--your friendly neighborhood thankful every day he skipped class caveman