Skipping Classes

[NaughtyGirl]

Can you guys settle a debate for me.

A good friend of mine claims that the smartest students tend to skip class because of the sheer volume of materal and learn the materiial on their own. I told him that students that don't go to classes tend to be the students that are doing below average. If you had to pick one side of the argument, which side do you favor?

Also, do you guys think that students that go to class tend to score higher on Step 1?

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[WRXwing]

In all honesty, I don't think one can come down on one side of the issue. I really think it depends on how a person functions. I was a class-skipper. Many of my friends were as well. We are scattered across the spectrum in terms of class rank and boards scores. The same holds true for the class-goers.

I chose to skip class because of the way I learn and the lifestyle I enjoy as a students. I'm a late night worker, not an early riser. It makes no difference whether someones teaching the material or I'm reading it out of a book/syllabus. So I'd go to class, and daydream for five minutes, and then be lost for the rest of the lecture, and in that sense, it was a waste of time for me. But others learn better from hearing, and when they hear a professor say something, it sticks immediately, whereas they might have to read the same material several times to get it.

I really don't think sheer volume in and of itself is a factor. The volume is huge, but your efficiency in absorbing material during your time in class dictates whether or not you'd be more time-efficient in going or not going.

And I really hated the argument from the straight-arrows that I was "wasting my education and money." We learn however we each best learn. We pay money for facilities, availability of lectures, and most importantly, an evaluation and conferrance of a degree. If the lectures don't help you, why go? Guilt? Believe me, there are plenty of people who went for that very reason (at least amongst people I knew)

(incidentally, take my words with a grain of salt. Afterall, I'm an average student. Then again, I have a couple of friends who also skipped out every day, got hammered every weekend, and barely studied due to their incredible recall. They destroyed their boards and have plenty of interviews in very competitive fields. They're certainly not the norm, but I'm sure that both they and I have counterparts in the class-goers group.)

 

[adrenal_medulla]

Well, I skip class, and that's an argument against the smartest students doing the same thing. It is easier for me, though. I don't really learn the material until I go over it on my own, at my own pace, anyway. I don't get a lot out of class either. I find my slef looking at the clock half-way through a lot of lectures. I actually went to every class at first and found that I did much better just studying on my own. They give us the notes and I can access the powerpoint presentations online, which is an important factorl. I've done OK, so far. I think it really depends on your learning style, and the individual class.

 

[GoodMonkey]

i don't *ever* go to non-required class lately and am doing better in my classes this year (m2) than i did last year when i attended class about 85% of the time.

however, all our lectures are taped and then broadcast online and i watch those. i like to go over the material at least once and then watch the lecture, rather than furiously take notes on everything without knowing whether or not it's relevant.

 

[Paws]

Hey GoodMonkey, where's your leapin' frog??? Altho, it's about 17 degrees here now and I wouldn't mind running naked in the snow ...


Anyhoo, I see all divisions on this questions. I see some of the best students in our class who attend every class, and then there are others who are doing really well who skip. But then we don't have anything online really, and no note taking service so the lecture is really it. It must be a very individual thing. If we had everything digital I would definitely skip.

 

[peehdee]

you're talking about generalizations here so i'll go along with u.

that being said, i think those who go to classes will in general tend to do better in the class, but not the usmle. going to classes shows determination, and effort, which is rewarded by better grades. but for usmle since it is a standardize exam and with so many med schools with differering curriculum, going to class doesn't mean too much. this is bc there are prep books, course s etc. that will help you with usmle, which are used by most everyone in the country.

i think pre-reading, going to classes, reading it after class gives you 3 times at the material. and if you add to that exam study, you're talking about over 4 times of looking at or hearing about the topics. i would say that on average, that gives you a better chance to do well in the class. and also it shows discipline which is needed for usmle.

Can you guys settle a debate for me.

A good friend of mine claims that the smartest students tend to skip class because of the sheer volume of materal and learn the materiial on their own. I told him that students that don't go to classes tend to be the students that are doing below average. If you had to pick one side of the argument, which side do you favor?

Also, do you guys think that students that go to class tend to score higher on Step 1?

 

[NaughtyGirl]

Did any of you guys skip classes as an undergraduate too? Or did you guys start skipping classes as a medical student. If you started skipping more classes as a medical student what precipitated the move. Was there a "Eureka" moment like Archimedes?

Honestly, I think the guilt factor does play a role for me to not go to class. Then again, I am only a 1st semester M1 so maybe I haven't been jaded.

thanks for the replies so far

 

[randomlogik]

in undergrad we didnt have a noteservice or access to power point slides of the lecture. so if you weren't there you just missed out on what was said. half the classes had daily quizes and stuff like that too. skipping really wasn't an option.

 

[erin682]

I went to all my classes in the beginning of this semester and did really awful. Now I rarely go to class and spend the time studying and am doing pretty well. It all just depends on how you learn best. YOu can't make generalizations.

Its ironic b/c I went to class obsesivly in undergrad. I went years without missing a class. I guess you just have to figure out what works best for you and stick with it.

 

[lattimer13]

i gotta skip...otherwise i can't keep up and plus i now have more time to slack on SDN

 

[phoenixsupra]

Whether you go to class or not just depends on your learning style. Whether you do well in a course or not just depends on how hard you work. Don't confuse the two. There's no link.

 

[sacrament]

If I had gone to class the first two years, there is no way I would have done as well. That's multiple wasted hours every day.

 

[dakotaman]

When I go to class, it gets me jaded a whole lot quicker. If you're a good self-teacher, and the class is not required or does not have an attendance policy, I don't see the point. To me, it's made M-1 and M-2 a lot easier (so far).

I realize that during M-3 I'll obviously have to be there all the time, so why should I go through THREE years of not having any leisure time instead of ONE? My main goals are to get through medical school with 1) my sanity, 2) no health problems, and 3) some degree of competence.

 

[GoodMonkey]

Hey GoodMonkey, where's your leapin' frog??? Altho, it's about 17 degrees here now and I wouldn't mind running naked in the snow ...

sdn lost all custom avatars back a while in one server debacle or another and i forgot where i found the frog. now i just don't care enough to go digging around for it again. alas.

 

[my alias]

it depends on the student, the class, the study material, the professor, and the quality of the scribe notes. i got to about 1/2 of my classes, and i carefully pick which ones to skip based on the above factors. works for me anyway.

 

[surrender903]

i skipped classses in undergrad when i knew i could teach myself the material

spring semester 02 i hardly went to class in jan and february because of baldurs gate 2

 

[AF_PedsBoy]

After the first two weeks or so you quickly find out which class is worth going to, so I tended to skip about 40% of my classes - on the other hand, around test time the scribes really slack off (understandably) so I would ironically go to class MORE (when what I really wanted to do was curl up in a corner and study ...oh and cry)

 

[MSHell]

If profs are reading directly from notes, or the book, or just telling you what you need to know (like then entire anatomy book - pick your fave), you're not learning anything. That's a time waster. I would rather stay home and study than hear someone tell my what I should know by the exam.

Histo turned out not to be such a time waster, especially if I read the chapter(s) before, because then I would hear it again while taking notes and then reread the material that night or later that week - 3x material ingestion. I'd have to go through that material anyhow, and the class wasn't that early.

It just depends on the class and profs and if it's mandatory

 

[Rod Farva]

I like to sleep in, so I didn't go to class at all first 2 years. This allowed me to go out whenever I wanted, work out when my classmates were in class, get lots of reading done, etc. Still managed to honor a bunch of classes and rock the boards. Some people will argue that you pay all this tuition to get the "education", but honestly you will forget 90+% of the minutiae from any class whether or not you attend a few months after taking a given course, so what's the point? I personally see med school as a necessary stepping stone to becoming a doctor, so I'm paying tuition to get the MD and get out of school as painlessly as possible, personally. I skipped class every day but was certainly never near the bottom of my class in any given class, so it's really not essential to go to class in my opinion.

 

[mfrederi]

I think all of our top 10% usually goes to class. And, probably alot of our bottom 25% are also in class. These two groups are the people that feel they must do everything they can to do better in classes. Top ten % feel they might miss a detail and loose a point on a test (which will happen if you skip class) and the bottom part of the class feels that by going to class they are trying extra hard to do better (when the real thing is just to sit down and study). I think its about 50:50 for the rest of the class.

 

[Carbon]

I went to about 60% of lectures as a first year, and did okay. I've gone to about 95% of lectures as a second year and I've done considerably better. *shrug* Could be due to a lot of things (not the least of which are the much better lecturers and more interesting classes in second year).

 

[omarsaleh66]

Going to class helps, but I had to quit going to class in second year so I could have time to workout and do cardio. So I can achieve my ultimate goal of 260 USMLE, 260 bench, and 2.60% bodyfat.

 

[Nestle]

skip class while you still can. come 3rd year you HAVE to go in every morning without fail and those first two years of med school start to look so good....