attending class

[omaralt]

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hey guys, i was just wondering, is class mandatory?? i know a few ppl in med school and they have their lectures online. they come home for like a week at a time and just watch the lectures on their laptops. do dental students have the same freedoms? i was just wondering, because going to class everyday 8-5 seems like it would get tiring really fast. so why not sit in the comfort of your home and watch the lecures?? any input would be appreciated. thanks

omar

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

Keep dreaming. It would work for the basic science classes, but youve still got to be there for lab.

 

[blankguy]

Where are the lectures held at your schools?? Large auditoriums, regular classrooms, or somewhere else?

 

[ItsGavinC]

It seems that most medical schools do not have mandatory class attendance, while most dental schools do.

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

Well, while we're on the topic. I have noticed a huge difference in the way that medical faculty treat med students and the way dental faculty treat us. The medical students tend to get treated as adults and colleagues capable of making responsible decisions. Dental faculty often give the impression they feel like they are babysitting five-year olds. I only have mandatory attendance in a few classes and it just steams me. Its not that I skip a lot of class, but I hate being penalized when I can't get to class for some reason.

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

BTW, most of my lectures are in an auditorium.

 

[ItsGavinC]

SpongeBob, I'm right in line with you on this one.

One of our faculty members even went so far as to state that those who skip class have an unfair advantage over those who attend class!

That spells out the fact that class is a waste of time. Afterall, in an ideal setting those who miss class would be at a disadvantage!

And still, here we are 26 days from Part I and next Monday we have an exam over a "Pulp/Endo" module that our school insisted we have (although they did cut it back from 8 days to only 2 days of lecture).

How much Pulp/Endo could possibly be on Part I that we haven't already had in our DA course or our Oral Soft Tissues Course? "Not much" is the answer.

Our courses have been fair and the content fairly applicable to Part I, but I will say that anybody who finds time to study for the Boards due to our mandatory attendance policy deserves a prize. It seems our school insists on piling up our resources, references, and study aids, all the while neglecting the fact that we need time to study them.

Rant done. 😀

 

[ItsGavinC]

And one final comment while I'm at it: ASDOH has attempted to clear space for our Part I study this semester (my previous post may seem as though they haven't), however it's been really odd in the fact that we constantly have half-days for no reason.

For example, we'll have a one-hour test on a Thursday morning and then have a 2-hour Grand Rounds lecture Friday afternoon. It seems that the thought of moving the exam to right before Grand Rounds (and thereby giving us a full day off instead of two partial days) never occured to them. Not a huge point, but an annoying one when trying to get into a study groove.

But hey, it's a first year school so I consider myself blessed that things have gone as smoothly as they have.

 

[r_salis]

FWIW, optometry school has the same paternalistic attitude about class attendance that dental school seems to have. Wouldn't be such a big deal to me if we weren't sitting in classes from 9-to-5 every day. 🙄

 

[UNLV OMS GUNNABE]

but I will say that anybody who finds time to study for the Boards due to our mandatory attendance policy deserves a prize.

Rant done. 😀

I'm confused, even after the next post. You said you studied 7-8 hours a day for boards. Which is it?

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm confused, even after the next post. You said you studied 7-8 hours a day for boards. Which is it?

I'm not attending class due to the theory that although my school probably means well, they aren't taking Part I for me--I am.

But my point was that I'm sure this won't go unnoticed, and I'm sure I'll receive some sort of backlash for attempting to study in a manner that works for me.

UNLV OMS, at ASDOH there seems to be a stigma attached to missing class, even if the class isn't mandatory. Have you found a similar attitude at UNLV?

 

[UNLV OMS GUNNABE]

For the longest time there wasn't really an attendance policy but now they are trying to implement one. Before, no one would really care if you weren't there. Some of the students would make little comments about people who missed all the time but I don't think it ever got too bad.
So, quit avoiding the question. Are you studying 7-8 hours a day consistantly or not. I want the truth!

 

[Col Sanders]

I'm not attending class due to the theory that although my school probably means well, they aren't taking Part I for me--I am.

But my point was that I'm sure this won't go unnoticed, and I'm sure I'll receive some sort of backlash for attempting to study in a manner that works for me.

UNLV OMS, at ASDOH there seems to be a stigma attached to missing class, even if the class isn't mandatory. Have you found a similar attitude at UNLV?

Yes the attitude is very similar for a variety of reasons. I never went to class in undergrad, but have missed very few classes since starting dental school a couple of years ago. Although there may be some advantage to missing with regard to grades I do feel it can be harmful in the long term. One reason is instructors notice and think less of you, this can be the biggest reason to not miss, its important to keep faculty as friends. That also goes for your classmates. At UNLV we pay around $130(averaged out) a day for school, for the facilities, faculty and experience, I remind myself of this every day I think about missing school(It feels like I am wasting that money if I dont go). Another reason is I want establish good habits so when I enter practice and have to work 5 days a week, I will be used to it. But I have to admit I understand why some miss classes.

 

[bitecys]

Iowa does not require attendance to any of our classes. The administration's policy is that if you don't come, you take the chance of messing up your grade, or not getting assignments and it's your own damn fault. Of course, no one skips lab stuff very often or clinic, but certainly they do miss lectures.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm studying 7-8 hours a day at a local library.