Best use of class time w/ mandatory attendance?

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katiemaude

katiemaude

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Applied and was happily accepted at an osteopathic school that at the time of my interview had no mandatory attendance policy outside of labs and certain small groups for M1s and M2s. Apparently that changed and now lectures are mandatory. Class schedule is 8-5 every day.

I wasn't sure what my best study options would be when attendance was optional but I was counting on the fact that if watching lectures at 2x speed was it, I could do that. Now it looks like I will have to be physically present for lecture and if I don't pick it up the first time, I can rewatch the lecture. But that seems like a huge waste of time.

So what is the best way to use my time for studying? I am going into this totally blind. Any apps I should get? Tips or advice?
 
I would much rather be doing the 2x lecture w/o classes, too. Going to class and then rewatching the lecture is definitely time consuming...but I can't discount the fact that it will probably be beneficial (so long as I actually watch the lectures again.)

That being said, Firecracker and First Aid are probably what I'll be relying on, both in and out of class. I see myself doing Firecracker questions while in class and then really hunkering down to learn the material when I 2x the lectures later.
 
I never went to classes in my preclinical years, but I would still tell you that you should go to every class with a pen and paper before you start thinking of "better ways to spend your time".

You dont know yet what your best study strategy is, so start with the obvious. Trust me, undergrad does not equal medical school.
 
Man, I would be livid if my school changed attendance policy after I had put my deposit down.

A few friends of mine at WCU (mandatory attendance) just put earbuds in and studied at their own pace.
 
Mehd School said:
Man, I would be livid if my school changed attendance policy after I had put my deposit down.

A few friends of mine at WCU (mandatory attendance) just put earbuds in and studied at their own pace.
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In pharmacy school when I was in classes with mandatory attendance (assuming it was something I found a waste of time) I either listened to another class I did not go to on double speed, or simply relaxed a bit and watched a show or browsed the internet. I also listed to music and studied for upcoming tests.
 
Find a buddy and have him sign you in, oh wait....

Try listening to lectures to see if you like it, try listening to recordings to see if you like it, try just reading the notes. You need to find what works for you. For me, I listened to lectures ONLY to hear "this is on the tests," as profs usually just read their slides. I am 30 years old, I don't need to be read to. Lots of faculty love to teach and are good at it, but many are doing it as a requirement for tenure and could give a spit.

If it were me personally, I would go, put in ear buds, and focus on getting work done. However, don't go and just fart around on facebook/SDN because then you are totally wasting time. The profs may think the ear buds are disrespectful so just becareful and use discretion.
 
If your professor doesn't call on students, paying attention is optional.
 
I went to school where attendence was mandatory. It didn't bother me since I know I am terrible at self study and would never do anything at home. Plus I had kids and there is always some "mom thing" that needs to be done instead. Some lectures are really boring, some are interesting. I will tell you the professors basically tell you which slide is "important" so you know that will be on the exam. We knew that each lecture produces 3 exam questions. I would literally create my own test questions during lecture and at the end of the week my study group would just study my questions since we knew that was the material. I had a girl with dyslexia in my study group and she could recite verbatum what the prof said about that slide so between the two of us had it covered.

You have to figure out how you study. If you have to be there, use that time as your study block. You can sit in the back and go through other materials. It looks bad to wear earphones but you can wear ear plugs if you need.
 
cabinbuilder said:
You have to figure out how you study. If you have to be there, use that time as your study block. You can sit in the back and go through other materials. It looks bad to wear earphones but you can wear ear plugs if you need.
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Bluetooth ear buds! They are hardly noticeable!
 
ChrisGriffen said:
I never went to classes in my preclinical years, but I would still tell you that you should go to every class with a pen and paper before you start thinking of "better ways to spend your time".

You dont know yet what your best study strategy is, so start with the obvious. Trust me, undergrad does not equal medical school.
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding. I realize I don't know what my best study method will be and was planning to attend lectures in the beginning anyway. I am looking for tips about how to process the material efficiently if you tend to be someone who needs to hear something or read it more than once. That is partly what I meant by a waste of time- it would save time to listen at 2x the speed twice. Also if I had found that it worked better for me that way, I would not have to commute every day. Just wanted to clarify.
 
cabinbuilder said:
... I had a girl with dyslexia in my study group and she could recite verbatum what the prof said about that slide ...
Click to expand...

Was that a coping mechanism she developed because of the dyslexia? Pretty cool!
 
cabinbuilder said:
I guess?? She is just one smart individual who could put us all to shame if we had to do oral exams.

Gonna have to help me. Why do you need a smartphone for the match? So confused?
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To immediately reply to emails to interview. w/o it, spots fill up fast and can't get interviews.
 
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I go to a school w/ mandatory attendance as well. It is something that requires time to get used to for most people. I am an early morning person so I often got up early and studied before my classes began. Like 4 - 5 am early on most days. Which seems crazy but I usually went to bed around 1030 or 11 so I still got plenty of sleep. If you set yourself a schedule and stick to it, not a big deal as long as the people that are giving the lectures aren't garbage teachers.

I would be willing to bet that there is some wiggle room too. We can miss up to 15% of the classes, so on crazy weeks I often skip a day or two. Also, if you really plan on not paying attention much, i.e. using the lecture time to study, just sit in the back. What kills people is going to class and not paying attention. It baffles my mind when some of my classmates come to class and play games on their computer.....what a waste. If you use the class time wisely it can work.
 
katiemaude said:
Thanks for responding. I realize I don't know what my best study method will be and was planning to attend lectures in the beginning anyway. I am looking for tips about how to process the material efficiently if you tend to be someone who needs to hear something or read it more than once. That is partly what I meant by a waste of time- it would save time to listen at 2x the speed twice. Also if I had found that it worked better for me that way, I would not have to commute every day. Just wanted to clarify.
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I've given up on the 2x speed. I tune out. It's too passive. My maximum retention is at conversational speed where I'm really engaged and thinking about what is being said. If they're saying it, they obviously think it's important (usually). Otherwise at faster speeds, I look over the slides later and don't remember ****. Obviously many people live by 2x, so see what works for you.

Some of the really painfully slow lecturers I will crank up to 1.5X.
 
razor said:
I've given up on the 2x speed. I tune out. It's too passive. My maximum retention is at conversational speed where I'm really engaged and thinking about what is being said. If they're saying it, they obviously think it's important (usually). Otherwise at faster speeds, I look over the slides later and don't remember ****. Obviously many people live by 2x, so see what works for you.

Some of the really painfully slow lecturers I will crank up to 1.5X.
Click to expand...
I would agree with this totally. I think if you do it on normal speed (as long as the prof isn't really slow), and take good notes and try to learn, its more efficient than just passively listening on super fast speed. So many of my classmates study by simply listening to lectures fast over and over again, to me that isn't a good way to learn but to each is own I guess
 
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