CCOM lectures: to attend or not to attend?

[alimarie81]

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Can any current CCOM students comment on how often they go to lecture?
I've heard that some students rely heavily on posted class notes instead of going to lectures. How many of you actually do this, and how is it working out?

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

attending lectures vary.....it depends on the class and who is lecturing. and it also depends on how tired you are from studying or partying!

i would say that i attend about 70% of the lectures. sometimes it seems like more, and sometimes it seems like a hell of a lot less.

with just about every single class, the notes are almost entirely sufficient. there are not "some" students who rely heavily on the the class notes. "EVERY" student relies heavily on the class notes. you don't have to take notes here. they are all pre-printed and handed out. you basically study your notes, and refer to textbooks as needed.

for courses like histology, gross anatomy, and neuro....you use an atlas along with your notes.

 

[alimarie81]

Originally posted by SM-UCLA tech
attending lectures vary.....it depends on the class and who is lecturing. and it also depends on how tired you are from studying or partying!

i would say that i attend about 70% of the lectures. sometimes it seems like more, and sometimes it seems like a hell of a lot less.

does your lecture attendance have anything to do with how well you are doing in the class? i.e., will you go to lecture if you aren't understanding something thoroughly? does not attending a lecture here and there affect your performance on tests? (meaning, are there questions on the exams that can only be answered if you went to lecture; or, are the questions on exams pretty much taken from the class notes?)
thanks!!

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

that's a great question.....

well first of all....testable material is almost wholly from the notes. therefore if you don't want to go to class and feel that you are comfortable studying on your own, than that works. most people attend most of the lectures. mostly because it's just like reading over the notes the first time. there are some classes that it's a good idea to attend. for example, physio ( depending on the lecture), neuroantamoy, histology, sometimes gross anatomy, etc.....

it all depends on the individual. as far as performance vs. class attendance. there is pretty much no correalation. when a point is brought up during lecture that isn't contained in the notes, the info is shared with the class. and this only occurs very rarely.

and yes, if I am not understanding something thoroughly then i will attend lecture. ( but in general, med school material isn't difficult, it's just managing the large volume of material and the rigorous schedule).

 

[jay dub]

Alimarie81 - it's going to depend on you and what works best for YOU. What kind of a learner are you? Are you a visual learner, auditory learner, kinetic learner? This is the challenge to med school - there is no universal success formula. You are going to have to be patient with yourself the first few weeks as you figure out what works best for you. I wrote a lot about this in my reply on your sweatshop thread. I refer to that so that I won't repeat myself too much.

Just know that at CCOM people approach classes both ways, and are successful with both approaches. And the previous post is right on - unless you are living under a rock during med school, CCOM is a very supportive, cooperative learning environment, so if you miss something important during class your friends who were in attendance will likely fill you in.

Right now focus on planning a really enjoyable summer and gearing up for the ride we call med school. You WILL survive. Considering you'll be at CCOM you'll probably even thrive. Don't feel like you have to have EVERYTHING figured out before you've even had orientation...

 

[alimarie81]

Originally posted by jay dub

CCOM is a very supportive, cooperative learning environment, so if you miss something important during class your friends who were in attendance will likely fill you in.

Thanks again for the reality check
Part of my problem is that my undergrad institution was largely the opposite of being a "supportive, cooperative learning environment." The pre-meds were fierce, and you couldn't trust your classmates. I am sure I'll warm up once I see how nice everyone is at CCOM!!!
Thanks

 

[Eyecon82]

Yea...by attending a large university...you definetly lose that connection with your classmates and professors...

I hope it all comes back at CCOM!!

 

[CTashby]

I attend 100% of the lectures. I also attend lectures we don't even have (why didn't anyone remind me about the OMM convention?). Thats just the way i do it. i'm sure i don't need to be there for every single lecture and i really don't need to be there when i have to focus every last drop of my mental ability on keeping my eyes open and stopping my head from hitting the desk.

Sometimes i get my self psyched to skip class and then i chicken out. depite the fact that everything is in the notes, I'm a very visual learner and if a prof goes over something in class with a pretty picture, i'm more likely to remember it.

I think going to lecture, for me, is analogous to eating at a chinese buffet. you can't really eat everything at the buffet, but you sure as hell want to get your money's worth. CCOM is not cheap and i'm going to get what i pay for.

 

[Eyecon82]

Originally posted by CTashby
I attend 100% of the lectures. I also attend lectures we don't even have (why didn't anyone remind me about the OMM convention?). Thats just the way i do it. i'm sure i don't need to be there for every single lecture and i really don't need to be there when i have to focus every last drop of my mental ability on keeping my eyes open and stopping my head from hitting the desk.

Sometimes i get my self psyched to skip class and then i chicken out. depite the fact that everything is in the notes, I'm a very visual learner and if a prof goes over something in class with a pretty picture, i'm more likely to remember it.

I think going to lecture, for me, is analogous to eating at a chinese buffet. you can't really eat everything at the buffet, but you sure as hell want to get your money's worth. CCOM is not cheap and i'm going to get what i pay for.

Yea...i totally agree!

 

[14970]

Hi, I'm a MS2 at CCOM and I think that it really depends on yourself. I attended about 20% of the lectures and felt that I did as well as the students who went religiously. The majority do go to classes but I think that most skip a day or two because there are just too many exams to study for! Really, it depends on yourself and you'll know what's best after a few weeks of being here.

Good luck,

Toast