don't go to class, don't study alone

[pipetman]

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it seems like im getting so many words of advice that i dont know what to pay attention to.

so my question for P2's:

for those that did well, did you attend lectures?
did you study alone or in a group?

everyone is telling me there is no way i can pass the classes by going to lecture, especially 2nd year. i think study groups are a good idea, but dont you have to go over it by yourself first? isnt't it more effective to have a study group before exams, not the week of?

 

[Feli]

...so my question for P2's:

for those that did well, did you attend lectures?

Most of them, yes.

I consider going to lecture and listening intently as studying. If you are gonna go to class and text, daydream, etc, then you mised well be at home wasting your time.

You need to get your priorities right, and during second year, your main priority is to get the knowledge to pass boards and be ready for clinic. You want to mainitain the highest gpa you can to open doors with regard to clerkships and residency interviews. If you're busy, you're busy, but you will have multiple time demands from here on out. It will get even more complicated once you get to boards, clinics, clerkships, residency, practice, etc, so you have to start to manage your time effectively ASAP.

...did you study alone or in a group??

Both.

You have to use what has worked for you in the past and got you to where you are today... first year, undergrad, etc. Initially, I usually and read alone to get a solid knowledge base and foundation on the subjects, and you will find that this is what most top students do.

Shortly (a day or two) before exams, I like to get together with a small group and fire questions around. That worked well for me.

 

[iceman69]

Thus far into my P1 year studying alone has been the most effective use of my time. But then again I have always preferred to study by myself. Use what you know works well for yourself and use the student services and academic support to find new things that will help you become more effective.



As an aside Feli, the current state of economic affairs is caused by a trifecta of stupid decisions on wall street. Wall street lobbied hard for the subprime ARMs in the bill for Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. The subprime lenders were huge money makers for awhile...It's not purely a democratic cause or a republican cause but caused increasingly by greed and general lack of financial common sense, i.e living beyond one's means. Also last two weeks were a great time to purchase securities...timing is everything...

One personal question for you Feli. Why do you vote republican when you aren't in a high earning tax bracket, or concerned about capital gains taxes?

 

[cool_vkb]

it seems like im getting so many words of advice that i dont know what to pay attention to.

so my question for P2's:

for those that did well, did you attend lectures?
did you study alone or in a group?

everyone is telling me there is no way i can pass the classes by going to lecture, especially 2nd year. i think study groups are a good idea, but dont you have to go over it by yourself first? isnt't it more effective to have a study group before exams, not the week of?

Going to class really pays off if you are seriously listening to the lecture and paying attention to the proffs. so many times they say stuff which is not there in powerpoints or notes and in exam the question comes from it. So it really helps to go to class. But..... if you are someone who cant pay attention to lectures and are going to just sit there without grasping anything frm lecture then it makes no sense to sit there. So you should sit and decide whether are you really benifitting yourself or just killing time.

My studying style is to study alone till i know my material and then we sit in a grp and quiz each other.

I never ever make charts, flash cards, notes,etc. I study straight frm the material. When you make flash cards, charts you tend to leave information which you feel is non-relevant. never ever do that. frm my experience in 1st yr. if its there in the material then chances are good that it will come in exam. So you better know entire material thoroughly rather than making 100 flashcards and solely studying that.

basically you should be so perfect that if someone wakes you up in middle of night and asks you "Where is Urea absorbed in the renal tubules?". you should be able to answer it without any delay

I hope this helps.

 

[feets22]

it seems like im getting so many words of advice that i dont know what to pay attention to.

so my question for P2's:

for those that did well, did you attend lectures?
did you study alone or in a group?

everyone is telling me there is no way i can pass the classes by going to lecture, especially 2nd year. i think study groups are a good idea, but dont you have to go over it by yourself first? isnt't it more effective to have a study group before exams, not the week of?

Why would attending lecture cause you to not pass a class....seems a little backwards to me. 😕

 

[DPMstudent]

Why would attending lecture cause you to not pass a class....seems a little backwards to me. 😕

maybe just from the time you lose for studying?

 

[cool_vkb]

Why would attending lecture cause you to not pass a class....seems a little backwards to me. 😕

What if you are sitting in class and browsing facebook, SDN or reading news. as they say "BODY PRESENT MIND ABSENT.

 

[feets22]

maybe just from the time you lose for studying?

Isn't it the professors job to provide information for you to study... I mean I understand you can probably just read through the slides and refer to the book but it seems like it would be a big waste of money considering the fact that you pay almost $30,000 a year in tuition to have these people come and teach you the information.

And the stuff that we are learning in lecture deals with what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life.....if you find it hard to pay attention in lecture then I feel bad for your future patients if you ever do make it out.

Maybe they should make DPM an online degree so that way everyone can pass since they won't be distracted by those darn lectures.

 

[spo01]

The answer to your question is simply this: it is up to the individual. That's it. Some people learn best from class, some don't. Personally I HATE going to class. I learn much better going at my own pace in the comfort of my home where I have access to all the books, computer info, and material I need at hand. I do attend classes when they are mandatory though. I find quizzing myself with one other person after I know the material usefull as well. But I find large studying groups to be nothing more than a circle jerk of chit chat and half assed studying so I never do them. It has been my experience and the experience of every med student I know to find what works best for you, and often this is a tedious process of trial and error and experimentation.

 

[feets22]

The answer to your question is simply this: it is up to the individual. That's it. Some people learn best from class, some don't. Personally I HATE going to class. I learn much better going at my own pace in the comfort of my home where I have access to all the books, computer info, and material I need at hand. I do attend classes when they are mandatory though. I find quizzing myself with one other person after I know the material usefull as well. But I find large studying groups to be nothing more than a circle jerk of chit chat and half assed studying so I never do them. It has been my experience and the experience of every med student I know to find what works best for you, and often this is a tedious process of trial and error and experimentation.

ehh...to each their own i guess. I just think that anyone who enrolls in a professional school should take some responsibility, show up for class, and act like a PROFESSIONAL.

 

[hyperpodia]

I am also a 1st year I have been going to class so far, but I really think I should stop going to class and spend more time studying.
The ideal would be to look through the lecture material (handouts etc) before class so I can keep up with the teacher. What happens is we go through what you would probably take a week in undergrad in just 2hrs. My brain just can't keep up.🙂

 

[NYFootExpert]

...My brain just can't keep up.🙂

You have the correct idea. Go over the materials the night before the class & you will get the most out of even the worst lecture.

I did best when I studied alone on a daily basis & then studied in a group just prior to the exam.

I'm almost embarrassed to say this but don't forget to network socially so you can get as many OTQs as you can.

 

[mildoc2016]

your best bet is to attend class. personally my first year i rarelu ever missed and after that figured out which ones were the best to attend ..... and the others where it might be better if i should be in the library reading the book. It is also good as a second year, if the proctor quotes a journal article -- to go an actually read the article. Reading journal articles will be where you learn the most for a given subject.