For students with mandatory attendance: How do you maintain your sanity???

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I applied to many schools with mandatory attendance policies (I couldn't care less about the dress code, FWIW). In particular, a few of them have us in class from 8AM-5PM Monday-Friday (1 hr. break for lunch).

So, my schedule would probably look like:

6:30 AM: Wake up (Quick Workout???)
8AM-5PM: Class
5PM-6PM: Relax??????
6PM-11PM: Study?
11PM-6:30AM: Sleep

It seems that having ~1-1.5 hours a day for "relaxing/recreation" is a recipe for quickly burning out. I could imagine class being from 8AM-2PM or so, but 9 hours a day of lecture/lab combined with studying just seems daunting.

How do you all manage it? How do you all stay sane? I realize medical school isn't supposed to be easy, but this is a major leap from undergrad.

Is it just time to "Suck it up, Buttercup"???
 
What school has mandatory attendance every day from 8-5? Even us at Touro have class 4 days a week. 2 of those days are 9-12. The other days are 8-5 and 8-3. That's a lot but it's not quite what you're describing.

Also, I wouldn't rely on having that much free time every day.
 
My school is the same as above. I would say 8-5, 8-4, 8-12 (x2) and our clinical day hours can vary depending on your sessions. Keeping my school name confidential.

I am kinda feeling the burnout now, one last push until thanksgiving. Turkey, turkey, turkey!!!
 
1000 years from now the Geneva Convention will have a clause forbidding mandatory lectures in medical schools and they will look back on these times in disgust. Until then, I strongly recommend you do whatever you can to save yourself.
 
I just study in class. While not as productive as a nice quiet library it really beats sitting in class and getting nothing done and still having 8 hours of study to do when I get home.
 
WorldChanger36 said:
I just study in class. While not as productive as a nice quiet library it really beats sitting in class and getting nothing done and still having 8 hours of study to do when I get home.
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What do most of your classmates do? Are students really able to waste ~5 hrs a day and then go home and study without it impacting them negatively?
 
Even in the middle of a lecture, you can find time for some mindfulness exercises.


kovalchuk71 said:
I applied to many schools with mandatory attendance policies (I couldn't care less about the dress code, FWIW). In particular, a few of them have us in class from 8AM-5PM Monday-Friday (1 hr. break for lunch).

So, my schedule would probably look like:

6:30 AM: Wake up (Quick Workout???)
8AM-5PM: Class
5PM-6PM: Relax??????
6PM-11PM: Study?
11PM-6:30AM: Sleep

It seems that having ~1-1.5 hours a day for "relaxing/recreation" is a recipe for quickly burning out. I could imagine class being from 8AM-2PM or so, but 9 hours a day of lecture/lab combined with studying just seems daunting.

How do you all manage it? How do you all stay sane? I realize medical school isn't supposed to be easy, but this is a major leap from undergrad.

Is it just time to "Suck it up, Buttercup"???
Click to expand...
 
Yadster101 said:
What do most of your classmates do? Are students really able to waste ~5 hrs a day and then go home and study without it impacting them negatively?
Click to expand...
Most of my classmates pay attention and take notes in class. After school most classmates memorize powerpoints and read the text books. As for your second question a search for William Carey board scores may help you find better answers.
 
Brorthopedic said:
Sounds like hell, I'm on campus 2 days a week for less than 5 hours each and it annoys me
Click to expand...

I honestly hope I get accepted into a program without an attendance policy, but at the end of the day, I'm going to do what I have to do.......
 
I'm at the same school as @WorldChanger36. 1st year I sat in the front row and religiously took notes. By the end of the 1st half of second year I was hiding in the back row with earbuds in doing UWorld/COMBANK or just skipped class depending on if they took attendance or not, or if I could stand listening to who was lecturing. We had a couple who designed Excel spreadsheets that calculated their attendance percentage.
 
kovalchuk71 said:
I honestly hope I get accepted into a program without an attendance policy, but at the end of the day, I'm going to do what I have to do.......
Click to expand...

MSUCOM has all of their lectures online, which you can watch at 2x speed, while drinking coffee, on the comfort of your couch. It was wonderful.

Mandatory lecture attendance is so out of date it's silly. As it turns out, so are lectures in general. I advise you avoid any school with such policy, as they are likely to have very irritating and outdated processes elsewhere in their curriculum.

Just think about it, someone at the head of that school is sitting there and thinking, "this is a really good idea". That person must be a clueless *****. Do you really want to learn from that person?
 
HooliganSnail said:
MSUCOM has all of their lectures online, which you can watch at 2x speed, while drinking coffee, on the comfort of your couch. It was wonderful.

Mandatory lecture attendance is so out of date it's silly. As it turns out, so are lectures in general. I advise you avoid any school with such policy, as they are likely to have very irritating and outdated processes elsewhere in their curriculum.

Just think about it, someone at the head of that school is sitting there and thinking, "this is a really good idea". That person must be a clueless *****. Do you really want to learn from that person?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind not everybody has a choice, you have to go where you get in. Also multiple schools lie straight to an applicants face about attendance / or change policy and once you are in the classroom in too late.
Admins make policy by either following trends ( DO majority is mandatory attendance) or following popular " research" which currently says regular attendance in lectures increases grades and those that do well grades wise pass boards. While admins, deans and teachers quote this "research" they never produce it for anyone to look over and often punish those that ask for it stating it is unprofessional and disrespectful ask for it.


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WorldChanger36 said:
Keep in mind not everybody has a choice, you have to go where you get in. Also multiple schools lie straight to an applicants face about attendance / or change policy and once you are in the classroom in too late.
Admins make policy by either following trends ( DO majority is mandatory attendance) or following popular " research" which currently says regular attendance in lectures increases grades and those that do well grades wise pass boards. While admins, deans and teachers quote this "research" they never produce it for anyone to look over and often punish those that ask for it stating it is unprofessional and disrespectful ask for it.


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Click to expand...

It is scary how much this post lines up with my experiences.
 
My school's attendance policy is one of the major reasons I was a below average student for most of my first year.

At first I was hesitant to study in class because I was worried about offending teachers, but then I realized I'm there to learn medicine and not to keep the faculty happy. So, I bought some noise cancelling headphones and now I study during almost every class. By the time I get home at night I'm pretty much done studying for the day, so I enjoy my evenings and end up using most of it for board studying. I try to be as respectful as I can, and I tell every new lecturer we get that I'll be studying in class because I learn better watching the lectures at 2x -- most of them are fine with it. Every now and then I'll get a professor that will cite some bogus study that says students that aren't actively learning in class do worse on boards, and I just roll my eyes.

I tell you what though, mandatory attendance makes it really easy to destroy the class averages -- because while you're studying all day your classmates are wasting their time listening to lectures.
 
Are most schools with mandatory attendance ok with ear plugs? I feel like that's a fair compromise on both parts as long as you're not being disruptive about it.
 
YoungDoc25 said:
Are most schools with mandatory attendance ok with ear plugs? I feel like that's a fair compromise on both parts as long as you're not being disruptive about it.
Click to expand...

The places that have mandatory attendance are typically the same places that frown upon ear-plug/headset use in class. Our school openly discourages their usage, but they also don't penalize us for using them.

You just have to decide whether you value time or staying in good graces with the faculty more.
 
Azete said:
The places that have mandatory attendance are typically the same places that frown upon ear-plug/headset use in class. Our school openly discourages their usage, but they also don't penalize us for using them.

You just have to decide whether you value time or staying in good graces with the faculty more.
Click to expand...
I could live with pissing some faculty off to benefit my board scores/overall lifestyle in school. As long as there isn't a penalty, I'm good with it! Good to know!
 
CUSOM is mandatory attendance with harsh penalty for having ear plugs in lecture. ROFL
 
68PGunner said:
CUSOM is mandatory attendance with harsh penalty for having ear plugs in lecture. ROFL
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Just out of curiosity, but wasn't that in response to students having ear plugs in during guest speakers? If so, I don't really blame them.
 
MedNation907 said:
Sit in the back of the class, and use headphones to study whatever you want. Most who chose to sit in the front ended up in any back-row seat that opened up for this reason


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A couple of schools have banned headphones. Not only that, but our lecture hall had no "front," it was a decentralized classroom.
 
Mad Jack said:
A couple of schools have banned headphones. Not only that, but our lecture hall had no "front," it was a decentralized classroom.
Click to expand...

If you mean they sat in the back, can't blame em'. Professors in our school love to pick on us to make the class "interactive" (considering there is around 162 students I find that word amusing). We sit in the back in hopes that the professors get tired of the long journey to the back of the class.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
If you mean they sat in the back, can't blame em'. Professors in our school love to pick on us to make the class "interactive" (considering there is around 162 students I find that word amusing). We sit in the back in hopes that the professors get tired of the long journey to the back of the class.
Click to expand...
No, our class literally didn't have a back or front. It consisted of 26 circular tables, eight projector screens spread across all of the walls, and professors that would walk through the room as they lectured.
 
Last edited:
Mad Jack said:
No, our class literally didn't have a back or front. It consisted of 26 circular tables, eight prohector screens spread across all of the walls, and professors that would walk through the room as they lectured.
Click to expand...

Ah I see. The system always seems to be one step ahead... well most of the time.
 
Azete said:
The places that have mandatory attendance are typically the same places that frown upon ear-plug/headset use in class. Our school openly discourages their usage, but they also don't penalize us for using them.

You just have to decide whether you value time or staying in good graces with the faculty more.
Click to expand...

Our school not only frowns on ear plugs they kind of lose it if you do. People get good at hiding their head phones in very creative ways.


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I sit in the back of the room and study for boards all day and enjoy walks/running and working out. Mandatory attendance is rough but if you use the 7+hours of classtime wisely it helps
 
68PGunner said:
CUSOM is mandatory attendance with harsh penalty for having ear plugs in lecture. ROFL
Click to expand...

Lol harsh penalty? There is no penalty, I use headphones everyday. Guest speakers are exceptions but they aren't too common. If you're caught you may get an email saying 'hey stop' and that's about it.


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YoungDoc25 said:
Just out of curiosity, but wasn't that in response to students having ear plugs in during guest speakers? If so, I don't really blame them.
Click to expand...

Yes, and ear PLUGS are fine during guest lectures. They don't like headphones. So when I guest lecture walks in I take my earphones out and put ear plugs in


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MedNation907 said:
Yes, and ear PLUGS are fine during guest lectures. They don't like headphones. So when I guest lecture walks in I take my earphones out and put ear plugs in


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Click to expand...
That's understandable and very doable. Glad to hear that!
 
WorldChanger36 said:
Wigs, hats, hoodies, hand on the ear and the classic loop behind the ear tucked into the shirt trick.


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Click to expand...

Hand on the ear is a personal fav. however, if a school makes a point to restrict earbud use, they probably wouldn't fancy hoods or big hats. as for wigs, still doesn't help the male population. Looping behind the ear still doesn't prevent the bud from being in your ear lol which is what they can see.
 
Holy poo is it really 8-5pm 5 days per week? Or is it as some posters mentioned broken up like 9-12 some days and 8-5 other days??


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Alienman52 said:
Holy poo is it really 8-5pm 5 days per week? Or is it as some posters mentioned broken up like 9-12 some days and 8-5 other days??


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Click to expand...

Personal experience: M1 was 8-5 most days 4x per week, M2 is mostly 8-12 4x per week, Fridays are always 8-12

After having afternoons off nearly every day I realize how ****ty M1 was (anatomy being the biggest culprit for our long days)

We also have skip days that amount to about 20% of total lectures per subject (e.g. in a 60 lecture subject, we can miss 12 lectures)

But if you are lucky enough to have earphone access, you can utilize that morning block as personal study time. Definitely not better than having non-mandatory lectures, but it's really not bad. I'm comfortable with my schedule and have a nice work-life balance.
 
MedNation907 said:
Personal experience: M1 was 8-5 most days 4x per week, M2 is mostly 8-12 4x per week, Fridays are always 8-12

After having afternoons off nearly every day I realize how ****ty M1 was (anatomy being the biggest culprit for our long days)

We also have skip days that amount to about 20% of total lectures per subject (e.g. in a 60 lecture subject, we can miss 12 lectures)

But if you are lucky enough to have earphone access, you can utilize that morning block as personal study time. Definitely not better than having non-mandatory lectures, but it's really not bad. I'm comfortable with my schedule and have a nice work-life balance.
Click to expand...
How would you handle your morning lectures? Would you just read the PowerPoint/textbook at your own pace? Or were you bringing things like FA, Robbins, etc. to class and using that time for those resources and then review the lecture later to supplement?
 
YoungDoc25 said:
How would you handle your morning lectures? Would you just read the PowerPoint/textbook at your own pace? Or were you bringing things like FA, Robbins, etc. to class and using that time for those resources and then review the lecture later to supplement?
Click to expand...

This has evolved and is highly dependent on material and lecturer. But in essence M1 I previewed the night before, listened to lecture, then used various outside resources. Now (in M2) I use pathoma for first pass, then lecture, then Rapid Review Path for select topics. As long as it's not a guest lecturer, I do this during class. Most times during guest lectures I will turn to QBanks.
 
coffee-doc said:
yep. I have another interview at ACOM but they also have some sort of attendance policies
Click to expand...
ARCOM will have a no ear plug/headphone policy too. Plus dress code. Pretty unfortunate. ACOM allows ear plugs though I think so hopefully that works out!
 
Anyone know what the class scheduling is like at ACOM? Is it also 8-5??


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YoungDoc25 said:
ARCOM will have a no ear plug/headphone policy too. Plus dress code. Pretty unfortunate. ACOM allows ear plugs though I think so hopefully that works out!
Click to expand...

Even with the "no ear plug policy", couldn't you just think of the professor as background noise while you studied off of your laptop?
 
sabsaf123 said:
Even with the "no ear plug policy", couldn't you just think of the professor as background noise while you studied off of your laptop?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I was told the lecture will be very interaction based where students will be required to particpate in class. I was told on the phone that the way to be a successful doctor was to be a student that comes to class and participates in lecture. They also laughed during most of my questions about the lecture (extremely rude) and said they didn't understand why students would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to medical school where they didn't want to be in lecture. So I laughed and said it was pretty crazy too (trying to just get off the phone), and then they said it was just a reflection of this generation being lazy. I had enough of their nonsense and said or maybe students think if they are paying you hundreds of thousands of dollars, they think they should be able to decide how they learn the material best and not have someone else decide for them. That whole conversation still gets me fired up!
:boom:
 
sabsaf123 said:
Even with the "no ear plug policy", couldn't you just think of the professor as background noise while you studied off of your laptop?
Click to expand...

1. you'd be surprised, but i'm sure some ppl are cool with it.
2. you've missed the point. it's about covering ground quicker (i.e. streaming lectures at higher speeds)

In the end it's really not that hard to pay attention in class, but if you don't understand a component in the beginning of the lecture it could very well waste the rest of it. So this means you essentially have to re-listen to the lecture anyways.. which begs the question 'why not just stream it to begin with so I can pause/rewind when I need additional time'. And here we are..
 
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