How often do you skip class?

[meg]

How often do you guys skip a class? A whole day of classes?

How sick is so sick that you think it's ok to stay home?

Just wondering how important you think it is to attend class compared to your personal well-being...

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[DownonthePharm]

If you are too sick or emotionally compromised to get to class safely, or pay attention once you are there, or you will disrupt other students with your incesent coughing/sneezing/vomiting, or you are highly contagious, you should stay home.

Missing a day of class is not the end of the world, but it reflects poorly on you if you make it habit to miss without a good reason. If you know you are going to be out in advance talk to your professor, if you miss a day, when you get back, talk to your professor. They like to be in the loop, and can help you stay caught up on what you missed.

 

[ultracet]

i am not the one to answer this question

depends on the class.. my ID 1 class i went to about 3 times all semester

sick enough to stay home for me is not really wanting to get out of bed and not having anything due that day

a whole day is not as often skipped for me as a single class...

again....

my opinion will probably be the exact opposite of most people on here....
i think they are primarily dorks

 

[Roxicet]

I never attend microbiology this quarter, and hardly ever attend immunology, since I already have a BS in it...what a waste of time.

Other than that, the only time I missed a whole day of class for illness was when I was running a fever and vomiting a couple of weeks ago. We have very few mandatory classes, and this just happened to be the one day of the week that we have 2 mandatory classes. When I was able to stay out of the bathroom long enough, I went to a local grocery store to see if I could find something to help me stop throwing up long enough to make it through these two classes. I asked the pharmacist for his advice, and he said I should ask my doctor. What a bastard! I hate that!

 

[Kawen]

i skip physiology lectures quite frequently...everything on the exam is written out in the photo-copied syllabus/textbook you buy at the beginning of the semester, you just have to read and study.

 

[Tuck]

Hmm,

I skip all the time. I don't really see anything wrong with it as long as it is not a lab class. In fact, I missed all last week and was caught up by tuesday. Pharmacy school moves faster than undergrad, but it is still far slower than a person is capable of doing. However, it really depends on the person. Many people do not do well studying on their own and attending class is their main form of learning. Unless your going to miss a midterm or something, then I would definately not recommend talking to the professors. Chances are they will not even know you were gone unless you bring it to their attention.

 

[Jeddevil]

My first two quarters I tried real hard to attend all my classes. I figured that since I was paying 28 grand a year to go that at least I should attend classes. Well, I found out that many classes are nothing more than teachers reading their slides to us. We have the slides or handouts given to us for each class, so when I don't get any info to add to these slides, I don't see the point of going.

This quarter I miss three of my 4 big classes, including the two Roxicet mentioned above, probably 80-90% of the time. Every so often I go, like today for example since they were handing out a busy work assignment. I do go to all labs though. I am not the only one doing this, especially for our "Applied Pharmacy Care" class. Last thusday afternoon about 30-40 people attended this class out of the 130 of us.

But, it is not like I am not studying. I am usually at school studying during class. I usually show up to get the handouts before class starts where applicable. Have to say I am not going tomorrow though. I look forward to the entire day off.

 

[pinkyrx]

I rarely skip... the few times I've skipped its been so that I could head out early for a weekend event or something like that.

I find that if I go to class and really pay attention to the lectures that I need much less time spent studying for the test. We do have our lectures preprinted on power point slides, but the teachers add quite a bit (in my opinion) and I find that the supplemental stuff really makes the big picture more clear. Not to mention many times teachers give hints or at least emphasize certain things more than others and this really helps pinpoint what to study.

With all that being said, skipping is quite common at my school and it's actually a problem with the teachers. There has been some talk of making class mandatory for upcoming years.

 

[aubieRx]

This fall I plan on not missing a single class in pharmacy school unless I am really ill. I have skipped class occasionally during my undergrad career but that was usually because the subject matter was utter unimportant garble in my opinion (psychology, ethics of the health science, literature).

As far as undergrad classes, I think hearing the teacher explain the notes and then reading them is a very different matter than merely reading the notes on your own without previous exposure.

Again you have to think about the value of the hour: why skip class to watch TV for example? How stupid (that is my opinion at least). What matters more in the future? An hour of full house reruns or your education?

always think to the future is my motto. Build build build!

 

[meg]

This fall I plan on not missing a single class in pharmacy school unless I am really ill. I have skipped class occasionally during my undergrad career but that was usually because the subject matter was utter unimportant garble in my opinion (psychology, ethics of the health science, literature).

Ethics class is unimportant garble?

 

[aubieRx]

yus.

At least this one was because the teacher was mega-left wing and used it as a platform to promote socialist/liberal agendas such as euthanasia and government dictated (as i like to call it) health-care.

It was a bunch of garbage, particularly when she tried to convince us that Cuba had better health care systems than the united states using UN statistics.

I can't believe my parents paid for me to hear such garbage but I got an A in it anyway.

 

[Trancelucent1]

The best thing about UF's distance education is that every lecture is taped so you don't have to go to class (in fact there's no way I would drive from Orlando to Gainesville for class). Lucky for us we can sit down and watch the lectures whenever we're ready to learn the material. When we do have to go to class we have to be there but that's only usually 3-4 times/week and it's not all day. After doing this program, I could never go back to a traditional setting again.

 

[ZpackSux]

I attended little more than 50% of my lectures... what for?

USC had the most awesome Note Pool System.

I would like to think that the amount of golf I played in RX was time well spent..working on my networking skills on the golf course.

 

[rxgal8]

I attended little more than 50% of my lectures... what for?

USC had the most awesome Note Pool System.

I would like to think that the amount of golf I played in RX was time well spent..working on my networking skills on the golf course.

ohhh so that's how USC is so good for networking/connections (it's the golf course)
(just kidding)

I go to all my classes. I figured that since I'm paying 13k a semester, I might as well attend the lectures. You never know what you might miss out on.

 

[OSURxgirl]

I skip often. I call the days I don't go at all "mental health days". Pharmacy school can make you insane, and some days, especially now that it's spring, just need to be taken off. I probably miss 2 to 3 classes a week on average, and will occassionaly skip a whole day. Not a big deal. The "I must attend every single class even if I'm dying" people are too uptight. Get the notes from someone and just relax.

 

[rxgal8]

The "I must attend every single class even if I'm dying" people are too uptight. Get the notes from someone and just relax.

Maybe it's OCD and not just being uptight
But honestly, going to class does help sometimes, it helps to hear it once and then a second time while studying. Easier in the long run when it comes to memorizing and understanding concepts, IMO.

 

[tanyas]

I attended little more than 50% of my lectures... what for?

USC had the most awesome Note Pool System.

I would like to think that the amount of golf I played in RX was time well spent..working on my networking skills on the golf course.

Yeah, we had notepool for 3 classes last semester (out of 5), so you pretty much did not have to go. This semester our classmates refused to pay for notepool (apparently, it was too much money and not too helpful, which I had to disagree with...we still didnt get enough people to make a profit), so we are all stuck in class. If anyone doesnt have notepool at their school, try organizing one...it's great. We basically paid $70 last semester and got all the lectures transcribed.

 

[rxgal8]

What's notepool?
We have all our lectures posted on-line and most students record the lectures on their laptops or digital recorders during class.
Is notepool a note-taking program, i.e. students who sign up are assigned to specific lectures to take notes on and then share with the other students?

 

[tanyas]

What's notepool?
We have all our lectures posted on-line and most students record the lectures on their laptops or digital recorders during class.
Is notepool a note-taking program, i.e. students who sign up are assigned to specific lectures to take notes on and then share with the other students?

ok, last semester we had about 10-15 people that were transcribing. The lectures were recorded and they would transcribe word for word and get paid per hour of transcribed lecture. The rest of the class paid ($70 each)..the money was used to print the transcribed lecture and to pay the people that transcribed. Since more people signed up to buy notepool, and later decided not to pay, $70 turned out to be not enough for printing, so for most part of the semester lectures were just e-mailed. Basically, every week we would get the lectures word for word...great system, I think

 

[rxgal8]

ok, last semester we had about 10-15 people that were transcribing. The lectures were recorded and they would transcribe word for word and get paid per hour of transcribed lecture. The rest of the class paid ($70 each)..the money was used to print the transcribed lecture and to pay the people that transcribed. Since more people signed up to buy notepool, and later decided not to pay, $70 turned out to be not enough for printing, so for most part of the semester lectures were just e-mailed. Basically, every week we would get the lectures word for word...great system, I think

Great system but you might have had people back out because they can always split the cost with their friends and make copies or forward the emails. Students...psshhh, always find a way out

 

[jammocah]

ok, last semester we had about 10-15 people that were transcribing. The lectures were recorded and they would transcribe word for word and get paid per hour of transcribed lecture. The rest of the class paid ($70 each)..the money was used to print the transcribed lecture and to pay the people that transcribed.

Do you really need 10-15 people transcribing?? I think the job can get done (and done well) with only 3-4 people recording/transcribing. This way costs can go down.. students would be more willing to pay for the notes, you wouldn't have to pay all those transcribers, and each transcriber would potentially get paid a little more..

Hard to improve "the system" but I'd pay for notes. UCLA had a note-taking service for almost every class but I remember only paying $20. Plus they printed on part red paper so it was light enough to see but dark enough that photo-copying it made it hard to see.

 

[ilovepharmacy]

I think you would need more than 3-4 people with all the classes we will have. It seems like quite a load on a few people, esp. if they are working, etc. I'm so finicky when it comes to lectures/notes though - I have this thing about hearing and writing things down in order for info to get absorbed into my brain And after shelling out 30K+ undergrad tuition for 4 years, the thought, "I'm paying $___ for this lecture," makes me feel guilty if I miss class too much. I would shell out the money though to use the notes as a supplement for whatever I didn't catch.

BTW, the red paper idea is smart!

 

[ZpackSux]

OK! WHAT HAPPENED TO USC'S NOTEPOOL SYSTEM? EVERYONE USED TO PARTICIPATE!!!! WE ALL TOOK TURNS TAKING NOTES...1 PERSON AT A TIME! AND IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE FOR PROFIT! ???

DID Y'ALL BREAK THE TRADITION?

SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET A CAN 'O WHOOP ARSE..

 

[ultracet]

at my school
we have "note takers"
we had two for each class we wanted them for...

our ID notes were $25/semester and emailed out

pharmacology were $70 and not emailed out.. etc...

the way the pcol people did it... they actually bought a laser printer and printed them out instead of making copies at kinkos

yes people did email out the notes... and we knew it so they refused to take notes anymore

these people made a lot of money but they sure were hasseled about every little thing..

especially if there was a mistake

 

[tanyas]

OK! WHAT HAPPENED TO USC'S NOTEPOOL SYSTEM? EVERYONE USED TO PARTICIPATE!!!! WE ALL TOOK TURNS TAKING NOTES...1 PERSON AT A TIME! AND IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE FOR PROFIT! ???

DID Y'ALL BREAK THE TRADITION?

SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET A CAN 'O WHOOP ARSE..

Yeap, I guess it changed.....we now have only 10-15 people recording and transcribing, the rest just pay. SOmeone said, why not have 3-4...well, I transcribed 1 hour of healthcare delivery lecture last semester and it took me more than 4 hours, so there is no way 3-4 people will be able to transcribe all the lectures. At first, they did print them on blue paper, then as we started running out of money, it was every other page on blue and then it was e-mail. This semester, we were offered to pay I think $25 for one class (Biosystems, which is 5 hours per week), and we did not get enough people willing to pay, so there was not enough money to pay the people transcribing, hence we all go to class. UCLA system was much cheaper, but I think you could copy the paper part of it was red, but not the whole thing..cause I remember my friend copying my notepool......

 

[Tuck]

I have no idea about paying, we just have people that send out notes all the time. They basically just take note on their laptops and send them out to everyone. In addition, our class put up a website just for us that everyone who has notes, old exams, or taped lecture recordings can upload and download from. If you miss something, then it is their on the website to download. For example, in law class I only attended it once and got a 95% on the first test just studying from the stuff on the web. If you don't have something like that, then I highly recommend doing that. We already have all the notes and old exams for next years classes as the current students complete them. Some people contribute more than others, but overall everyone in our class contribute to some degree.

 

[scuba_smitty]

i know for me and my class it all depends on the prof. If its the teacher that just copies the book into power point format and then reads it word for word then no i dont go, because i can read the book at home...

 

[meg]

Man, I've never heard of anything like that note system here in Wisconsin. We must all be nerds!

 

[mrbob581]

Ya, we have a transcriber too in our class at PBA. She use to work for the courts as a transcriber so the quality is top notch! 25 bucks a semester, per class, emailed two days after each class. Best 25 bucks ive ever spent. The only down side was that i dident feel guilty for skipping, so i missed a lot of classes. wasted 137.50 each day i skipped. hmmmmmmmmm

 

[NSU2008]

Wow - these note taking systems seems pretty elaborate. I know it sounds hard to believe, but I didn't miss a single lecture this semester. We need to sign in on a sign in sheet at the beginning of every class. The penalty for a few unexcused absences can be pretty harsh, depending on the class.

I can bring up my lectures online too, but I still have to be there for all of them as well.

At least the classes are all back to back so I only have to drive to campus once a day.

 

[jammocah]

We need to sign in on a sign in sheet at the beginning of every class. The penalty for a few unexcused absences can be pretty harsh, depending on the class.

Mandatory attendance?!!? Talk about going back to high school!!

 

[yatzek]

there is always one hard class that i record every lecture in a semester... last yr it was microbiology and physiology, this year its pharmacology... i get the recordings on my mp3 player and if my friends werent in class, i up them on the internet or i burn a cd.... transcribing takes a **** load of time

 

[ilovepharmacy]

speaking of recorders - those of you that record lecturers, what are some good recorders? I don't want something that requires me to sit in the front row of class or anything, but I want something that can give relatively clear recordings. Does anybody use the iPod recorder hookups?

 

[yatzek]

ipod spends more money on advertising then the product- so they are usually a rip off.
i use rip flash pro and its awsome, its 256 meg and i bought it for about $140 2 years ago... but that place doesnt sell it anymore.
my friend just got a yepp 256 for $60 at best buy!

so there is some very good deals around now, do some research on the internet and I wouldn't buy something just becasue its popular... also check at what qualities it records, you want to record at atleast 96kbps...

my one has a radio, digital output and even a mini speaker, its the best thing i ever bought, and anybody who is anybody owns an mp3 player lol

here is one site with reviews http://www.mp3.com/tech/top_flash_1.php

 

[kellia]

i have a 256 scan disk. this has all the same outputs, inputs, and has a voice recorder. great for running, and equally great for recording lectures. it was about $90 at best buy- plus bought the wireless adapter so that i can use it with any radio ($25).

 

[yatzek]

i have a 256 scan disk. this has all the same outputs, inputs, and has a voice recorder. great for running, and equally great for recording lectures. it was about $90 at best buy- plus bought the wireless adapter so that i can use it with any radio ($25).

serious? whats it called im thinking of getting a new one, one that can store data too with USB as well

 

[kellia]

serious? whats it called im thinking of getting a new one, one that can store data too with USB as well

yes sir! good stuff! the wireless adapter for radio i got separately at radio shack. the mp3 player is called scan disk. it's blue and silver, comes with armband, earphones, and computer adapter.