How to study with mandatory attendance

[PIacebo]

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Do you guys have any advice for how to get efficient studying in if you go to a school with mandatory classes? Currently in class between 4 and 8 hours most of the week. OMS-1

 

[th3v3rn]

You can wear headphones if you are not able to mentally block out what they are saying. I prefer going over lectures first before hearing what the teacher has to say about it then watch online. Do they record your lectures?

 

[PIacebo]

You can wear headphones if you are not able to mentally block out what they are saying. I prefer going over lectures first before hearing what the teacher has to say about it then watch online. Do they record your lectures?

Unfortunately we get called out for wearing headphones and forced to answer in class. The lecture slides are either put up minutes before the class or sometimes that day or the day after lecture. They do record but sometimes they don't get saved.

 

[DO3]

There is a myth going around medical schools that going to class means you don't have any time to study, so, therefore, you shouldn't go to class. Which is ridiculous. I went to 98% of my class hours in med school. Studied afterwards. Got up early the next morning and did it all again. Served me well. Currently in my #1 choice residency. I started early each test block , especially OMS-1 year...never fell behind. Reviewed each day's lectures first, then went back and reviewed previous day's lectures again. Weekends I reviewed everything. Didn't take an off day. I found that if I could get through each lecture 5 times, I'd get an A or a B...5 was the magic number. Second year was a different story. I knew what professor's were gonna focus on so I pretty much spent more time not studying than studying. Takes time to get efficient.

 

[th3v3rn]

Unfortunately we get called out for wearing headphones and forced to answer in class. The lecture slides are either put up minutes before the class or sometimes that day or the day after lecture. They do record but sometimes they don't get saved.

Wow.... where is this? Do they do this on purpose or is it just bad management on their part. This would piss me off so bad and would not be conducive to learning the material, especially if they don't give you slides for a day.

 

[hallowmann]

Do you guys have any advice for how to get efficient studying in if you go to a school with mandatory classes? Currently in class between 4 and 8 hours most of the week. OMS-1

Look at what DO3 said. Its possible.

I'm fortunate enough to not have to worry about this, but the people I talked to that were in a similar situation as you had a very rigid schedule that they followed pretty carefully. Basically they went to class, then after class they did 3 things (in no particularly order): (1) 30min - 1hr preparing/eating food, (2) 30min - 1hr exercising, and (3) 5-6 hrs studying (that basically fills the 24 hrs in the day with 7-8 hrs of sleep). They spent very little, if any time doing anything other than those during the week. The weekends were their decompression/sanity days (except for before exams when they studied a bit more).

It takes a lot of discipline, but if you can maintain that kind of schedule, you'll be ahead of the game for board prep & rotations. You'll get through this, but you really have to commit to doing very little, but studying during the week. No watching shows/movies, surfing the internet, going out, being on SDN, etc. Save that stuff for the weekend.

 

[PIacebo]

I'll have to try that. I was checking the math. I don't think it would apply to me much since we get out of class at 5 most days. 5-6 hours would take me to 11pm-midnight alone. Then sleep to get up by 7 for school. Hard to get the food/exercise in. Also hard to decompress on the weekends with exams almost every Monday. Not trying to complain, but we already don't take any time or days off since we can't. Any advice with this situation?

 

[user3]

I'll have to try that. I was checking the math. I don't think it would apply to me much since we get out of class at 5 most days. 5-6 hours would take me to 11pm-midnight alone. Then sleep to get up by 7 for school. Hard to get the food/exercise in. Also hard to decompress on the weekends with exams almost every Monday. Not trying to complain, but we already don't take any time or days off since we can't. Any advice with this situation?

What school is this?

 

[user3]

Unfortunately we get called out for wearing headphones and forced to answer in class. The lecture slides are either put up minutes before the class or sometimes that day or the day after lecture. They do record but sometimes they don't get saved.

This is utterly unacceptable.

 

[hallowmann]

I'll have to try that. I was checking the math. I don't think it would apply to me much since we get out of class at 5 most days. 5-6 hours would take me to 11pm-midnight alone. Then sleep to get up by 7 for school. Hard to get the food/exercise in. Also hard to decompress on the weekends with exams almost every Monday. Not trying to complain, but we already don't take any time or days off since we can't. Any advice with this situation?

If you're studying daily for 5-6 hrs, you don't need to be putting in the type of study time some people do before exams. The people who I talked to had regular exams either on Mondays or on Thursdays. On weekends, even if they put in 5-6 hrs a day that still leaves a decent amount of time to do more fun/leisurely things. The people I know had very similar schedules to you, but their schedule did get a bit easier after Anatomy. Are you still taking anatomy+lab?

 

[PIacebo]

I see. Yes still taking anatomy with lab.

 

[hallowmann]

I see. Yes still taking anatomy with lab.

Hopefully things will feel more manageable after anatomy. Anatomy is hard to adjust to, but get through it and be sure to ask for help if you find yourself struggling or find it hard to keep up. Also, it does get better.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

What are you doing wasting your time asking SDN? Go talk to current students and see what their schedule is like. It's not as if going to class is wasting your time doing nothing. You're still learning.

 

[Mehd School]

This right here is why I withdrew my application from any mandatory attendance schools. If you can pull it off, that's great. I study on my time at my pace, in my own pajamas.

Good luck OP. I came here to suggest headphones or earplugs, but your school sounds like a bunch of dicks.

 

[DrKershaw]

Much respect to what DO3 and DO3 sympathizers have to say, but from my experience, mandatory attendance is both inefficient and an outright waste of time. Yes, I manage to do pretty well despite being required to go to class (doing most of the stuff DO3 recommended), but I can only imagine how much better we could be doing if we were able to trade all that time spent in class for truly effective studying and learning. Though I'm sure DO3 is beyond happy getting into his #1 choice residency (if only we could all be so lucky), I must ask whether or not it was worth sacrificing your free time to make up for the unproductive class time?

For me, I can't find a single reason why going to class is a good use of time...here are my two of my many complaints, but please convince me otherwise so I can justify the hellish eternity that I spend in lecture halls.

First, professors speak slowly, make mistakes, repeat themselves and often digress, spending time talking about entirely irrelevant topics. For the material that they spend an hour and a half going over, not only will I watch it in half the time (via a recording on 2x speed) but I'll be able to gain a much better grasp on the topic because I can pause, rewind and look up anything I need further clarification on.

Second, you've got all those oblivious people who ask questions. I call them "oblivious" because they waste class time asking something that either 1) we all understand and only they (and maybe only a few others) are having trouble comprehending or 2) is about a semi-relevant topic that is not testable material. Isn't asking questions what office hours are for? (Exclude the occasion where the question is about something the professor misspoke about, for this see #1)

(I have way too many feelings about this topic to fit in one post and I'd go on if I needed to, but it seems like most people agree with me and my post is long enough as it is.)

Anyway, what DO3 said is really the only way to deal with it. However, a way around it may be to speak with the higher ups and see if you can make a case for why your learning style is not conducive to attending lecture and why you should be excluded from the requirement for attendance.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Well I am no math wiz by any means, but I remember in undergrad they mentioned there were (on average) between 23-25 hours in each day. If you are spending 4-8 of them in classrooms, that leaves ample time to study?

Stop trying to "beat the system". Just go study. It IS actually that easy.

 

[sears]

.

 

[DrKershaw]

8 hrs of class time + 8 hrs of sleep + 3 hrs of eating time + 2 hrs gym = 21 hrs. So 3 hours left to study and no breaks?

^^ @ChrisGriffen

If you think it's "that easy," congratulations. But, if you were aware of the research that's been done on learning, you would be able to appreciate the vastly different ways that people understand and are able to apply novel concepts. Some of us learn faster than those who are happy spending their time in a lecture hall, some learn slower, so there is no reason to force someone into a room and require them to learn at the pace of 199 other people. It's a severely antiquated model of education and I think you would find that most scholarly Ed.D.s would agree (which is why many curriculums now include group projects, varied class formats, etc. in an effort to appeal to the variety of learning styles.). Now, with that being said, if you are an administrator who is setting up a curriculum with the sole purpose of ensuring that all of your students remain in the program for the duration of their degree, so long as they all score the minimum score on the boards, mandatory attendance is the easiest way to do it. Some of us have higher aspirations and want to go beyond that minimum, which is why we feel very strongly that mandatory attendance is holding us back.

In today's world, we have what seems like an almost infinite amount of resources to pull material from. And not only is there a vast amount of resources, but the majority of them are available almost instantly. If this was 1910 and we had to abide by the rules of the Flexner report (which is also outdated), you wouldn't hear a peep out of me, simply because there would be no way for me to learn outside of attending lectures. But it's not and in this day in age, professors (though I am sincerely appreciative of what they do) are not the only means of getting information.

 

[Tri4thlete]

Doesn't class time count as "studying?" If I go to class, listen and not jack around, I only have to study it briefly in the evening and then right before an exam to absorb the information. Applying yourself and asking questions during lecture are meant to help you remember the information. Why people choose to sit at home and speed up a lecture is beyond me. It's almost like you're cheating yourself. Sit, focus, and absorb, it's simple.

I treat medical school like a full time job. I go to lecture from 8-5 p.m. and then study in the evening maybe 7-9 p.m. or 7-8p.m. which gives me plenty of time to workout, socialize, and do whatever. I'm in the top 10% of my class with this method. Everything DO3 said is true!

 

[ChrisGriffen]

^^ @ChrisGriffen

If you think it's "that easy," congratulations. But, if you were aware of the research that's been done on learning, you would be able to appreciate the vastly different ways that people understand and are able to apply novel concepts. Some of us learn faster than those who are happy spending their time in a lecture hall, some learn slower, so there is no reason to force someone into a room and require them to learn at the pace of 199 other people. It's a severely antiquated model of education and I think you would find that most scholarly Ed.D.s would agree (which is why many curriculums now include group projects, varied class formats, etc. in an effort to appeal to the variety of learning styles.). Now, with that being said, if you are an administrator who is setting up a curriculum with the sole purpose of ensuring that all of your students remain in the program for the duration of their degree, so long as they all score the minimum score on the boards, mandatory attendance is the easiest way to do it. Some of us have higher aspirations and want to go beyond that minimum, which is why we feel very strongly that mandatory attendance is holding us back.

In today's world, we have what seems like an almost infinite amount of resources to pull material from. And not only is there a vast amount of resources, but the majority of them are available almost instantly. If this was 1910 and we had to abide by the rules of the Flexner report (which is also outdated), you wouldn't hear a peep out of me, simply because there would be no way for me to learn outside of attending lectures. But it's not and in this day in age, professors (though I am sincerely appreciative of what they do) are not the only means of getting information.

All of the time you spent writing this post is time you have wasted while you could be studying.
I know that you are a magical and unique snowflake, but this is how medicine is taught. We can debate about how fair this system is in another forum. If you are looking for the answer to this (very difficult) problem of "how to study", the answers can be found on page one of your book/notes.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

8 hrs of class time + 8 hrs of sleep + 3 hrs of eating time + 2 hrs gym = 21 hrs. So 3 hours left to study and no breaks?

How many hours does that leave for SDN?


you need to sleep less, eat quicker, and work out more efficiently. Thats what time management is.


Have a look at how many people have done this before you.
This thread pops up every year.

 

[DrKershaw]

Do you guys have any advice for how to get efficient studying in if you go to a school with mandatory classes? Currently in class between 4 and 8 hours most of the week. OMS-1

Basically, you'll need to find a way to incorporate your preferred method of learning into the mandatory class schedule. For me, I need to spend an hour or two before the first lecture of the day, either reviewing material from the day before or previewing material for that day. Make sure you review after every class too and use your weekends wisely. If you can, try to tune out the professor and learn the material on your own during that class period, it's tough, but as it's been said, it's doable.

 

[GUH]

Well I am no math wiz by any means, but I remember in undergrad they mentioned there were (on average) between 23-25 hours in each day. If you are spending 4-8 of them in classrooms, that leaves ample time to study?

Stop trying to "beat the system". Just go study. It IS actually that easy.

I guess you live in the lecture hall and don't eat or poop. Good for you; that's awesome.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

I guess you live in the lecture hall and don't eat or poop. Good for you; that's awesome.

I guess I must be a total freak of nature for being one of the millions upon millions of people who have figured out time management in medical school.

Edit: how much time per day do you spend eating/pooping?

 

[GUH]

I guess I must be a total freak of nature for being one of the millions upon millions of people who have figured out time management in medical school.

Edit: how much time per day do you spend eating/pooping?

Eating? A fair amount. I also do crazy, time-wasting things like sleep, exercise, drive to school, and shower.

 

[user3]

^^ @ChrisGriffen

If you think it's "that easy," congratulations. But, if you were aware of the research that's been done on learning, you would be able to appreciate the vastly different ways that people understand and are able to apply novel concepts. Some of us learn faster than those who are happy spending their time in a lecture hall, some learn slower, so there is no reason to force someone into a room and require them to learn at the pace of 199 other people. It's a severely antiquated model of education and I think you would find that most scholarly Ed.D.s would agree (which is why many curriculums now include group projects, varied class formats, etc. in an effort to appeal to the variety of learning styles.). Now, with that being said, if you are an administrator who is setting up a curriculum with the sole purpose of ensuring that all of your students remain in the program for the duration of their degree, so long as they all score the minimum score on the boards, mandatory attendance is the easiest way to do it. Some of us have higher aspirations and want to go beyond that minimum, which is why we feel very strongly that mandatory attendance is holding us back.

In today's world, we have what seems like an almost infinite amount of resources to pull material from. And not only is there a vast amount of resources, but the majority of them are available almost instantly. If this was 1910 and we had to abide by the rules of the Flexner report (which is also outdated), you wouldn't hear a peep out of me, simply because there would be no way for me to learn outside of attending lectures. But it's not and in this day in age, professors (though I am sincerely appreciative of what they do) are not the only means of getting information.

👎

Even this argument for mandatory attendance is weak. Many students simply don't learn or retain much information at all from sitting in lectures- and for these people, forced attendance day in and day out could hurt their chances of attaining even the minimum marks.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

Ok the fact of the matter is, you HAVE mandatory attendance.








Stop bitching, start studying.

 

[user3]

I guess I must be a total freak of nature for being one of the millions upon millions of people who have figured out time management in medical school.

Edit: how much time per day do you spend eating/pooping?

Ok the fact of the matter is, you HAVE mandatory attendance.








Stop bitching, start studying.

Well I am no math wiz by any means, but I remember in undergrad they mentioned there were (on average) between 23-25 hours in each day. If you are spending 4-8 of them in classrooms, that leaves ample time to study?

Stop trying to "beat the system". Just go study. It IS actually that easy.

get off your high horse, troll.

 

[hallowmann]

get off your high horse, troll.

ChrisGriffen may not have a ton of tact, but what he's saying is true. You can argue all day about the inefficiencies of medical education, and they exist in every med school, but ultimately that doesn't help OP or others in his situation.

It is what it is. The only solution is keeping a tight schedule and being more efficient. Many people less intelligent than OP have done it before. There is no trick or way to beat the system. You just have to find a way to work within it.

 

[apr27]

If I can preview the lecture and have some notes done beforehand, I actually don't mind going to lecture.

 

[ChrisGriffen]

get off your high horse, troll.

Cute.

Refresh my memory, is this thread called "lets all bitch about things we cant change" Or "How to study with mandatory attendance"??

 

[group_theory]

Please keep the tone of this thread professional.


Time management skills is very important ... Otherwise residency, fellowship, and real life attending job will eat you alive if not mastered. 3 hrs for meals in a day is simply not realistic for residency and/or fellowship

 

[DocWinter]

I'm a lowly 1st year, but I'll tell you what is getting me above the exam average so far -
50 minutes for a lecture is a lot of time. I print out material, and while the prof is talking, I'm going nuts with 2 or 3 colored pens and a highlighter, with a full empty page next to the 4 or 6 slides I have up. I write down things spoken in class (not on paper), make my own diagrams, highlight high-yield material (with a little time with each prof, you get to know what is high yield) and then like DO3 said, review that night or the next morning.

I found that my hitting the material 1x in class, 1x that night or next morning, and 1x in the next day/weekend, I'm nearly at the point of reviewing. Reviewing is not hard core study, it is going over notes, nodding in agreement as you read something over that you know and making few notes if any.

You CAN go to class and make it worthwhile.

 

[katiemaude]

I'm an OMS-1 as well. About half my classes are mandatory (labs, some lectures) and half are not. The wiggle room is key. If we have an exam scheduled mid week instead of Monday, it's nice to be able to skip lectures the day or two before and catch up later on the recordings. It also is a huge sanity saver when you have a prof who either goes too fast over the material, is incomprehensible or is super slow and you need to pause/rewind/look things up. I attend lecture even when it's not mandatory if I get something out of the class. Some profs are more engaging in person and you miss out if you watch only the recording (ours don't show the prof, just what's on the screen).

For required lectures where I get zilch out of it, I use that time to do lab write ups and other tasks and half tune in to what they are saying or I do discrete ear buds and study something else.

Mandatory lectures are more difficult if you are not the best auditory learner. We are all obviously OK with auditory learning or we wouldn't be in medical school, but it's not the most efficient way to learn for some people. For anatomy, I learn more from actually dissecting, reading a textbook, watching a dissection video, holding bones in my hand, etc. People who take in things really well just by listening to a lecture have a hard time understanding what's so frustrating to the rest of us.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Do you guys have any advice for how to get efficient studying in if you go to a school with mandatory classes? Currently in class between 4 and 8 hours most of the week. OMS-1

I went to LECOM where attendence is mandatory 8-4 every day. I also started med school with a 2 yr old and a 5 yr old so if I can do it, no one else has any reason to bitch.
I viewed going to class just like going to any job. I was expected to be there and knew that was "me time" instead of being home which was "mom time". I listened in class but I also wrote test questions for my study group while in class and made sure I marked which slides would be on the exams. (3 exam questions per lecture) So there are really only 5-6 test question slides for every lecture.

My study group met on this schedule:
Mon: 6-10pm
Tues: 6-10pm
Wed: 6-10 pm
Thurs: 6-10pm
Frid I had off with my kids (husband worked)
Saturday I had off with my kids (husband worked)
Sunday: group from Noon until we had it down for the exam Monday.

I ate dinner every night with my family at 5pm, helped with my kids homework, school papers, etc.

Every night after group I did my prep for class the next day, notes, lectures, etc., did the mail, bills, email, etc.
I went to bed at 11 and got up at 7 every day. I took my kids to school/daycare every day and my husband picked them up. I was right in the middle of my class and that was ok to me because I wasn't failing anything and I wasn't on the bottom.

If you are single there IS NO EXCUSE. You have to learn to make it work. You cannot know everything, you have to learn what they will test you on and leave the rest.

 

[DocWinter]

Ditto to learning what will be tested and forget the rest

 

[user3]

If you are single there IS NO EXCUSE. You have to learn to make it work.

There is no excuse for schools that refuse to accommodate those who do not learn well sitting in lectures. Frankly, I find it despicable and feel terribly for these students.

 

[PIacebo]

I listened in class but I also wrote test questions for my study group while in class and made sure I marked which slides would be on the exams. (3 exam questions per lecture) So there are really only 5-6 test question slides for every lecture.


If you are single there IS NO EXCUSE. You have to learn to make it work. You cannot know everything, you have to learn what they will test you on and leave the rest.

Props to you cabinbuilder! Again, not trying to say I am making any excuses. Do they tell you in class what is important for the exam? Or do they test you on information that is board relevant?

Of course if that was the case for our professors, I would not be studying as much as I am. Our professors say many things that are "important" but the problem is they pick and choose what will show up on the exam. Sometimes what they say is important will show up. However, most times it is just random details from the slides that we did not think is important. We look in books such as BRS and First Aid to see any board relevant information, but they don't even test on that either. So in effect, we are forced to learn and know everything. If you have any advice on this I would really appreciate it!

 

[hallowmann]

...Sometimes what they say is important will show up. However, most times it is just random details from the slides that we did not think is important. We look in books such as BRS and First Aid to see any board relevant information, but they don't even test on that either. So in effect, we are forced to learn and know everything...

You've just described medical school. Lots of things are important. There's just a point where you have to say that's enough, I can't do any more, or it's just not worth it. Believe it or not, you will get better at intuitively knowing what's important and what's the best/most efficient way to study. It takes time, but it'll come.

Don't forget to ask for help and get a tutor if you can. Only people at your own school who've been through it can give you the best advice.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Props to you cabinbuilder! Again, not trying to say I am making any excuses. Do they tell you in class what is important for the exam? Or do they test you on information that is board relevant?

Of course if that was the case for our professors, I would not be studying as much as I am. Our professors say many things that are "important" but the problem is they pick and choose what will show up on the exam. Sometimes what they say is important will show up. However, most times it is just random details from the slides that we did not think is important. We look in books such as BRS and First Aid to see any board relevant information, but they don't even test on that either. So in effect, we are forced to learn and know everything. If you have any advice on this I would really appreciate it!

So granted I have been out of school for some time - 8 yrs. When I was at LECOM many of the faculty were involved with writing board questions so they geared the tests to mimic board questions. Granted there was always minutae too. They pretty much told use what slides were important and yes, the tests questions came from those slides which typically were meant to be board prep too. Sorry they are making it harder than it needs to be.

 

[cabinbuilder]

There is no excuse for schools that refuse to accommodate those who do not learn well sitting in lectures. Frankly, I find it despicable and feel terribly for these students.

If you KNOW you don't learn well in lectures then don't put yourself in that position by applying to a mandatory attendance school. Instead they should be applying to PBL or ISP pathway school.

 

[PIacebo]

So granted I have been out of school for some time - 8 yrs. When I was at LECOM many of the faculty were involved with writing board questions so they geared the tests to mimic board questions. Granted there was always minutae too. They pretty much told use what slides were important and yes, the tests questions came from those slides which typically were meant to be board prep too. Sorry they are making it harder than it needs to be.

I see. It is quite alright. I wish it was like that for us as well, but I know to just do the best I can with it. Looks like I just gotta prepare for the boards more on my own.

 

[cabinbuilder]

I see. It is quite alright. I wish it was like that for us as well, but I know to just do the best I can with it. Looks like I just gotta prepare for the boards more on my own.

Just remember that everyone in med school are used to being at the top of the class. I knew with 2 kids I wasn't going to be and was ok with that. I also knew that I couldn't live on 4 hours of sleep like some of those guys did in order to get that A in everything. Relax, you made it. Work toward your own goal. Try not to compare to anyone else. There will always be those who do better and worse than you. Pass med school, do well enough on the boards to be a good candidate for the residency YOU want to do - not what others think you should do.