missing classes

[bumblebee29]

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i noticed in couple of threads here dat ppl in dental school miss classes to catch up on their studies n download the class lectures.. so r these lectures only accessible to students of that school or can ppl frm other schools access them too? n do u think missing classes n studying at home works in dental school?

 

[DrJeff]

i noticed in couple of threads here dat ppl in dental school miss classes to catch up on their studies n download the class lectures.. so r these lectures only accessible to students of that school or can ppl frm other schools access them too? n do u think missing classes n studying at home works in dental school?

Okay, time for me for a moment to get up on my soap box and rant a bit about this.

Dental school isn't undergrad, it's a professional school. It's your "job" to act in a professional manner, which includes going to class. Most schools aren't of a large enough class size where your absences go unnoticed and right or wrong, some profs WILL judge you based on that.

Especially in light of the couple of cheating scandles at various dental schools across the country the last few years, "professionalism" is becoming a trait/quality that IS being actively noted during ones education. Outwardly, you may not always (or sometimes at alll) respect your professors, but you SHOULD always respect the profession and that starts by doing your "job" as a student which is attending class if your physically healthy enough to do so.

(climbing down off my soap box now)

 

[reapply2007]

With tuition what it is, it seems crazy to not go to class. Typically at my school, internet based lectures are intended to be used by people wanting a second presentation of a lecture to make sure everything is understood-once they've attended the lecture initially.
Watching another school's lectures would largely be a waste as most classes get test questions out of the material presented at that school for that class.
For board review, there is already enough stuff to look at without going through some school's website to pick out one lecture out of hundreds just to make sure you fully understand something small and infrequently tested.

However, not every lecture presented is worth sitting through- this is when you tough it out and try to start studying for the next test while staying in class.

 

[stdmufin27]

Dental school is significantly more expensive than before. For some reason (my personal belief I guess) I feel that I have the choice to miss a class for paying that much $$$$.

 

[OG1]

Okay, time for me for a moment to get up on my soap box and rant a bit about this.

Dental school isn't undergrad, it's a professional school. It's your "job" to act in a professional manner, which includes going to class. Most schools aren't of a large enough class size where your absences go unnoticed and right or wrong, some profs WILL judge you based on that.

Especially in light of the couple of cheating scandles at various dental schools across the country the last few years, "professionalism" is becoming a trait/quality that IS being actively noted during ones education. Outwardly, you may not always (or sometimes at alll) respect your professors, but you SHOULD always respect the profession and that starts by doing your "job" as a student which is attending class if your physically healthy enough to do so.

(climbing down off my soap box now)

In principle, I agree. In reality, I don't. Sometimes there's simply not enough time in dental school. Some classes at my dental school were a complete waste of time - I don't need to go to class to listen to a professor read a powerpoint presentation to me. For learning's sake it's good to learn something from every angle including both lecture and reading, but that's assuming you've got the time to do both. I learn more effectively reading than listening, so I skipped class frequently in order to study and still have at least a little bit of time for my family. I don't think there's any way I could have done as well as I did and managed a family had I gone to every class.

I agree that certain professors won't be pleased if they find out you're skipping their classes, though, so be careful if you decide to do it.

 

[KinKs]

Missing classes to study is counterprodutive. The simple fact is that it takes more time to study a slide you have never seen before, versus studying a slide that has been explained in class. In any event, throughtout my academic career, from K1 to now, the top students were never the ones to miss class.

 

[OG1]

Missing classes to study is counterprodutive. The simple fact is that it takes more time to study a slide you have never seen before, versus studying a slide that has been explained in class. In any event, throughtout my academic career, from K1 to now, the top students were never the ones to miss class.

The professors don't always explain the slide; they'll often just read it. If something is self-explanatory, some people can process it more effectively by reading it themselves in a quiet room rather than having someone read it to them in a crowded room. I found dental school class to be a highly distracting environment for learning. I would agree with your sentiments about never missing class for college, when classes weren't 8-5, but dental school is a completely different beast because of time constraints. I was ranked 1 after my 1st year while skipping certain classes. I'm not saying I cut class all the time, but at least 10%, probably 20% of the "lectures" (AKA powerpoint reading sessions) at my school were a relative waste of time when you could be doing something else. I studied hard, though. Your mileage may vary.

 

[angelnyc89]

I have to agree with DrJeff & reapply2007, you have to be professional, your not a teen, your in dental school and its your career. When you pay for school, you should go to class. I dont get no financial aid (& i go to a undergraduate private university), I might sound like a nerd, but I dont miss a day of class. I think you miss alot just missing one day of class. But in dental school, you should atleast try to get to all your classes. Oh, and the lectures online, thats for you to review the notes if you missed something. Like reapply2007 said, it'd be a waste of time reading some other schools lectures.

 

[DrReo]

i have to agree with drjeff & reapply2007, you have to be professional, your not a teen, your in dental school and its your career. When you pay for school, you should go to class. I dont get no financial aid (& i go to a undergraduate private university), i might sound like a nerd, but i dont miss a day of class. I think you miss alot just missing one day of class. But in dental school, you should atleast try to get to all your classes. Oh, and the lectures online, thats for you to review the notes if you missed something. Like reapply2007 said, it'd be a waste of time reading some other schools lectures.

 

[DrJeff]

For what its worth, it was mentioned to myself and the other faculty in attendance for the course I help teach at UCONN during teacher orientation this past week that PROFESSIONALISM will be assessed this year. And in light of the multiple cheating scandles around the country these past few years, I'm guessing that UCONN isn't alone in evealuating a students professionalism as part of their grade/education processes these days.

 

[robhmnt]

Skipping lectures is NOT an option if you want to top your class. Take my word and my results for it. I have got SO MANY questions right easily on so many exams based on my typed lecture notes, while my classmates who skipped lectures would be like, "Where the heck was that question from?".
There are always exceptions, like the resident above. However, I doubt you will be one of those exception, and if you think I am talking to you, I probably am. I know I would not be an exception.