Never going to class again.. ever

[PoorMD]

---

Members don't see this ad.

At some point this last Sunday evening, I got the bright idea to get up and go to every f*cking lecture assigned for the day Monday. Boy was I out of my head to come up with that.. Talk about 5 wasted hours, listening to this absolute bullsh*t. Let me give you a sample:
"the brachial plexus is a dorsal branch of the spinal nerves- No , you caught me Im sorry its the ventral rami of spinal nerves! See, you can catch me when I slip. NOW! Let's look at the course of the specific nerves, you all know this from lab! Right, the autonomics. so the post ganglionic branch that runs down into the viscera of the abdomen, thats the referred pain variety, you know General somatic efferent, no I mean AFFERENT. GSA for reffered pain!! You got me!! Its monday"

. Absolute colorectal obstructed vomit, the black digested variety.. Thats what I think of these professors and their fel "gutterspeak". They are good people, friendly at heart and kind in person.. but in lecture, they are terrible, fowl, dispicable and truly the worst PROFESSORS of knowledge.. In fact, they only further the confusion for me... When I am reading, in my quiet place, I learn the material at a very brisk pace. (rhyme?).. I am doing quite well in class, and for the first exam, I only attended 3 or 4 lectures.. Scored over 1 sd above average! I will never go to another lecture this term. sadly, I still have to attend lab with my (dreadfully slow) partners. . I will never set foot in that lecture hall again. call me a 'maverick' if you must...

 

[angel80]

It took me until the second year of med school to realize that I was better off not going to class. You can sleep in, study your course pack when you are nice and refreshed (not after a full day of exhausting lectures), and then use the evenings/nights for social purposes. I was much happier that way, and my grades were better because I was more focused when I was studying and had more time to do so. Plus, at my school all lectures were videotaped and put up on the internet, so if I found out that a certain lecture had been very helpful and informative, I could always go back and watch it.

 

[fun8stuff]

It took me until the second year of med school to realize that I was better off not going to class. You can sleep in, study your course pack when you are nice and refreshed (not after a full day of exhausting lectures), and then use the evenings/nights for social purposes. I was much happier that way, and my grades were better because I was more focused when I was studying and had more time to do so. Plus, at my school all lectures were videotaped and put up on the internet, so if I found out that a certain lecture had been very helpful and informative, I could always go back and watch it.

i have no idea why my friends go to class. i am 100% less stressed since i started staying home. being able to sleep in and watch lectures at 1.5-2x is sooo much better. If a particular lecture is easy to understand, it get's bumped up to 2x. If I miss something, I rewind and slow it down. I take breaks when I want to and I do what I want, when I want.

 

[mendel121]

i have no idea why my friends go to class. i am 100% less stressed since i started staying home. being able to sleep in and watch lectures at 1.5-2x is sooo much better. If a particular lecture is easy to understand, it get's bumped up to 2x. If I miss something, I rewind and slow it down. I take breaks when I want to and I do what I want, when I want.

It took me all of 2 weeks in med school to decide to stop going to lecture - I don't even watch the lectures online, just the notes published by our school and I'm doing just fine

 

[fun8stuff]

It took me all of 2 weeks in med school to decide to stop going to lecture - I don't even watch the lectures online, just the notes published by our school and I'm doing just fine

hahaha. better than me. I didn't stop until the last couple weeks of anatomy. Yeah, the lectures are definately not needed. I only use them as a summary to try and figure out what to emphasize...

 

[lingonberry]

Is my school the only one that keeps track of who attends lecture? We have pbl in the mornings which (unfortunately) can't be skipped. But what's even more annoying is that our course directors have started threatening to "speak to the administration" about anyone whom they notice is skipping lecture. So much for the "self directed learning" here they're always bragging about... Otherwise I would definitely stop attending! On exams I always do best on the material that I learned on my own.

 

[liverotcod]

I enjoy lectures, but am finding that exams are a complete waste of time, so I've decided to stop taking them.

 

[ddmo]

Almost everyone who honored the year attends class regularly. Now, I don't know the causal relationship with that, but it's interesting. Could very well be that the same people who are type A enough to study like fiends to honor are the same ones who have to be at lecture for fear of missing a single question. I think I would fit in that catagory. But, it could be that attending lectures gives you an advantage of a few questions on the exam which add up over the length of a course.

Regardless, lecture is like a vampire that just completely sucks the life out of you. My days when I sleep in are like 200% better.

 

[fun8stuff]

Is my school the only one that keeps track of who attends lecture? We have pbl in the mornings which (unfortunately) can't be skipped. But what's even more annoying is that our course directors have started threatening to "speak to the administration" about anyone whom they notice is skipping lecture. So much for the "self directed learning" here they're always bragging about... Otherwise I would definitely stop attending! On exams I always do best on the material that I learned on my own.

no, i have heard of other schools like this. it's too bad. they should realize that you aren't in elementary school anymore. if you made it this far, there is a pretty good chance that you know you learn best...

 

[Arsenic]

no, i have heard of other schools like this. it's too bad. they should realize that you aren't in elementary school anymore. if you made it this far, there is a pretty good chance that you know you learn best...

i feel the same way you do. it happens at A LOT of other med schools though so i try to just let it go.

 

[coastal]

My school also has mandatory PBL but there is a loop-hole that allows you to fail one semester of it without it appearing on your Dean's Letter (the only place our PBL gets mentioned, it isn't on the transcript). My friend found it, and I'm the only other person to go for it I think. I don't understand why, everyone just bitches about PBL anyways.

But.....we home-schoolers should be more zen-like and not rub in the fact that we don't go to class.

 

[fun8stuff]

Almost everyone who honored the year attends class regularly. Now, I don't know the causal relationship with that, but it's interesting. Could very well be that the same people who are type A enough to study like fiends to honor are the same ones who have to be at lecture for fear of missing a single question. I think I would fit in that catagory. But, it could be that attending lectures gives you an advantage of a few questions on the exam which add up over the length of a course.

Regardless, lecture is like a vampire that just completely sucks the life out of you. My days when I sleep in are like 200% better.

yeah, but you can get the same stuff by watching the lectures online. can't u? 😕

 

[mendel121]

Almost everyone who honored the year attends class regularly. Now, I don't know the causal relationship with that, but it's interesting. Could very well be that the same people who are type A enough to study like fiends to honor are the same ones who have to be at lecture for fear of missing a single question. I think I would fit in that catagory. But, it could be that attending lectures gives you an advantage of a few questions on the exam which add up over the length of a course.

Regardless, lecture is like a vampire that just completely sucks the life out of you. My days when I sleep in are like 200% better.

The difference between honoring and just passing is the knowledge of some particular medical trivia tossed out there by profs that some pick up on and others don't - meaningless in the long run, as is honoring in the first two years of medschool - unless of course there are visions of Derm or Rad Onc dancing in your head - neither of which are true for me, so I'm good with no lecture at all - and being right in the meaty part of the curve about a half of a standard deviation above the mean

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I enjoy lectures, but am finding that exams are a complete waste of time, so I've decided to stop taking them.

 

[thackl]

Test blocks were easier when I went to class, but I have so much f-ing free time now 😀

 

[deucerp]

It took me until the second year of med school to realize that I was better off not going to class. You can sleep in, study your course pack when you are nice and refreshed (not after a full day of exhausting lectures), and then use the evenings/nights for social purposes. I was much happier that way, and my grades were better because I was more focused when I was studying and had more time to do so. Plus, at my school all lectures were videotaped and put up on the internet, so if I found out that a certain lecture had been very helpful and informative, I could always go back and watch it.

I'm an MS-2 right now and there is no way I'm going to another class this spring. We've got this new systems-based neuro course, the only one in our curriculum. The rest of our classes were the normal gross, biochem, phys yada yada yada. This class is so enormous, it spills into the time slots of our other classes when we have off from those classes. The average day is at least 3 hours, but we've been scheduled for 6 before in one day. The only thing they're going to achieve with this class is less attendance, resentment and burnout before Step I.

Sad thing is that this new "not going to class" thing is fantastic. I echo all the sentiments of less stress, more time and better grades.

 

[dancinjenn]

I've recently stopped coming to class on a regular basis. Only if the notes are sparse or the material seems really difficult do I go, but only for Physio. Biochem is such a joke that there are only like 30 people who go anymore myself not included. I only end up watching the review sessions online because then I can see what the prof's emphasized right before the test.

 

[ladydoc2be]

Is my school the only one that keeps track of who attends lecture? We have pbl in the mornings which (unfortunately) can't be skipped. But what's even more annoying is that our course directors have started threatening to "speak to the administration" about anyone whom they notice is skipping lecture. So much for the "self directed learning" here they're always bragging about... Otherwise I would definitely stop attending! On exams I always do best on the material that I learned on my own.

What school do you go to?

 

[fun8stuff]

I've recently stopped coming to class on a regular basis. Only if the notes are sparse or the material seems really difficult do I go, but only for Physio. Biochem is such a joke that there are only like 30 people who go anymore myself not included. I only end up watching the review sessions online because then I can see what the prof's emphasized right before the test.

social aspects aside, how is going to class different than watching lectures online? i want to figure out if i am missing something... i attend physio conferences and other things that aren't streamed.

 

[akpete]

social aspects aside, how is going to class different than watching lectures online? i want to figure out if i am missing something... i attend physio conferences and other things that aren't streamed.

Going to lecture vs. watching online is that you can do it on your own schedule. If you're a night person, rather than a morning person, you can sleep in til 10, and study the lecture then, rather than forcing yourself out of bed at 7. People always say to me, "what are you going to do when you're in the hospital, show up when you feel like it?" Well, guess what, I'm NOT in the hospital yet, so screw you. I just tell them that while it's still in my ability to control my schedule, why not organize it to my advantage.

Oh, and I just watch the lectures online when I don't understand something or if things are left out in the notes, and depending on the professor for the topic. It doesn't happen that often. The lectures are basically just an audio version of the notes.


Edit: Wait, I thought you said you don't go to class. I don't need to tell you about the convenience. 🙂

 

[fun8stuff]

Going to lecture vs. watching online is that you can do it on your own schedule. If you're a night person, rather than a morning person, you can sleep in til 10, and study the lecture then, rather than forcing yourself out of bed at 7. People always say to me, "what are you going to do when you're in the hospital, show up when you feel like it?" Well, guess what, I'm NOT in the hospital yet, so screw you. I just tell them that while it's still in my ability to control my schedule, why not organize it to my advantage.

Oh, and I just watch the lectures online when I don't understand something or if things are left out in the notes, and depending on the professor for the topic. It doesn't happen that often. The lectures are basically just an audio version of the notes.

this is how i feel and why i don't go to class. however, dancinjen goes to my school and i was wondering why so many people go to class. i figure there has to be something i am missing. i do not see what the difference between watching online vs going to lecture is. why don't more people stay home?! is it purely social reasons?

another thing i found is that i get better answers from profs by email when i ask them questions. i think when i ask via email they are able to consult their resources and give me a thorough answer.

 

[akpete]

however, dancinjen goes to my school and i was wondering why so many people go to class.

Oh, woops. Sorry. A lot of people go to class at my school, although a lot more M1s than M2s. Most people that I talk to about it go purely for social reasons.

 

[Law2Doc]

social aspects aside, how is going to class different than watching lectures online? i want to figure out if i am missing something... i attend physio conferences and other things that aren't streamed.

Depends on how ADD you are. If you are prone to distractions -- phone, email, TV, music, food & drink, etc., then you are better off sitting in class, where ideally some of these things are minimized, off or out of sight. But if you are more disciplined, and really truly can force yourself to zone in on an online lecture as easilly as a live one, then you probably won't miss that much.
Bear in mind that lots of folks who attend class rather than do the "study late and sleep in" thing are doing so because they have non-school reasons (people) for keeping a more normalized diurnal schedule. Food for thought for those on this thread who cannot conceptualize why some attend class.

 

[dancinjenn]

social aspects aside, how is going to class different than watching lectures online? i want to figure out if i am missing something... i attend physio conferences and other things that aren't streamed.

Much of it is social. However for Rilemma's notes...one liners - gotta love 'em - If I go to class then I can take the bulk of my notes there, and then if I need to, go to the recorded lecture later.

Of course this also has to do with how caught up I am. If I'm a couple of days behind on watching the lectures that I want to and, like now, we are getting down to the wire for the next set of tests, then I'll probably make the effort to go to class so that I don't have to wait for them to be streamed...that way I can spend those evenings getting caught up on the lectures I'm behind on and still get some of the current days material done as well.

But I'm a horrible procrastinator, I'll admit it.

 

[liverotcod]

Most days I do little or no studying outside of class (except for a few days before exams, natch). I have afternoon and evening childcare responsibilities plus I'm lazy. By going to class, I make sure that I stay pretty much caught up. Like I said earlier, though, I wish I could skip exams.

Another issue: at my school, the lecture capture consists of just a screen with the powerpoint. You can't see what the instructor is pointing to, and when they draw on the whiteboard you don't get that either. I feel really lost and disconnected from school when I miss class, even though I watch the videos.

Also, in my first coupe of careers, I guess I just got used to getting up every day and going somewhere. So there's force of habit.

 

[fun8stuff]

they have non-school reasons (people) for keeping a more normalized diurnal schedule. Food for thought for those on this thread who cannot conceptualize why some attend class.

i have some great friends at school, but they can stress me some times. More so, the other people in my class. They are bigger type-A's than myself and seem to only talk about class and grades and studying. It's hard to describe. Some times it's nice to spend time with my gf or other non med school friends to give my mind a rest. Helps me to just focus on what has been working the best for me.

 

[Nittany Lion]

Most days I do little or no studying outside of class (except for a few days before exams, natch). I have afternoon and evening childcare responsibilities plus I'm lazy. By going to class, I make sure that I stay pretty much caught up. Like I said earlier, though, I wish I could skip exams.

Another issue: at my school, the lecture capture consists of just a screen with the powerpoint. You can't see what the instructor is pointing to, and when they draw on the whiteboard you don't get that either. I feel really lost and disconnected from school when I miss class, even though I watch the videos.

Also, in my first coupe of careers, I guess I just got used to getting up every day and going somewhere. So there's force of habit.

I think that the decision to go to class or not go to class (habitually) should have everything to do with self-discipline. And it's completely personal - "self-discipline" may mean different things to different individuals, and what may work for your friend or classmate may or may not work for you. And, it takes time to figure out. I've tried both - going all the time and not going all the time - and I've found out (the hard way) that I need class as a means of adding structure to my life. When I consistently don't go, I tell myself "I'll start doing work right when I get up and be productive allll day long..." - it NEVER happens that way. I end up moseying around the apt for hours before I actually start doing anything because I have this distorted view of how much "free time" I have. Before I know it, the whole day is gone...and I've wasted too many entire days. I guess I'm just a lot lazier than I thought. I've just found that I am the type of person that needs some external pressure on me to get going (i.e. knowing I have to be up and in the lecture hall at 9 am or whatever). It also helps that I'm more of a morning person and less of a late-night person, so the whole going to bed late and sleeping late thing day in and day out isn't really all that satisfying for me.

AND I never used to think I was much of an "auditory learner", but going to class consistently has helped my grades because I've found that there are some questions I am able to answer correctly on exams because I distinctly remember things I heard, and there are things that I know I read somewhere but can't remember as clearly. But that's just me.

Oh and people need to get over the guilt thing. I have friends who come all the time because they feel bad about not coming, or they're sooo afraid they'll miss something. It also took me some time to realize that you don't have to be a person who goes to class 100% of the time or someone who goes to class 0% of the time...you can be somewhere in between. If a certain prof is boring me to death or if I'm just too sleepy to pay ANY attention, I go home and I don't beat myself up over it. Also every class (or block or whatever) is different - what worked for biochem may not work for physio, etc.

Everyone used to tell me that it's during the college years that people learn the most about themselves and figure out what works and what doesn't, but I never had a difficult transition from high school to college...no big obstacles to overcome. I sort of "got it" right away. However, I have found many challenges in transitioning from college to medical school, and it has taken me a while to adjust and figure out what works for me. I've learned more about my own personality (regarding work, study habits, etc) in these past 6 months than I have in 4 years of college. And I'm still working on it. 👍

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I enjoy lectures, but am finding that exams are a complete waste of time, so I've decided to stop taking them.

👍

 

[Psycho Doctor]

The difference between honoring and just passing is the knowledge of some particular medical trivia tossed out there by profs that some pick up on and others don't - meaningless in the long run, as is honoring in the first two years of medschool - unless of course there are visions of Derm or Rad Onc dancing in your head - neither of which are true for me, so I'm good with no lecture at all - and being right in the meaty part of the curve about a half of a standard deviation above the mean

i knew derm was really hard to get into, but Rad Onc? how hard is that?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Isn't anyone afraid that the prof will reward those going to class by giving them info that would help them for a test that they wouldn't know if they skipped class. i guess i'm afraid i'll miss something skipping lectures, but i sure could use the sleep and study time.

 

[SoCuteMD]

i knew derm was really hard to get into, but Rad Onc? how hard is that?

More competitive than derm.

 

[akpete]

Isn't anyone afraid that the prof will reward those going to class by giving them info that would help them for a test that they wouldn't know if they skipped class. i guess i'm afraid i'll miss something skipping lectures, but i sure could use the sleep and study time.

I can't speak for other schools, but we have a coop system for notes and the audio for the lecture is online within 1-4 hours (with few exceptions) after the class was held.

 

[MeowMix]

Isn't anyone afraid that the prof will reward those going to class by giving them info that would help them for a test that they wouldn't know if they skipped class.

we have faculty who intentionally try to do that, without realizing that all our lectures are recorded as MP3s and posted online

 

[Psycho Doctor]

More competitive than derm.

wow, i've worked with Rad Onc MDs and DOs before, didn't realize it was so hard for them to get where they are...interesting. i better tell my gf to change her dream 🙁

(the Rad Onc one, not marrying me 😀 )

 

[DoctorFunk]

wow, i've worked with Rad Onc MDs and DOs before, didn't realize it was so hard for them to get where they are...interesting. i better tell my gf to change her dream 🙁

(the Rad Onc one, not marrying me 😀 )

Don't worry, I'll make sure to comfort her for you.

 

[fun8stuff]

wow, i've worked with Rad Onc MDs and DOs before, didn't realize it was so hard for them to get where they are...interesting. i better tell my gf to change her dream 🙁

(the Rad Onc one, not marrying me 😀 )

the competitiveness of specialities is actually quite cyclical. rad onc was not always hard to get into. same goes for derm. it is ironic because it used to be the only people that went into derm were the people who barely made it through med school. It was actually said that derm was easy and anybody could do it... it was actually embarassing to say you were going into derm. lol. funny how things change.

 

[sacrament]

the competitiveness of specialities is actually quite cyclical. rad onc was not always hard to get into. same goes for derm. it is ironic because it used to be the only people that went into derm were the people who barely made it through med school. It was actually said that derm was easy and anybody could do it... it was actually embarassing to say you were going into derm. lol. funny how things change.

A family doctor I worked with told me that when he was in a med school, a popular joke was "What do you call the person graduating last in their med school class? An orthopedic surgeon." He was bemoaning the fact that the new punchline to that joke is "a family doctor."

 

[Chronic Student]

PoorMD,

You don't happen to go to school in Texas, do you?

-Mike

 

[surrender903]

there are a few of us at PCOM who do not go to class, i started last year as anatomy was ending, and our cell and tissue semester was starting. i just did not like sitting in one place for 50 mins and then get up and walk around for 10. Thats not me.

Maybe I want to enjoy as much freedom of my life before i have to work a 9-5 job or whatever scheduled regiment i join, but at any rate, i know plenty of people who NEVER go to class and go excellent on their grades (above average) and i know people who religiously attended every lecture and still barely passed.

its about what works for you.

 

[Clemson Doc]

Interesting thread. At my school, we do not have video or audio from lectures posted online. We also do not have access to transcribed lectures. We purchase a syllabus for each class, and that is what we have. That is pretty much all you study by. Most everyone purchases textbooks, but they are rarely (if ever) needed.

Some people here do not go to class, but just about everyone does. We have class starting at 8:00 every day, and it always goes at least until 12:00. We usually have something for a couple of hours after lunch most days as well. That is a lot of time in class, so naturally last semester (my first semester in medical school) I thought that I could perhaps spend my time better. I didn't feel like anatomy helped me by going to class, because everything they said was in the syllabus. However, I ended up sleeping in instead of getting up and studying. More than that, however, I felt really disconnected from the course, as if I were missing something. What if they told us something that we didn't need to worry about? What if they emphasized things more in lecture than in the syllabus? I always wondered about that in the back of my mind.

So this semester, I make myself go to class. No exceptions. Even if the professor sucks and I don't feel like I am getting much, I know that I have to be getting something. Yes, it means that I get home from class at 3:00 and might be tired from having gotten up at 7:00 that morning, but have to push through and study. Yes, it means sacrificing things I could probably have done if I didn't spend all day in class. But I think there is something to be said for peace of mind, and if you are like me, it is worth knowing that you are doing all that you can to obtain the material and make some sense out of it. It is still a learning process for me as I figure out how I study and learn best, but nonetheless I'm making progress. At any rate, be flexible in finding out what works for you, but also be honest with yourself as to what is optimal. If you are in medical school, you are smart enough to get by whether you go to class or not. You have to find what works best for you, and that might not always be the easiest option.

 

[PoorMD]

...The 'holier than thou' stuff has got to go... it always spews from those people who attend lecture religiously and anyone who doesn't is obviously failing.. For any of you who are reading this- I scored quite well on the last exam, in fact i answered 92% of the questions correctly, practical and written... I attended 1 lecture for that block (and regretted it, I might add).

I've seen a lot of posts about how nervous people are of missing that one extra point on an exam or missing that secret key that only the kids who went to lecture will get. Well, news flash folks- for all of you who are so stuck in your routine of going to lecture, have you ever heard of lecture recordings? ... what about reading the chapter assignments the prof. posts? Furthermore, have you ever tried letting go of your persistent blanky that you call lecture? Studies have shown that people retain less than 5% of that auditory crap!! ::sigh:: ... this is not undergrad anymore, where most science classes WERE required attendance if you wanted to pass- you just can't skip organic chemistry. there are no notes available and so you MUST be there to write and soak up as much as possible-

I must digress, There is one professor in med school who I really like; I go to her lectures whenever I am spiritually and mentally prepared for the classroom atmosphere (an often too hot/too cold environment filled with gunners and snickering holier than thou types).. Regardless, this professor, She has the most amazing voice, and is clear and repeats herself twice at least when introducing a new term or concept. crisp is the word that comes to mind... Not like some professors, who simply mumble 'thoracodorsal nerve' and then subsequently shout RELATIONSHIPS!! and then how its all going to be on the boards and YOU NEED TO LOOK OVER THIS, and then Back to the 'thoracoacromial artery' but artery sounded a lot like caudery because they are from the Ukraine and english is bad and they said it side by side and HOLY **** whAt is he pointing at, is that the brachial plexus? his pointer is moving from the shoulder to the hip and then back, meanwhile he is mumbling 'autonomic hashviscera' and now he is talking about some celiac trunk for GOD ONLY KNOWS WHY------

the nightmare essentially repeats itself every time i go to class.
hence, i stopped going...

I listen to every MP3 lecture recording 2 times or more before each exam, on top of whatever reading/atlasing i do for that particular lecture.. when i am listening, i hear one of those Ukrain-jumbled portions of bullsh*t, and I say "OK, time to pause, rewind, look over this slide, and just figure it out."
Cant really do that in lecture... for those of you who can decipher what he just mumbled, find it on the slide, truly grasp what he said, and then catch up very quickly because OOPS he moved on didnt' he!! Well, congratulations you get the MS1/MS2 Most Lectures Attended Award.Congrats, thats the last time you will be rewarded for that BS because people like me are studying for Step I while you are yawning in your third hour of lecture...

Some others have mentioned the "mandatory" aspects of medicine, like certain labs and of course PBL and other stuff. I assume most everyone goes to PBL.. considering we are narrated based on our performance and contributions to the group problem, it would kind of be a bad thing to NOT be there.. lol

some schools keep tabs on who goes to lecture and such. at my school they just like to know you are part of the class, i.e. going to lab, coming to a couple lectures, making it to ALL of your physician shadowings, etc.. if and when they ask me why i haven't been coming to the lecture hall, I will let them know. until then, I will keep acing exams and preparing for Step I while the rest of my peers are struggling to stay awake much less LISTEN to the jumbled mess that some call Lecture.

 

[Clemson Doc]

...The 'holier than thou' stuff has got to go... it always spews from those people who attend lecture religiously and anyone who doesn't is obviously failing.. For any of you who are reading this- I scored quite well on the last exam, in fact i answered 92% of the questions correctly, practical and written... I attended 1 lecture for that block (and regretted it, I might add).

I've seen a lot of posts about how nervous people are of missing that one extra point on an exam or missing that secret key that only the kids who went to lecture will get. Well, news flash folks- for all of you who are so stuck in your routine of going to lecture, have you ever heard of lecture recordings? ... what about reading the chapter assignments the prof. posts? Furthermore, have you ever tried letting go of your persistent blanky that you call lecture? Studies have shown that people retain less than 5% of that auditory crap!! ::sigh:: ... this is not undergrad anymore, where most science classes WERE required attendance if you wanted to pass- you just can't skip organic chemistry. there are no notes available and so you MUST be there to write and soak up as much as possible-

I must digress, There is one professor in med school who I really like; I go to her lectures whenever I am spiritually and mentally prepared for the classroom atmosphere (an often too hot/too cold environment filled with gunners and snickering holier than thou types).. Regardless, this professor, She has the most amazing voice, and is clear and repeats herself twice at least when introducing a new term or concept. crisp is the word that comes to mind... Not like some professors, who simply mumble 'thoracodorsal nerve' and then subsequently shout RELATIONSHIPS!! and then how its all going to be on the boards and YOU NEED TO LOOK OVER THIS, and then Back to the 'thoracoacromial artery' but artery sounded a lot like caudery because they are from the Ukraine and english is bad and they said it side by side and HOLY **** whAt is he pointing at, is that the brachial plexus? his pointer is moving from the shoulder to the hip and then back, meanwhile he is mumbling 'autonomic hashviscera' and now he is talking about some celiac trunk for GOD ONLY KNOWS WHY------

the nightmare essentially repeats itself every time i go to class.
hence, i stopped going...

I listen to every MP3 lecture recording 2 times or more before each exam, on top of whatever reading/atlasing i do for that particular lecture.. when i am listening, i hear one of those Ukrain-jumbled portions of bullsh*t, and I say "OK, time to pause, rewind, look over this slide, and just figure it out."
Cant really do that in lecture... for those of you who can decipher what he just mumbled, find it on the slide, truly grasp what he said, and then catch up very quickly because OOPS he moved on didnt' he!! Well, congratulations you get the MS1/MS2 Most Lectures Attended Award.Congrats, thats the last time you will be rewarded for that BS because people like me are studying for Step I while you are yawning in your third hour of lecture...

Some others have mentioned the "mandatory" aspects of medicine, like certain labs and of course PBL and other stuff. I assume most everyone goes to PBL.. considering we are narrated based on our performance and contributions to the group problem, it would kind of be a bad thing to NOT be there.. lol

some schools keep tabs on who goes to lecture and such. at my school they just like to know you are part of the class, i.e. going to lab, coming to a couple lectures, making it to ALL of your physician shadowings, etc.. if and when they ask me why i haven't been coming to the lecture hall, I will let them know. until then, I will keep acing exams and preparing for Step I while the rest of my peers are struggling to stay awake much less LISTEN to the jumbled mess that some call Lecture.

If someone's school provides them with audio and/or video of each lecture, then I totally agree that class is not nearly as valuable. For people in my situation, however, if you don't go to class then you don't know what they talked about and stressed. You don't know if they said "don't memorize this chart from your syllabus" or "please review this page in your textbook." Since time is of the essence in medical school, you don't want to spend precious time studying and memorizing something that you don't even need to know. This is obviously an individual decision, not only dependant on your learning style but also on the resources you have available to you. It is a decision that everyone should carefully examine for themselves.

 

[fun8stuff]

If someone's school provides them with audio and/or video of each lecture, then I totally agree that class is not nearly as valuable. For people in my situation, however, if you don't go to class then you don't know what they talked about and stressed. You don't know if they said "don't memorize this chart from your syllabus" or "please review this page in your textbook." Since time is of the essence in medical school, you don't want to spend precious time studying and memorizing something that you don't even need to know. This is obviously an individual decision, not only dependant on your learning style but also on the resources you have available to you. It is a decision that everyone should carefully examine for themselves.

i dont know what i would do without streaming lectures, online powerpoints & old exams, and the included note packets. 😱

 

[liverotcod]

...The 'holier than thou' stuff has got to go... it always spews from those people who attend lecture religiously and anyone who doesn't is obviously failing.. For any of you who are reading this- I scored quite well on the last exam, in fact i answered 92% of the questions correctly, practical and written... I attended 1 lecture for that block (and regretted it, I might add).

You know, PoorMD, there really has been surprisingly little 'holier than thou' stuff on this thread, at least relative to the 1.3 gazillion other threads on this topic just in the past year. It seems to me that most people have just been posting what works for them. You may be using hyperbole here, but no one has suggested that anyone fails because their learning style is less well-suited to going to class. Why the anger? You seem almost defensive, which is completely unnecessary.

 

[PoorMD]

You know, PoorMD, there really has been surprisingly little 'holier than thou' stuff on this thread, at least relative to the 1.3 gazillion other threads on this topic just in the past year. It seems to me that most people have just been posting what works for them. You may be using hyperbole here, but no one has suggested that anyone fails because their learning style is less well-suited to going to class. Why the anger? You seem almost defensive, which is completely unnecessary.

at my school there is a fair bit of 'holier than thou' attitude towards the people who self study. i mean its just high school gossip, because the results never back up their side of the story (i.e. some think you cant do well if you dont go to lecture). but you are right, this thread was very timid and friendly until I returned.. I did not mean to "e-shout" at anyone, I am just getting my point across with as you said hyperbole. sometimes exageration for dramatic effect is justified.. if you were offended by it, then maybe a good trip to another thread is in order. what if my OP was "I really don't like lecture. Anyone else agree with me? Gee wizz its bad. " ............... sometimes you have to offend someone just to stir things up.

 

[DoctorFunk]

sometimes exageration for dramatic effect is justified.. if you were offended by it, then maybe a good trip to another thread is in order. what if my OP was "I really don't like lecture. Anyone else agree with me? Gee wizz its bad. " ............... sometimes you have to offend someone just to stir things up.

Methinks you don't play well with others.

 

[Taus]

I agree 100% w/ PoorMD.....

Except for one professor who is beyond phenominal and very visual in his presentation (Dr. Fogel for Pathology for any PCOM'ers reading this) I use the method of mp3/class notes/scribe notes and have not gotten less then 15 points above the average since I began this method and have regained my sanity (aka free time). It is kind of funny that most people assume I'm failing b/c I don't religiously attend lecture..... but I'm not a gunner/sniper or whatever you want to call it so I don't announce my grades to anyone except my closeknit study group.

Anyway, it is totally individual regarding the need to go to class. If you know that you won't get anything done that day unless lecture provides necessary structure....then you must go to it. Many of my peers know that they lack the discipline to listen to each and every lecture on their own time....nothing wrong w/ that...its about knowing yourself.

However, if your school does not provide recorded lectures and/or reliable transcribed lecture notes after every single lecture....then you really should be going to class in my opinion

 

[PoorMD]

Methinks you don't play well with others.

i get along pretty well with people when i do go.. i just dont enjoy listening to bad professors and getting nudged out of the way in gross lab.

 

[8744]

A family doctor I worked with told me that when he was in a med school, a popular joke was "What do you call the person graduating last in their med school class? An orthopedic surgeon." He was bemoaning the fact that the new punchline to that joke is "a family doctor."

Man. Keep pouring lemon juice in my paper cuts.

 

[Pembleton]

Although I'm skipping today I usually go to class most of the time.