Self Studying vs Attending Lectures

[relapse]

What would you guys say is the percentage of time you spend throughout your day regarding the following two sectors:

1)Self Studying
2)Attending Class & Other school related "programmes"

I feel like most studying is accomplished if not all through self studying and that most of the times, lectures are just a complete waste of time.

Any thoughts

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[armybound]

This is the classic chicken vs egg argument of medical school. Some people are class-goers and some are not.

I go to class pretty much every day, then spend anywhere between 0 and 4 hours a night studying after class.

 

[Jolie South]

I used to go to class, now I spend all my time at home watching streamed lectures and studying on my own.

I'm 100% more productive.

 

[flip26]

I used to go to class, now I spend all my time at home watching streamed lectures and studying on my own.

I'm 100% more productive.

How important is "face time" at med school? Seeing and being seen by fellow students, profs, etc...

 

[Jolie South]

How important is "face time" at med school? Seeing and being seen by fellow students, profs, etc...

In the first two years, not at all. At my school at least, the professors all rotate in and out, so you never have any one that sees you consistently. The only reason I can think of that you'd really need to get to know folks is if you wanted to get involved in research or some sort of activity.

However, there are small group classes that are required. In those, you do get official evaluations from a professor that knows you better but it takes a lot to not get a good grade. We're assigned mentors that evaluate our progress, but that's outside of class.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Same for me. Don't go to class unless you just want to.

 

[searun]

I went to class every day during MS1 and MS2. And then I usually studied 3-4 hours per day. The week before exams, I would put it into overdrive with my studying. Going to class worked for me. You just have to figure out what will work for you.

 

[J ROD]

I do a mix.....I go to some I think are harder to make them easier and the easier ones I do from home.

I do the majority at home though....👍

 

[icalz]

I had assumed the OP was speaking of undergraduate classes since this is the pre-med forum....
If so, lectures are a complete waste of time!!! Unless you get one of those teachers that likes to 'encourage' attendance by having pop quizzes or info that is privy only to those who attend.
If you're speaking of med school, the only one I can comment on is UTMB. Some friends mentioned they have Tegrity that is an audio/video posting of all lectures (plus written notes that can be purchased) completely eliminating the need to drag yourself to long lectures. I want to go to UTMB!!

 

[MexicanDr]

What would you guys say is the percentage of time you spend throughout your day regarding the following two sectors:

1)Self Studying
2)Attending Class & Other school related "programmes"

I feel like most studying is accomplished if not all through self studying and that most of the times, lectures are just a complete waste of time.

Any thoughts

For Undergrad it depends on which classes. Courses such as bio, physio, etc I am sure self studying will work fine, but classes such as chem, physics, calc you need to be in lecture! At least for me this applies.

 

[Jolie South]

I had assumed the OP was speaking of undergraduate classes since this is the pre-med forum....
If so, lectures are a complete waste of time!!! Unless you get one of those teachers that likes to 'encourage' attendance by having pop quizzes or info that is privy only to those who attend.
If you're speaking of med school, the only one I can comment on is UTMB. Some friends mentioned they have Tegrity that is an audio/video posting of all lectures (plus written notes that can be purchased) completely eliminating the need to drag yourself to long lectures. I want to go to UTMB!!

I think video streaming of lectures and distribution of syllabus documents/powerpoints is fairly common.

 

[psipsina]

For undergrad I went to every class. Our proffs rarely followed a textbook and you'd be SOL if you didn't have the class notes.

For medschool my grades dramatically improved when I stopped going to lecture. You have to be disciplined and able to self motivate but its a much better use of your time if you're not an auditory learner. You can spend more time on concepts that are difficult for you and breeze thru something that is easy or that you learned already in undergrad, much more efficient.

 

[biophysicianai]

0 and 4 hours a night studying after class

You're in med school, and that's you're work load?

Another poster said 3-4 hours too.

I'm honestly very surprised that 4 hours is the higher mark for both of you. This is good news for premeds like me 😀

As for my attendance habits, I go to almost every class. I learn well when I'm being lectured, and professors often explain confusing topics in more than one way if they know its a piece of material that students struggle with.

That said, there have been classes for which I've only gone to the first couple lectures, stopping after I discover that the lecturer would do well to spare us his rambling or re-take his ESL courses.

 

[armybound]

You're in med school, and that's you're work load?

Another poster said 3-4 hours too.

I'm honestly very surprised that 4 hours is the higher mark for both of you. This is good news for premeds like me 😀

That's the average day, after class. If you count the 4-8 hours I'm in class per day, that's 4-12 hours of actively working on material.

That's also not counting the weekends, where I'll easily put in another 8-16 hours. Come exam time, all of those numbers increase.

But those are my habits. Other people may study more. You may study more. You may want a higher grade than I have. You may want a lower grade. It's completely up to your ability and habits, not mine.

 

[GregoryMD]

Depends on the professor. This semester I've had professors whom I could probably have done just as fine missing the lectures and just self-study by reading the powerpoints, but I find myself to be an auditory learner more-so. If I show up to lecture and just listen, I'll immediately grasp the concepts and remember them. I require little to no studying and do well on the exams. Occasionally I'll miss a lecture, but I make it a point to go to them.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Not to demean teachers, but a lot of them simply repeat what I read the night before and don't bring anything new to the table. I don't blame them since most are so crunched for time. They have to stick to certain material that they are sometimes required to go over. Class is good for clarification of material. It's also nice when they are able to talk about their real life experiences such as their own or others new research. However, most of what I learned I learned in my bedroom or in the library by myself. Labs are a whole different ball game though. Same for seminar courses. To put it simply, I would much rather study at home/library for 1.5 hours instead of being in a lecture for that amount of time. I have no problem tea

 

[DrYoda]

I usually only go to class if it's required stuff (PBL ect). Every once in a blue moon I'll show up for a few hours just to say hi to people.

If it's not test time I'll spend about 2 hours studying. 3x that if there is a test in 4 or less days.

For undergrad I only went if attendance was graded, and crammed the night before tests.

 

[lovedocta07]

i almost never go to lectures..i have trouble staying awake. I usually super cram 2-3 days before a test. It has been working so far, but my only dilemma now is lack of professor LOR's because i never really talked to them.

 

[relapse]

i almost never go to lectures..i have trouble staying awake. I usually super cram 2-3 days before a test. It has been working so far, but my only dilemma now is lack of professor LOR's because i never really talked to them.

how easy/hard is it to obtain an LOR?

 

[armybound]

how easy/hard is it to obtain an LOR?

not as easy as you'd think. you really need to get to know some professors, which isn't always easy

 

[sportsfreak]

in undergrad going to lectures was useless for me, i would get bored and not pay attention, so a waste of time

i would just cram for exams the day before, worked in college but i doubt ill be able to do the same in med school once i get there

 

[Jolie South]

in undergrad going to lectures was useless for me, i would get bored and not pay attention, so a waste of time

i would just cram for exams the day before, worked in college but i doubt ill be able to do the same in med school once i get there

Not possible. I think even waiting till the week before exams is asking for trouble in med school.

 

[icalz]

how easy/hard is it to obtain an LOR?

The question isn't "how hard is it", but rather "how good is it gonna be?" The probability is that most of the professors you are now taking have been asked by dozens of students every semester for the last XX years, so it's not an out of the blue/from left field/you blind-sided me type of request.

The problem is that most of them have developed a generic fill in the blank form to make it easier on themselves....they just insert your name and grade and send it off, and it typically carries little to no weight.

If you are going to ask a professor you should really get to know the person...especially if you've waived your right to read the lor (he could put anything and you wouldn't find out till it was too late).

 

[sportsfreak]

i meant the cramming in college, i plan to work my ass off in med

 

[justdoit31]

Not possible. I think even waiting till the week before exams is asking for trouble in med school.

I agree- there was one time that I didn't even look at the material until the Monday before a Friday test (not even going to class/listening to audio lectures)- bad news! I still passed but I was capable of so much more!

 

[relapse]

do the professors supply you with consolidated class notes or do you have to read all of the material by yourself?

When are all of you taking your MCAT and what is considered a competitive score nowadays? GPA?

 

[kevster2001]

Not possible. I think even waiting till the week before exams is asking for trouble in med school.

I knew quite a few students that did it. They werent runing the table with honors but they did well enough. It's possible if you have a good memory.

Not to mention, i remember one quarter I had a test for a different class every week. That went on for about 7 weeks i think. So basically all you had time to do was study for one class that week then cram for the next one. Kind of sucked but whatever, everyone was in the same boat.

 

[ThaliaNox]

i meant the cramming in college, i plan to work my ass off in med

This is a dangerous attitude. Yes, everyone adjusts their study habits once they're in medical school, but you may find going from "cramming" to "studying your ass off" challenging. I know a lot of my classmates are, or have had this issue. The first round of tests hit some people in the face to the point where the're still recovering from them.

 

[Jolie South]

I knew quite a few students that did it. They werent runing the table with honors but they did well enough. It's possible if you have a good memory.

Not to mention, i remember one quarter I had a test for a different class every week. That went on for about 7 weeks i think. So basically all you had time to do was study for one class that week then cram for the next one. Kind of sucked but whatever, everyone was in the same boat.

I don't think that's a good way to approach gaining a foundation of knowledge that's important for your entire career.

Maybe my school is an exception, but our lecturers really try to make everything clinically relevant and not focus on obscure facts/research.

 

[bigal40]

I go to lectures for 1-3hrs/day depending on the day, and I study for 0-6hrs/day(usually it is less than 1, but if I have an exam/presentation coming up it might be like 6)

 

[sportsfreak]

This is a dangerous attitude. Yes, everyone adjusts their study habits once they're in medical school, but you may find going from "cramming" to "studying your ass off" challenging. I know a lot of my classmates are, or have had this issue. The first round of tests hit some people in the face to the point where the're still recovering from them.

well ill have to deal with it when the time comes. Cant do anything about this now since i have graduated form college already

i still wouldn't change what i did in college though, having all that free time was a blast

 

[Jolie South]

well ill have to deal with it when the time comes. Cant do anything about this now since i have graduated form college already

i still wouldn't change what i did in college though, having all that free time was a blast

Uh, yea, undergrad is the new "high school" these days. Most people shouldn't have to put in med school effort to get a good result.

I pity anyone that puts all their time and effort into classes and doesn't spend time learning what you're really supposed to learn in college (according to me): how to be on your own, figure out who you are, make friends, and have fun.

Now, that doesn't mean you can get crappy grades, but life isn't over if you don't have a 4.0.