Skip anatomy lecture?

[qmcat]

So I've been skipping most of my non-anatomy lectures recently and found that I can get my studying done faster with the lecture notes and podcasting we have at school. The only class I've still been coming to regularly is anatomy because the teacher scared us saying that the lectures are very visual (it's just him laser pointing stuff on the powerpoint) and that we don't get the same experience if we podcast.

Over this weekend I experimented with just reading the lecture notes and studying afterwards with Netter/Moore for today's anatomy lecture, and I found that it was sufficient and that today's lecture didn't really add anything to what I had already self-taught.

What are your experiences with skipping anatomy lecture? Am I doing the right thing or is my lazy self invading my logic to get a few more hours of sleep qday?

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[MilkmanAl]

I skipped it. It was mostly what you're describing (pointing at and saying the names of body parts) with a bit of what we'd be doing in lab thrown in. It didn't help me at all. I found the dissector to be the best way to approach the written anatomy test, so I just read that a bunch.

 

[Simmy]

Go to lab and skip most lectures.

I maybe went once every other week just to see what the prof. was focusing most about during the lectures and then studied that material extra well since it was more likely to be on the tests.

 

[tjaze]

SKIP IT!!! you just need to know enough to pass the class. there's hardly any on the step 1 and it's totally not worth it spending all the extra time on the subject. instead, spend more time mastering physiology...

 

[WellWornLad]

Skip it. Sleep in 'til 11 am, make some coffee, open your atlas and learn the joy of pointing at your own damn structures. You can even buy a laser pointer if you feel it helps.

 

[greatnt249]

They take attendance at our lectures.

But, if I had the choice, I'd probably skip them.

 

[qmcat]

Thanks guys! I figured I'd have so much more time studying anatomy on my own than going to class. My school has this rotation system where they keep moving lectures around so the boring ones are right after some mandatory activity... probably to try to get us to go to class haha. But ya, at this rate, it looks like I'll only need to wake up early for PBL on certain days and sleep in a bit on others.

 

[njbmd]

So I've been skipping most of my non-anatomy lectures recently and found that I can get my studying done faster with the lecture notes and podcasting we have at school. The only class I've still been coming to regularly is anatomy because the teacher scared us saying that the lectures are very visual (it's just him laser pointing stuff on the powerpoint) and that we don't get the same experience if we podcast.

Over this weekend I experimented with just reading the lecture notes and studying afterwards with Netter/Moore for today's anatomy lecture, and I found that it was sufficient and that today's lecture didn't really add anything to what I had already self-taught.

What are your experiences with skipping anatomy lecture? Am I doing the right thing or is my lazy self invading my logic to get a few more hours of sleep qday?

Skipping lectures makes sense if:

• You can master the material without sitting in class.
• Your performance on exams is better with skipping than with class attendance.
• You are not attending a medical school with mandatory attendance.

Also keep in mind that skipping a class in medical school does not always imply laziness. Many medical students have different styles of learning and are most successful when their study style accommodates this fact. On the other hand, if your course performance starts to suffer and in the worst case, you get into academic trouble, skipping class become a huge liability.

You are an adult and therefore, you need to make the best decision that works for your career and mastery of coursework. Most schools (except the ones in the dark ages with mandatory attendance) understand this and support whatever works for student success. Ultimately, the material that you have to master doesn't care how you master it.

When I was in medical school, I was very selective with class attendance and maximized my valuable study time. This meant that I stayed home on some days or skipped lecture for the subjects that I could master on my own with videos and lecture tapes. In the end, my system worked well for me.