So, who's stopped going to class?

[MD2b06]

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For those of you who don't go to class, what do you guys do in order to compensate? I recently stopped going altogether, and am kinda concerned abt what to expect for the next set of exams. Strangely enough, last semester my test grades were highest when I missed the most classes. Guess I'm not an auditory learner. Anyway, just looking for suggestions on anything that ppl found helps when you're not attending class. Are review books worth it?

 

[sacrament]

I miss class about 75% of the time. I do nothing out of ordinary to compensate for this, I just read the notes and the textbooks like everybody else studies. Don't stress about it. Sleep in.

 

[IlianaSedai]

I think people who go to lecture get to process information

1 time in lecture
1 time in the first read through handout/lecture notes
+ however many times they review

So on the most basic level, to compensate for missing the lecture, I think the main thing is to re-read the handout one more time than you would otherwise if you did go to lecture. That way, you will have gone through the notes exactly as many times as everyone else. 🙂 I think the number of times you repeat a handout (whether by hearing it in lecture, or by reading it yourself) is proportional to the amount you retain, and therefore proportional to your exam results. So instead of reading once slowly, read two or three times really fast and it doesn't matter whether you use review books, or just the handout + textbook as suggested above.

I would suggest going to lecture periodically (i.e. once a week, or something like that) to confirm you're studying the right things. I think the best litmus test to check whether you're studying the right things is to learn the handout for a sample lecture (i.e. read it through carefully once) BEFORE you attend, then attend to confirm you learned the right things. If you did, then you're all set-- if not, just attend a few more lectures until you get the hang of it. Make sense?

I don't personally rely heavily on review books, but I stick with BRS because the print is nice and High-Yield hasn't been sufficient for me in the amount of information they include. I hardly ever use them during the first run through the handout. To me, they're good for:
1) to compare them to the class handout and confirm what topics are important
2) read through relevant material in review book AFTER I've gone through the handout 2-3 times and actually learned it. It's efficient for me, takes about 20 minutes and is just another re-cap

They are more like a security blanket than anything else-- they don't help that much in preparing for the exam, but it's reassuring to see material I've learnt appearing in the review book. 😎 On a final note, I do go to lecture, but for me it's just one more walk through the notes. If I spent the lecture hour just reading through the handout for the day, it would do me pretty much the same good.

 

[chef]

i read a study that said that u retain less than 5% by listening to seomeone else talking.. and retain 3x that (15%) by reading. i guarantee if u read notes & text during the lectures hours (8-12) everyday you'll get honors everytime.

 

[Iron Horse]

While I can't quote any studies, I have to agree with the previous poster. I get much more out of reading on my own as opposed to listening. I've never found passive learning efficient. Personally, I read syllabi, texts, review books, etc., to prepare and do just fine. Just be sure to keep in touch with some class attendees to ensure you don't miss out on any important info (e.g. the fact that your exam date has been changed, etc.).

For active participation classes (conferences, labs, pbl, etc.) I do attend because they are of value in my mind.

As you will frequently hear, determine what works best for you and run with it.

 

[tega]

lectures are useless. use thatr time to study on your own.

half the time in lecture..u are probably asleep....

 

[Purifyer]

Yes, I find people who attend every lecture, throw a small fit if you suggest going out for an extended lunch and then sleep all the way through said lectures, amusing.

 

[TysonCook]

Yeah,
I stopped going for two reasons:
the first being that I study much better on my own and am able to read in depth the stuff I don't understand opposed to what the teacher thinks is important

the second being that if I got up at 7:30am to make it to class every day I'd be useless to study that night. I'd rather be rested and get some good studying in than be really tired and waste time listening to some teacher banter on about blah blah blah.

My grades have gone way up as well. At the beginning of the year I was around a 75%-80%. But after I stopped going I bumped that up to a 90% average in all my classes.

 

[8744]

Man, you all are lucky. We have mandatory attendence. Of course, we recently found out that in the last two years not one professor has asked to see an attendance roster. Consequently attendence has been slipping and we sometimes have a half-empty (or half-full) lecture hall.

I've just gotten into such a habit of attending lectures that I fell strange skipping. I agree that in many lectures the time could be spent more productively studying, especially when the instructor essentially reads the handout to the class.

 

[neilc]

i go to class for 2 reasons:

1. to make sure that i am studying the right material, the stuff the profs emphasize

2. to get face time

i attend about 70% of the time, and i have a pretty good record compared to the rest of the class. but, i usually don't get much out of it other than a little reinforcement that i am on the right track.

the big plus is that the lecturing prof is usually the same one that will examine you at the end of the year. since all exams are oral and can be quite subjective, i have found that attending lecture helps a lot. the prof recognizes me, and knows i work, so i often get less pimped. if it wasn't for this benefit i would sleep a lot more. i love to sleep....

 

[CityIvy]

i've stopped going to class too. i find that my time is better spent reading the notes and getting that extra hour of sleep so that i can be more productive. besides, we have streaming videos. thus far, i'm doing pretty well in my classes so i must be doing something right.

 

[irlandesa]

same sentiments as everyone else; I have about a 50% attendance record these days and imagine it will dwindle as I need more time to study for Step I. Interestingly enough, 2 out of 3 of the classes I honored were classes I almost never bothered to attend..

 

[jdub]

hehe, i am missing out on biochem lecture right now . . . i just can't seem to stay awake during lecture. i am not even tired before hand, and then wammo, i am drooling all over myself 🙂.

a lot people here are hesitant to start skipping lecture, but i guess that is their problem . . . 😉

 

[danyela]

MD2b06,
just wanted to let you know that I love your quote....hope you don't mind if I borrow it ...
to reply to your post (since I am a fellow 06'er) I attend class most of the time because I like taking my own notes and well, socializing during those long (heehee) breaks between lectures..but if its one of those long days where we go to class until 4, I stop paying attention after about the 4th hour and it isn't really useful to stay the whole day
Someone told me that you either have to go to all the lectures or none, but I really don't agree with this...I think you can skip the lectures that you think you'll get more out of on your own and go to the lectures with a speaker that you like or subject material that you find difficult....
just my opinion, sorry if I'm repeating other peoples ideas, I havent read the whole thread-- I'm just really happy I found your quote again (I had read it last month and couldn't remember the whole thing....) and was trying to find it this week..

 

[gwyn779]

I go to class about 30% of the time, mainly if I know the lecturer is good or if I feel I haven't seen people in a while. Otherwise, I find that I just get frustrated with lectures and then go home not being able to study anyway, which means I wasted more time. I like to study with other people, and usually at least one will have gone to any given lecture.

 

[MD2b06]

Originally posted by danyela
MD2b06,
just wanted to let you know that I love your quote....hope you don't mind if I borrow it ...
- I'm just really happy I found your quote again (I had read it last month and couldn't remember the whole thing....) and was trying to find it this week..

Feel free to use the quote. Wish I could say I came up with it.

Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions ppl. I think I'll just cross reference my notes w/ a friend's to make sure I'm not missing anything. Overall, I'd encourage anyone who's a first year med student and is tired of going to lecture for 20+ hrs a week to use that time to study on your own. I'm done by 5 pm on most days and have gone through the days material twice. Plus, I'm getting much more sleep than I have since med school started. Life is so chill these days! 😎

 

[leorl]

The great thing about studying medicine is that there's not a whole lot the lecturer can add that you can't find in books. So just look at a friend's notes and see what he/she went over in class, then read up on it yourself. I have never been good with lectures, I think they can be a waste of time. I have a tendency to fall asleep in every lecture I'm in, so might as well skip and use the time elsewhere 🙂 It's not like History or English class where you need to go in order to receive different interpretations and stuff. Medicine tends to be a bit clear cut 🙂

 

[dethman]

i stopped going to class about a month into med school. a year and a half later i'm still doing fine. it's so nice to sleep in.

 

[MD2b06]

Haha, it works ppl. I went from the low 80's to high 80's and low 90's on the last set of 4 exams. Give it a shot if you're like me and find your mind wandering during lectures. I guess the key with med school material is repetition. The more times you go over it, the more likely it is that the minutae that professors ask will stick. Skipping class lets you get thru all the material at least one more time than you would otherwise.

 

[Fletch_F_Fletch]

I never started going to class in the first place, so I have no basis for comparison. I do get a lot out of watching ER reruns every morning, though, which is definitely preferable to showing up and subsequently passing out mid-lecture. I'm still a med student, so it works for me.