Anybody not watch or attend lectures?

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pstrick

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At my school, attendance at lectures is not required, and all lectures are posted online.

I have tried both going to lectures and watching lectures, but the material doesn't stick. I just get nothing out of it.
I have stopped doing either thing.
Instead, I go over slides and note packets that the professors upload.

My question:
Are there any downsides to my approach that I am not seeing?

I think I'm learning the material, but I want your opinion on whether or not I'm doing something stupid.

First test is in a little over a week, so I have no hard numbers yet on how well I'm doing.

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I think its important to atleast get a look at course objectives and what your professor is emphasizing.

In my school, we utilize integrity for recording lectures. So not only can I use 2X but it shows how much time a professor is using to talk on a specific slide.

This is a efficient and quick way to see what the professor might put on the test if they put a significant amount of time into it.

At the end of the day unless your exams mimic NBME it is important to atleast get an idea of what the professor wants. Either through class or recorded lecture.
 
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At my school, attendance at lectures is not required, and all lectures are posted online.

I have tried both going to lectures and watching lectures, but the material doesn't stick. I just get nothing out of it.
I have stopped doing either thing.
Instead, I go over slides and note packets that the professors upload.

My question:
Are there any downsides to my approach that I am not seeing?

I think I'm learning the material, but I want your opinion on whether or not I'm doing something stupid.

First test is in a little over a week, so I have no hard numbers yet on how well I'm doing.
I primarily just used the lecture powerpoints with minimal supplemental watching of the online stuff and was top 10 in class rank by the end of preclinical years, the only downside to your approach is that the professor might say something in lecture that they don't have on a slide and then test off of that. If you can reason through questions you'll be fine though.
 
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You're an adult. People learn differently. Some get some use out of being in lecture, some don't. If it doesn't work for you, don't do it. Study smarter, not harder. I was a very visual learner and I needed to read material in order to learn it, and learned very soon that spending 8 hrs in lecture every day wasn't cutting it, when I could be getting a full nights rest, waking up in my own time, and studying things on my own out of the books (and actually having the material stick.). I have no regrets.
 
what was posted above!
Depends on the lecturer. I had a few like jrlob91, where you had to speed through the lectures in some way, because there'd be examinable stuff not mentioned in the slides.

on the flip side, if it was obvious they were reading off the slides (or the slides had plenty of detail). Skip the lectures. Use the slides. Save some time.

and what the post below says - skip the random stuff. that's the luxury of recordings.
 
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Are there any downsides to my approach that I am not seeing?

Depending on the lecturer of course, some just talk about random stuff that really has no bearing on the actual stuff they are teaching (I'm talking like personal stories), but for most professor I would at least zip through them once at 2x speed to see if they give any hints and what is high yield. Some of ours will straight up say, "now for this I really want to make sure you understand X concept wink wink."
 
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Instead, I go over slides and note packets that the professors upload.

I have one professor who literally tests only what he says and the practice problems he given in class. If you read only the powerpoint, you would basically get all his questions wrong.

Main thing is to first figure out how your professor like to deliver test questions (ex. directly from powerpoint, from books, from quizzes, or from mouth). Once you figure that out, then proceed to figure out how to set up your study schedule accordingly.
 
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At my school, attendance at lectures is not required, and all lectures are posted online.

I have tried both going to lectures and watching lectures, but the material doesn't stick. I just get nothing out of it.
I have stopped doing either thing.
Instead, I go over slides and note packets that the professors upload.

My question:
Are there any downsides to my approach that I am not seeing?

I think I'm learning the material, but I want your opinion on whether or not I'm doing something stupid.

First test is in a little over a week, so I have no hard numbers yet on how well I'm doing.
As an adult learner, you need to find out what's best for you. This is why I despise schools with mandatory lecture attendance.

The best way to assess if you're learning the material is to do practice questions, and have your friends or Faculty pimp you on the material.
 
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best to at least listen to the lecture at 2x speed once so you can get clued in when the professor says "this thing is really important (lol its on the test)"
 
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At my school, attendance at lectures is not required, and all lectures are posted online.

I have tried both going to lectures and watching lectures, but the material doesn't stick. I just get nothing out of it.
I have stopped doing either thing.
Instead, I go over slides and note packets that the professors upload.

My question:
Are there any downsides to my approach that I am not seeing?

I think I'm learning the material, but I want your opinion on whether or not I'm doing something stupid.

First test is in a little over a week, so I have no hard numbers yet on how well I'm doing.

Often times, watching the lecture helps guide what is important and may actually save time. Sometimes instructors say "don't worry about this" or "know this about slide 35, you don't have to memorize the whole thing."
 
Update for anyone who finds this thread in the future:

This strategy didn't work for me.
Off to lecture I go.
 
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I actually find the lecture helpful, my school has a nasty habit of serving up 90 ppt slides full of fluff. When I just rewatch the lectures I get to see exactly what they spend time on, and what they didn't. I have also gotten better at think 2-3 steps ahead (got to make connections, if this goes wrong what did that other slide say happened and what do I do to fix etc.) Its all fair game. So I mix lecture and ppt review, if I have a really good block, I will go thru the ppts 2x+ and lecture 3x.
 
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I actually find the lecture helpful, my school has a nasty habit of serving up 90 ppt slides full of fluff. When I just rewatch the lectures I get to see exactly what they spend time on, and what they didn't. I have also gotten better at think 2-3 steps ahead (got to make connections, if this goes wrong what did that other slide say happened and what do I do to fix etc.) Its all fair game. So I mix lecture and ppt review, if I have a really good block, I will go thru the ppts 2x+ and lecture 3x.

What sort of notes do you make?
Flash cards, note sheets, etc.
 
What sort of notes do you make?
Flash cards, note sheets, etc.
I do not do note sheets or flash cars for the most part, they are too time intensive for my purposes. I do write notes on my ppt, and maybe some Anki for stuff I really don't know in OMT viscerosomatics or w/e. I just go over the powerpoint, and connect the dots, just keeping asking yourself 'and then what?' If you do that enough you will do fine (I get B's and A's at this point, so not straight A, but also not as hard as those guys work).
 
I do not do note sheets or flash cars for the most part, they are too time intensive for my purposes. I do write notes on my ppt, and maybe some Anki for stuff I really don't know in OMT viscerosomatics or w/e. I just go over the powerpoint, and connect the dots, just keeping asking yourself 'and then what?' If you do that enough you will do fine (I get B's and A's at this point, so not straight A, but also not as hard as those guys work).

That makes sense.

How do you do anatomy? I would love to be able to integrate what I'm learning, but it just seems like a bunch of random facts at this point.
 
That makes sense.

How do you do anatomy? I would love to be able to integrate what I'm learning, but it just seems like a bunch of random facts at this point.
Ah the one exception. I did actually make cards for the origin and insertions and nerves and actions. Just makes sure you go over those ppts like crazy, and do all the Michigan anatomy questions. I believe rewatching the lectures and figuring out what the professor is focusing on is extra important for anatomy. I had a hard time with that class, you need to find someone who does well and have them teach you. Learn all the mnemonics also. There is no silver bullet for Anatomy, was my least favorite class by far.
 
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I studied strictly off ppt slides in my first year with above average preclinical grades. Who knows what will happen to me this year with 80% of my time dedicated to board prep? However, I tried to make an effort to listen to DO/MD lectures at 2x speed.
 
I studied strictly off ppt slides in my first year with above average preclinical grades. Who knows what will happen to me this year with 80% of my time dedicated to board prep? However, I tried to make an effort to listen to DO/MD lectures at 2x speed.
lol, OOOOOOOOOOOKAY.
 
lol, OOOOOOOOOOOKAY.

Believe whatever you want to believe. But, class is significantly easier now that I pre-learn literally all board prep stuff as I go into a block. For example, I'm in an Endo block right now. Things that used to take me forever to learn last year become automatic now. I make it a mission to memorize Pathoma and FA for every block along with Sketchy Pharm. I integrate all of these discrete facts with Qbank questions. I'm liking the results so far.
 
Believe whatever you want to believe. But, class is significantly easier now that I pre-learn literally all board prep stuff as I go into a block. For example, I'm in an Endo block right now. Things that used to take me forever to learn last year become automatic now. I make it a mission to memorize Pathoma and FA for every block along with Sketchy Pharm. I integrate all of these discrete facts with Qbank questions. I'm liking the results so far.
Got to say, I am a little jealous that this works. Board stuff helps supplement, but definitely does not replace class material in my program.
 
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Got to say, I am a little jealous that this works. Board stuff helps supplement, but definitely does not replace class material in my program.

It def doesn't replace class materials. I still read the ppt slides from professors and watch class lectures from our clinicians. However, when you ANKI ingrained 70-80% of the class materials through high yield materials, the rest of class lectures become easy to digest. For example, on Friday, I had a two hr lecture by a clinician and a 2 hr lecture by a PhD. I 2x speed our clinician lecture in 70 mins and literally read through 80 slides from our PhD and make ANKI cards in about 70 mins , in which I already know 70-80% of the materials in that presentation bc of my foundation in high yield materials. As for the rest of the day, I did 600-700 ANKI cards and watched two pharm videos to finish my day. There're still some meniscule bs that I need to know for my upcoming exam. However, for each hr of lecture, I literally only need to make about 5-10 ANKi cards that will be sent to the trash pile after exam day.

This method shouldn't be used when you're in your first year. However, many upperclassmen from my school have testified banging ridiculous high Step scores by settling for average on class exams while going through Kaplan Qbank, USMLE-Rx Qbank, and Uworld Qbank.
 
It def doesn't replace class materials. I still read the ppt slides from professors and watch class lectures from our clinicians. However, when you ANKI ingrained 70-80% of the class materials through high yield materials, the rest of class lectures become easy to digest. For example, on Friday, I had a two hr lecture by a clinician and a 2 hr lecture by a PhD. I 2x speed our clinician lecture in 70 mins and literally read through 80 slides from our clinicians, in which I already know 70-80% of the materials in that presentation bc of my foundation in high yield materials. As for the rest of the day, I did 600-700 ANKI cards and watched two pharm videos to finish my day. There're still some meniscule bs that I need to know for my upcoming exam. However, for each hr of lecture, I literally only need to make about 5-10 ANKi cards that will be sent to the trash pile after exam day.

This method shouldn't be used when you're in your first year. However, many upperclassmen from my school have testified banging ridiculous high Step scores by settling for average on class exams while going through Kaplan Qbank, USMLE-Rx Qbank, and Uworld Qbank.
700 ANKI? How many of those were new/reviewed? are we talking 100 new, 200 reviewed, 700 flips? Still a lot.
 
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700 ANKI? How many of those were new/reviewed? are we talking 100 new, 200 reviewed, 700 flips? Still a lot.

It depends on the day. But it's probably about 200-300 new cards and then about 400-500 review cards. Those review cards from old topics will decrease over time as I commit them to long term memory. However, the # of review cards stay about the same as I review newer materials. I mainly use Physeo, Pathoma, FA, Sketchy, and Qbanks as my main sources for high yield materials. A light day for me is about 3-4 hrs of study like today. A normal day is about 8-10 hrs of study. On days in which I have to go to school, I churn through about 200-300 review cards during lectures when the professors are babbling about some nonsense.
 
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It depends on the day. But it's probably about 200-300 new cards and then about 400-500 review cards. Those review cards from old topics will decrease over time as I commit them to long term memory. However, the # of review cards stay about the same as I review newer materials. I mainly use Physeo, Pathoma, FA, Sketchy, and Qbanks as my main sources for high yield materials. A light day for me is about 3-4 hrs of study like today. A normal day is about 8-10 hrs of study. On days in which I have to go to school, I churn through about 200-300 review cards during lectures when the professors are babbling about some nonsense.
You have inspired me once again to 'gun more.' Time for some Bros
 
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It def doesn't replace class materials. I still read the ppt slides from professors and watch class lectures from our clinicians. However, when you ANKI ingrained 70-80% of the class materials through high yield materials, the rest of class lectures become easy to digest. For example, on Friday, I had a two hr lecture by a clinician and a 2 hr lecture by a PhD. I 2x speed our clinician lecture in 70 mins and literally read through 80 slides from our PhD and make ANKI cards in about 70 mins , in which I already know 70-80% of the materials in that presentation bc of my foundation in high yield materials. As for the rest of the day, I did 600-700 ANKI cards and watched two pharm videos to finish my day. There're still some meniscule bs that I need to know for my upcoming exam. However, for each hr of lecture, I literally only need to make about 5-10 ANKi cards that will be sent to the trash pile after exam day.

This method shouldn't be used when you're in your first year. However, many upperclassmen from my school have testified banging ridiculous high Step scores by settling for average on class exams while going through Kaplan Qbank, USMLE-Rx Qbank, and Uworld Qbank.

Lol, nobody is doubting your methods, as I'm heading in that direction too, but I'm still only board studying 15% of my total time, as more than that would presume I had a head start, which without a break is impossible and even with a break is highly undesirable. So while you may be able to do this because you just had a summer break, good luck pre-studying your next block while you're in still in Endo.

P.s. I'm in endo too. Also, I'm not doing Kaplan Qbank for endo until I finish endo, and then i'll start adding them into the mix. So far I'm only doing 10 kaplan questions every 2 days (other day I review them). I decided to abandon ANKI this year as it's just not for me.
 
For me, my goal for second year is long term retention. Therefore, last minute 12-14 hrs exam crunch for the weekend leading to exam day doesn't happen anymore. I'm very obviously happy with my method so far as evident by my initial 70+% average for Kaplan and USMLERX Qbanks for MSK, Psych, and Endo. While my classmates are still tripping about some dumb in house exam quests, I'm perfectly fine with rocking the class average, but destroying the Qbank quests. While my classmates are out there celebrating and drinking to death after exam, I'm putting in 4-5 hrs of work banging out 500-600 cards. My consistent review and study has made classes so much easier this year than last year. That's my initial feeling so far. I feel so much calmer this year than last year. I consistently get about 1 hrs of exercise everyday now and stop studying past midnight.

Moral of my story to the noobs out there is to work hard and give it your best shot. Your body will adjust. If you push your brain to muscle failure everyday, you will come out stronger, faster, and smarter slowly over time. Key things will always to get about 6-8 hrs of sleep and about 1 hr of exercise everyday.
 
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