Correlation between going to lecture and success in medical school?

[BeTheBallDanny]

Is there any correlation between going to lecture and success in medical school (Success can be loosely defined as Step 1 and preclinical grades)? I am trying to decide whether or not to continue to attend or watch it at home and try to be more efficient.

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[bashwell]

Is there any correlation between going to lecture and success in medical school (Success can be loosely defined as Step 1 and preclinical grades)? I am trying to decide whether or not to continue to attend or watch it at home and try to be more efficient.

I don't know if any hard data exist, but anecdotally there are a lot of people who stopped attending most lectures and have done really well on Step 1. You can read about a lot of them here on SDN. If I were you, I'd stop attending, or only attend the lectures you think you really need or are interested in, but otherwise you're better off studying on your own in the pre-clinical years. Far more high yield. Just my opinion.

 

[Affiche]

If there is a correlation it's undoubtedly negative lol.

 

[Goro]

Is there any correlation between going to lecture and success in medical school (Success can be loosely defined as Step 1 and preclinical grades)? I am trying to decide whether or not to continue to attend or watch it at home and try to be more efficient.

Form my own experience, the only thing we noticed BEFORE we started video recording our lectures was that the weakest students tended not to come to lecture. But plenty of good students also didn't go to lecture, so I have no faith that lecture attendance is crucial for med student success. I had plenty of good students who I swear I only saw at exam time.

I have yet to see any published data that shows lecture attended correlates with measure of student success.

You have to figure out what works best for you. Some students do find it helpful to go to lectures.

For those of you with mandatory lecture attendance, you have my sympathies, because as adult learners, YOU know best how to learn. Your faculty haven't figured that out yet, alas. At the least, show them the medical education data that flipped classrooms work much better.

 

[rafa 22]

I think that even if evidence existed it wouldn't be that relevant. This is super subjective. If by going to class you are able to concentrate better and it helps you with commitment than go for it. If the lecture sucks than there is really no point in wasting your time.

 

[eternelle]

One of my professors did look at the test scores of people who attended his class vs. people who watched the lectures at home. People who watched at home apparently did significantly better. But that's just one class and you can't assume that they did better because they didn't go. Try out both and see which one you like more.

 

[deleted244469]

One of my professors did look at the test scores of people who attended his class vs. people who watched the lectures at home. People who watched at home apparently did significantly better. But that's just one class and you can't assume that they did better because they didn't go. Try out both and see which one you like more.

My guess is because you can speed it up. Watching the lecture at 1.5x allows for ZERO downtime, which prevents me from zoning out/checking Facebook/ doodling/etc. The countless pauses and transitions throughout a live lecture are what do me in. Once I lose focus, I have a very difficult time reeling myself back in.

 

[Mad Jack]

Negative correlation, I'd bet. I gently outperformed my class-going peers.

 

[12glaucoma34]

If there is a correlation it's undoubtedly negative lol.

Was going to say exactly this, absolutely a negative correlation and don't let any non clinician faculty tell you any different.

N=1, but my grades improved significantly after not going to class. It is pointless to sit in a lecture for 50 minutes when you are lost after the first 5 minutes. At home you can pause and understand before moving on.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Form my own experience, the only thing we noticed BEFORE we started video recording our lectures was that the weakest students tended not to come to lecture. But plenty of good students also didn't go to lecture, so I have no faith that lecture attendance is crucial for med student success. I had plenty of good students who I swear I only saw at exam time.

I have yet to see any published data that shows lecture attended correlates with measure of student success.

You have to figure out what works best for you. Some students do find it helpful to go to lectures.

For those of you with mandatory lecture attendance, you have my sympathies, because as adult learners, YOU know best how to learn. Your faculty haven't figured that out yet, alas. At the least, show them the medical education data that flipped classrooms work much better.

some of us would get kicked out for that

 

[Goro]

some of us would get kicked out for that

You guys do have curriculum committees? If so, direct it there.

 

[Doctor-S]

FWIW ... I don't care if you attend lectures or don't attend lectures: some students benefit from them; some students prefer to study alone. Some folks learn better with the use of a rewind button; and others prefer the stimulation of live dialogue, including real-time Q&A.

What motivates you to study a boatload of materials, learn, think, analyze, and perform better as a future physician? Figure it out and then do it well.

 

[grapp]

I am an not a physician nor a medical school student merely an EMT, but I personally benefited significantly from videos of watching different processes and psycho-motor exams almost as much as attending the class. I think an equal combination of both is great, but it really can depend on your learning style as many have said.

 

[BeTheBallDanny]

When I go to a lecture I feel as if I got absolutely nothing out of it. Even sitting at home watching the lecture I get next to nothing. It just isn't how I learn. Would it be terrible to not watch them at all and just go thru the slides and reference the textbook to learn at a deeper level? Or should I at least watch them to see if something is going to be emphasized on the test?

 

[grapp]

When I go to a lecture I feel as if I got absolutely nothing out of it. Even sitting at home watching the lecture I get next to nothing. It just isn't how I learn. Would it be terrible to not watch them at all and just go thru the slides and reference the textbook to learn at a deeper level? Or should I at least watch them to see if something is going to be emphasized on the test?

I think you should watch them regardless, I think you can gain something even if you don't think you do. I feel your pain, I'm not the best learner.

 

[12glaucoma34]

When I go to a lecture I feel as if I got absolutely nothing out of it. Even sitting at home watching the lecture I get next to nothing. It just isn't how I learn. Would it be terrible to not watch them at all and just go thru the slides and reference the textbook to learn at a deeper level? Or should I at least watch them to see if something is going to be emphasized on the test?

You are learning more than you realize. Often times, you are hearing terms for the first time and just that is learning. I always felt like listening to lecture was more about learning what you need to learn more than actually understanding what you needed to learn. For example, I didn't know all the different classes of obstructive airway diseases like emphysema, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and asthma. Then the lecturer gave a description of each with the associated pathology and histology. After the lecture was over, I didn't understand much about how they were different. The lecture did help me create a mental framework for structuring the information that was useful when I went over the lecture slides and handout. To summarize, you may not understand the lecture and be able to answer exam questions correctly based only on watching the lecture, but that doesn't mean you didn't learn anything.

Clinical rotations are the same way, it seems like you're not learning much and sometimes is boring, but at the end of the rotation you will feel like you know much more than day 1.

 

[Ad2b]

If

You're alive?! How are you??? (sorry for t/j - Affiche helped me lots for MCAT)