Skipping Class

[victorwoot]

So what's the deal with missing classes? For courses where quizzes are worth some percentage of the course mark, how can one afford to miss class? (yet I hear of people on the forums doing this) Are there not surprise quizzes in university or something?

[justletmein]

Generally there are no surprise quizzes, it is not high school. I have rarely heard of a university course where the quizzes, tests, exams, deadlines etc are not explicitly laid out in the course outline.

People skip class most often when the class notes are available elsewhere (i.e. online or for purchase) and when the teacher does not add all that much.

You will quickly realize that in some cases, you can be much more productive studying the notes on your own then having a professor read them to you while you sit in class distracted by your cell phone or your friends.

[victorwoot]

Great, thanks for the reply. Are there students who sell lecture notes (if there not available from the prof?)

[rmorelan]

Justletmein is right - I going to almost no classes as I find them less productive than studying during that time. Basically I can read faster than they can talk :)

Everyone has a different style, and courses vary of course. Still for your standard course I have had much better success with not going.

[med88]

What it really comes down to is your own studying habits and the means by which you learn most effecitvely. My suggestion is that you go to class the first week and figure out if it works for you. No one can really tell you if a class is worth going to or not because it really just has to do with your own learning habits.

[mizzlarabee]

Yes, people do sell lecture and study notes but buyer beware! :) My first couple of years I would skip some classes but I realized that even if the professor didn't really add anything I felt that still listening to someone talk about a subject was really beneficial to my learning but, like med88 pointed out, it all depends on what works for you.

[mbene085]

In first year, I was paranoid and never missed a single lecture, even if I was sick.

In my fourth year, there were courses during which I showed up for maybe 3 or 4 lectures, max, and still nailed every test and exam.

I just got better at recognizing which professors weren't giving any useful extra information that wasn't on the powerpoint slides, and figured out what studying system worked for me (and it didn't involve hearing the lecture or taking unnecessary notes). That, and first year really doesn't resemble the upper years at all.

So while, at first, the idea of skipping class was downright appalling, I definitely changed my stance on that issue. But I also know a lot of people who skipped classes and got thoroughly f*cked on exams. So...you'll really have to figure out what works for you given the structure of your program and your personal studying style.

[lostintime]

You should show up to ALL labs though. There are sometimes surprise quizzes in labs and tutorials just to keep you on your toes. But they'll let you know in the course outline if there are going to be surprise quizzes.

[seeking1]

To make the most of your classes, look up your prof with previous students of that class and ratemyprofessors.com. At least you can know if you're getting top quality teaching for your dollar. :cool:

[gsamra]

I dont know if u know about this, but profs have things called i-clickers
where u answer mc questions that he/she posts at the front. U simply respond to the questions and the results of the class show up. U r not marked for this, but u get bonus marks, so this could be an incentive to go to classes. I find i-clickers helpful, and sometimes the same mc questions will
be on exams, so its a win-win

[futuredoc]

I dont know if u know about this, but profs have things called i-clickers
where u answer mc questions that he/she posts at the front. U simply respond to the questions and the results of the class show up. U r not marked for this, but u get bonus marks, so this could be an incentive to go to classes. I find i-clickers helpful, and sometimes the same mc questions will
be on exams, so its a win-win

I have never heard of this wonderful idea. Where do you go to school?

[Kyleh]

I have never heard of this wonderful idea. Where do you go to school?

I know at Western first year bio and physics uses i-clickers.

[gsamra]

I have never heard of this wonderful idea. Where do you go to school?

I got to Waterloo. We use them in physics and chem classes, but it kind of
depends on which proff u get

[VitaminC]

We use clickers too (UBC)! In bio, math, and physics, but yeah depends on your prof too. So whenever I miss class I gotta give my clicker to my friend to answer for me, heh.

[futuredoc]

It is such a pity that we don't have those things here at Dalhousie. .5% in stats would have been great XD.

[rmorelan]

Just so you know those I-clickers aren't perfect. Sometimes they failed to record valid clicks. There is nothing quite like having to argument for a 0.5% of your grade with a prof because of that - they look at you like you are crazy :)

And in my business classes at waterloo there was all kinds of cheating with
them. Don't want to go to class? Get a friend to do both yours and his.

Of course I am a bit biased as well here. I hate attendance marks - no matter the form of them. Shouldn't need to bribe a student to go to class. I think these are better used if the professor wants to know if the class understood something. They can use them as a quick polling method.

[victorwoot]

Thanks for all the insight everyone!

[rogerroger]

All I will say this that is is a very bad habit to get into... Yes some profs don't add much to your learning, yet overall going over the material in class will never hurt you. Ideally, one would want to review the material before class, go to class, then review the material as notes again after class. I am certain that my GPA would have been much lower if I skipped class because I had the mentality that I got more out of it on my own... Subsequently, I also doubt I would be attending Toronto or any med school in the fall...

You are paying for the lectures. As I see it you might as well go. If you have to just think of it as an exercise in self discipline. ;)

[rogerroger]

So whenever I miss class I gotta give my clicker to my friend to answer for me, heh.

This is classified as an academic offence at Western when clicker usage is awarded as part of your grade. People have been caught and severely reprimanded. I wouldn't recommend this if clickers are used this way!

[Sheena815]

I went to almost all my classes, but as someone already said, you will learn with time to recognize which ones you can skip. Most profs give you some lecture notes with a few words and concepts + pictures, and then fill in all the info you need to know at lecture- these you really should go to. (And if you write everything they say down, you really shouldn't have to spend time consulting textbooks... I barely used any textbooks my entire time, and in retrospect wouldn't have bought 90% of them).

However, I've had a few courses where the profs make wonderfully detailed notes, and then literally just read them back to you in class. These are not that common, but totally skipable.

There are some courses that, depending on your learning style, may be harmless or even helpful(!) to skip as well. My biggest skipping experience was first year calculus- not cause I found it easy, but cause I found it way too hard (I'm not a math person). I would trudge up there at 8 am, and sit there for an hour trying my darndest to follow what the prof was scrawling on the board and explaining. I failed miserably. I was so utterly lost, I wasn't getting anything at all except confusion out of going, and my first midterm reflected that. So, after the midterm, I decided to still wake up for calc class time, but instead of going, just sit in my room, reading the book examples and working through them at my (much slower) pace, and then doing all the homework while working through it with the solution examples. My mark on the final was over 15% higher.

I also had one prof who hated exams (therefore there were none) and our only coursework was a couple assignments and a certain number of independent "reflection journals" based on the class discussion. Well, once all the assignments were through and I had done all the journal entries I needed, I just stopped going. For like the last month. And before that, I would go and often leave early once I found something I was going to write about (it was a 3 hour lecture, and the last half without fail the prof would put on some movie..... er.... no thanks.) What a weird course.

[rmorelan]

It an academic office to use someone else's clicker at Waterloo as well - I am not condoning it, only that it is still pretty common. They tend to be used in first year courses before the concept of ethics is properly ground in - That takes a bunch of them getting smacked around for cheating. Happens every year.

It also dawns on me that word skipping is implying that you aren't going because you are lazy. Instead of attending lecture you are off playing (skipping around) somewhere, which is what most people do when they don't go to class.

I don't "skip" class. I make a tactical decision that independent study is more productive than going to the lectures, which for me is backed up by empirical results. Its not for everyone - far from it.

I think in any case you need self-discipline, either to go to class or to do the work independently.

[The Law]

There are some courses that, depending on your learning style, may be harmless or even helpful(!) to skip as well. My biggest skipping experience was first year calculus- not cause I found it easy, but cause I found it way too hard (I'm not a math person). I would trudge up there at 8 am, and sit there for an hour trying my darndest to follow what the prof was scrawling on the board and explaining. I failed miserably. I was so utterly lost, I wasn't getting anything at all except confusion out of going, and my first midterm reflected that. So, after the midterm, I decided to still wake up for calc class time, but instead of going, just sit in my room, reading the book examples and working through them at my (much slower) pace, and then doing all the homework while working through it with the solution examples. My mark on the final was over 15% higher.

Yeah, sometimes I don't go to certain classes and spend my time learning the material by myself instead. An example is Ecology, did really poorly at the midterm (the prof was boring and he sucked, and I hate him lol)... but then skipped every class after then and just studied on my own and killed the final. Then of course, there are the classes you can kill by never going to class ever... as long as you study and get help by clarifying the concepts.

Everyone has a different learning style and for some classes, I find it such a waste of time to go to class. However, if your learning style is not one where when you skip, you promptly make sure you go over the material - then I wouldn't do it, or else you'll start falling very behind. Also, if the prof isn't giving you really good notes (i.e. the type of prof where he or she has one or two words only per slide) - then make sure you GO to these classes!

[A-Stark]

I don't "skip" class. I make a tactical decision that independent study is more productive than going to the lectures, which for me is backed up by empirical results. Its not for everyone - far from it.

Haha - this is possibly the best (and truest) rationalization of skipping I've seen. My "tactical decision" often involves determining the cost-benefit of more sleep at home versus more sleep in class.

[rmorelan]

Hehehehe yeah it could sound that way :)

Part of my day job reading specification for software programs all day. I think it is getting to me!

[MillerTime]

My "tactical decision" often involves determining the cost-benefit of more sleep at home versus more sleep in class.

I'm glad someone finally said this instead of saying that their time is better spent studying on their own. I sure didn't make it to many 8:30 classes in my last couple years, and it definitely wasn't because I was at home studying for it instead, haha.

On a related note, the snooze button is the greatest and worst invention ever created.

[A-Stark]

Even when I do feel my time is better spent studying on my own, I'm sure as hell not going to wake up at 8:30 just to sit in bed and read. If I'm sleeping in, I can study later on at a reasonable hour.

[lostintime]

Well I skip when I have exams sometimes.

But I HATE HATE listening to lecture recordings. And most of my upper year courses didn't have textbooks, so it's purely dependent on what the prof says. So I try not to skip, but if I have to in order to cram for another course, then I sit through arduous hours of listening to the lecture recording =S Or if no lecture recording, I guess I just hope for the best.

[Sheena815]

Well, the only reason I studied at 8 am is cause I'm a big morning person. (Ie, I'd be up anyway).

Now, ask me to study after 8 pm and I will be useless... it probably takes me about half an hour to read one page in the evenings, and therefore I don't even try to study after 8ish anymore.

[mbene085]

Well, the only reason I studied at 8 am is cause I'm a big morning person. (Ie, I'd be up anyway).

Now, ask me to study after 8 pm and I will be useless... it probably takes me about half an hour to read one page in the evenings, and therefore I don't even try to study after 8ish anymore.

Wow, I'm the exact opposite. In fact, the most productive exam and midterm studying I ever do is between the hours of 7 pm and 4 am. I've had times when I've (thoroughly) covered material from an entire class in that 9 hour window.

[rmorelan]

I would certainly agree not getting for 8:30 is a nice side effect :)

[Sheena815]

Wow, I'm the exact opposite. In fact, the most productive exam and midterm studying I ever do is between the hours of 7 pm and 4 am. I've had times when I've (thoroughly) covered material from an entire class in that 9 hour window.

Haha, If given the choice, I'd pick the 4am to 7am in a heartbeat. Well... not 4 am, maybe, but I'd say 7am-12pm is my peak studying hours. After that my energy level slowly decreases and I am almost always in bed by 10 or 11pm. Having to stay up til even 12pm is really difficult for me, but getting up at 7am? No problem. I have actually never pulled an "all nighter". I don't think I am even physically capable. I tried once, and only made it til about 1am at which point I completely collapsed and was feeling sick with exhaustion. Actually, my most "natural" sleep pattern is about 10-11pm til 7-8am. (Yeah, I need a LOT of sleep... I'm really dreading surgery rotation in third year)

I think our natural tendencies for this are related to our circadian rhythms.

[Jamer]

Man am I the opposite. I study best from 8 pm - 2 am. I struggle to fall asleep before midnight and I generally get to bed around 1 am and sleep until 11-12 if allowed.

[lostintime]

I "need" a lot of sleep, but I/my body got used to having little sleep. Even though I'm on vacation now, I end up wasting time late at night watching movies or surfing the net because I get insomnia if I go to bed before 2 a.m.

[The Law]

Man am I the opposite. I study best from 8 pm - 2 am. I struggle to fall asleep before midnight and I generally get to bed around 1 am and sleep until 11-12 if allowed.

I study best at evening/night too.