Not going to any lectures...is it such a bad thing?

Reply 20

kka25

18

There are many bad educators on this post...

Reply 21

username207685

1

You're meant to go the lectures and read the slides in your own time/read around the topic/research things you don't understand. Not one or the other.

If it's just your first year then it probably won't be a big deal, but it's not a good habit to develop. There will be things in the lectures that aren't on the slides, and depending on the lecturer it could be very important things that aren't on the slides (especially in later stages of the degree).

It's also good to have had a good level of interaction with lecturers so that as you get further into your degree it's easier to approach them for help. In my experience academics are extremely unlikely to put in any effort to help you if they don't think you're putting in any effort to help yourself. This is particularly important if you're doing a science degree and you get your third year honours project assigned - if you never show up to lectures and the academics have no concept of who you are then you might end up with useless project.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 22

Riku

2

If you really don't want to then leave first semester lectures and just get slide notes, but bear in mind this won't be everything. A good lecturer knows how to summarise the slide notes and elaborate in class with open-ended and rhetorical questions.
However I'd say from second semester of first year you're better going in to instil a professional work ethic. Tutors will also see you're keen and willing to put the time in which will work in your favour down the line. Trust me, you;ll ened it.

From second year on if you don't go to at least half of your lectures you're screwed.Simple. Same goes for tutorials and seminars.

Reply 23

kka25

18

Original post by Riku

If you really don't want to then leave first semester lectures and just get slide notes, but bear in mind this won't be everything. A good lecturer knows how to summarise the slide notes and elaborate in class with open-ended and rhetorical questions.
However I'd say from second semester of first year you're better going in to instil a professional work ethic. Tutors will also see you're keen and willing to put the time in which will work in your favour down the line. Trust me, you;ll ened it.

From second year on if you don't go to at least half of your lectures you're screwed.Simple. Same goes for tutorials and seminars.

This

Reply 24

Dragonfly07

18

I have problems with listening at lectures. I'm in second year and I barely attend any lectures at all. I end up half falling asleep in most of them. Still got a first in the first semester.

Reply 25

RollerBall

20

I have lectures every day from 9-5 pretty much. I think I average 2 days a week or something, usually play on my phone during lectures and rarely look stuff up apart from cramming a few days before each exam...

Reply 26

Intriguing Alias

16

Missed like 2 out of the 192 I've meant to have gone to so far. Also went to a 2nd year lecture course out of my own accord which was 24 lectures.

I can't afford to miss them, most of our lectures do not hand on slides or notes, and none have videos uploaded. Besides I think all my lecturers are fantastic (with the exception of 1 in first term) so why wouldn't I go?

Reply 27

tpxvs

15

Original post by spocckka

It's quite clear that there is no need for actual physical universities, as the open university/MIT/various ivy league unis have shown with their home-study courses.

One of my lecturers is quite happy to admit that he leaves critical information out of the slides made available to us online so we turn up in order for him to keep his job.

I agree to an extent.. and for these courses maybe they shouldn't go to university and have to pay 9k if the same education/knowledge can be gained by other means. However, for some professional courses such as mine (Medicine) we NEED university to gain this qualification to practice as a doctor. My uni has barely any lectures (about 6 a week) but a lot of other things like anatomy dissection sessions (which you obviously can't get a cadaver and do at home..) and communication skills on real patients, hospital placements, practical sessions, labs etc all of which you cannot do at home. The lectures however, I guess you could but due to having so few lectures we have a LOT of material packed into each that reading bullet points on a slide simply don't do it just and neither do most students understand unless you were there and listened to a professional expand on each point.

I do agree though, for courses that aren't like this - I dont see the need for "university" as much and I don't know where their 9k is going. I can barely understand where my 3.5k is going!

Reply 28

Starsong

20

I've been to all my lectures this year, except one when I had a flat viewing slap bang in the middle of it. But given that I only have a lecture a week that's hardly arduous. :tongue:

Reply 29

Ultimate1

Depends really on whether or not lecturers put on notes/if you can easy access to notes if you miss lectures.

Reply 30

slacker07906

OP

16

Original post by twinlensreflex

I've been to all my lectures this year, except one when I had a flat viewing slap bang in the middle of it. But given that I only have a lecture a week that's hardly arduous. :tongue:

How come you only have one lecture a week?

Reply 31

spocckka

14

Original post by tpxvs

I agree to an extent.. and for these courses maybe they shouldn't go to university and have to pay 9k if the same education/knowledge can be gained by other means. However, for some professional courses such as mine (Medicine) we NEED university to gain this qualification to practice as a doctor. My uni has barely any lectures (about 6 a week) but a lot of other things like anatomy dissection sessions (which you obviously can't get a cadaver and do at home..) and communication skills on real patients, hospital placements, practical sessions, labs etc all of which you cannot do at home. The lectures however, I guess you could but due to having so few lectures we have a LOT of material packed into each that reading bullet points on a slide simply don't do it just and neither do most students understand unless you were there and listened to a professional expand on each point.

I do agree though, for courses that aren't like this - I dont see the need for "university" as much and I don't know where their 9k is going. I can barely understand where my 3.5k is going!

Well I do engineering, so to an extent I do have practical aspects of my course that are supposed to help me, but personally I learn better working by myself. Going to lectures just to obtain vital information is a waste of time for me...

Reply 32

ForgetMe

21

During all 3 years I've attended most of them whereas I wouldn't say that about others. At the end I benefited from that since I didn't need to take some exams as I got high mark straight away. Others unfortunately had to take their exams :mmm:

Reply 33

LSD

17

Original post by slacker07906

How come you only have one lecture a week?

Hmm could be final year? In my final year I'll only have two lectures a week, unfortunately they'll be 3 hours each so if I miss one I'll probably just die. The other three days I'll be doing my honours lab project.

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Reply 34

Jabberwox

16

I do a joint honours. My English lectures are not registered. My psychology ones are registered. The last English lecture I went to was about 2 months ago, mainly because I find them boring and I don't really find someone reading off a PowerPoint intellectually stimulating.

I wouldn't say it's a massively bad thing as long as you can catch up on the material and do a lot of independent study. Plus if they register your attendance at lectures and you don't show up, you could risk losing your place at university as some unis are very strict on attendance and even go as far as to kick you out if your attendance drops below a certain point.