Article: Why don't university students attend lectures?

In 1st year I attended them all. Second year much less so and by 3rd year I was attending the minimum amount in order not to be dragged before a progress panel.

Personally, I went to uni to learn more about a subject that fascinated me but found myself just studying for exams and having no time to learn for the sake of learning. I felt very pressured to learn quickly and get 60%+. I favored passing my exams and coursework and getting a 2.1 over absorbing the content of each and every lecture (in reality, that's impossible).
In 2nd/3rd year I chose carefully which lectures/seminars to attend based on how much I judged them to be beneficial to me. Most of them were accessible online and it was quicker to skim read online notes and glean only the most important info from them than to sit through an hour lecture plus travel time there and back. I could get more done in an hour at my desk in the library than in the hour in most lectures.

I got my 2.1 and wouldn't have done it any differently, however, for my next degree I'll be attending every lecture/seminar because I actually want to learn and not just pass the exams. I lost interest in my first degree and I was just doing it for the piece of paper. I'm actually interested in my 2nd degree and want a career from it and I'd like to be knowledgeable at work since I'll be treating patients.

So yeah, for me it was a totally practical thing - I was just cutting the fat off the meat and skipping straight to the most useful stuff and ignoring everything else. Worked for me.

Following on from this thread about students who don't go to lectures, we wrote this article, asking: Why don't university students go to lectures. What's your opinion?

In 1st year I attended them all. Second year much less so and by 3rd year I was attending the minimum amount in order not to be dragged before a progress panel.

Personally, I went to uni to learn more about a subject that fascinated me but found myself just studying for exams and having no time to learn for the sake of learning. I felt very pressured to learn quickly and get 60%+. I favored passing my exams and coursework and getting a 2.1 over absorbing the content of each and every lecture (in reality, that's impossible).
In 2nd/3rd year I chose carefully which lectures/seminars to attend based on how much I judged them to be beneficial to me. Most of them were accessible online and it was quicker to skim read online notes and glean only the most important info from them than to sit through an hour lecture plus travel time there and back. I could get more done in an hour at my desk in the library than in the hour in most lectures.

I got my 2.1 and wouldn't have done it any differently, however, for my next degree I'll be attending every lecture/seminar because I actually want to learn and not just pass the exams. I lost interest in my first degree and I was just doing it for the piece of paper. I'm actually interested in my 2nd degree and want a career from it and I'd like to be knowledgeable at work since I'll be treating patients.

So yeah, for me it was a totally practical thing - I was just cutting the fat off the meat and skipping straight to the most useful stuff and ignoring everything else. Worked for me.

Just curious how you're planning on financing it! Was considering a second degree but it's pretty difficult I'd think without government aids!

Tution fees for my 2nd degree are NHS funded and I'll receive a reduced rate maintenance loan. I've also been working on and off since I started my first degree and I've been saving the vast majority of my earnings which I've put into an ISA since 1st year of my first degree (it was originally intended for an MA which I decided not to pursue). So tuition fees aren't a concern due to NHS funding and transport/books/general stuff will be covered by my reduced rate maintenance loan and my savings. My living costs are non-existent since I'll be living between my parent's homes - I'm very lucky that they are so supportive of my decision to retrain and return to uni. Without their support it would be impossible, financially, since I wouldn't be able to afford accommodation. Basically, it's only affordable because I've worked really hard to save my earnings, because my family are allowing me to live rent free and because my degree will be NHS funded.

For any other degree, I'm pretty sure that it would be impossible unless you came into a lot of money - i.e inheritance or a lottery win. Edit: it's also possible to do a second degree through to Open University and it wouldn't be as financially daunting because you can do it 1 or 2 modules per year. For example, I'm studying with the OU this year and it cost me £500 for one module for the whole year (includes books sent in the post, access to online library, resources, tutorials, occasional face to face tutorials and exams). You could do about 6 years (I'm sure you can spend about 10 years with the OU!) and get a full degree without putting yourself under massive financial strain - so long as you already have a decent income to gradually pay off the course module by module you could do it that way. It depends on how quickly you want the degree though and what your financial priorities are.

What was your degree? And that does sound wise, thanks for the advice! Best of luck to you

had a lecture with the parrot lecturer stuttered and very confused with her own slide material

x.

I'm studying with the OU this year and it cost me £500 for one module for the whole year (includes books sent in the post, access to online library, resources, tutorials, occasional face to face tutorials and exams).