ACADEMICS AND CURRICULUM
Your most important goal in Medical School should be to learn as much of the required material as you can and do as well as possible on your exams. High grades should not be an end in themselves but should be looked upon as confirmation that you are gaining an understanding of the material. Although grades are considered by residency programs in selecting students for training - and grades may be relatively important for the more highly competitive programs - you will be far better off in directing your energies toward assimilating the bulk of knowledge over the next four years, than in chasing grades for their sake. The emphasis should be cooperation, not competition.
Work together: Students who work and study together benefit from each other's knowledge. Share what you know with your classmates, and they will do the same for you. Remember your present day classmates will be your future colleagues - a little "professional courtesy" now may go a long way later.
This change in attitude reflects the new direction in which you are moving. Just as medicine is no longer a solo operation, so too is the study of medicine a joint venture. Learning from a colleague often emphasizes a point much better, and explaining to a classmate facilitates a clearer understanding. School can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience if you just work together and appreciate one another's talents.

ATTENDANCE
Read the LSUHSC Catalog, Medical School-Shreveport section, on this topic. Also, you should carefully note the policies in the Syllabus for each course, and follow those policies. Small group sessions, laboratories, clinical rotations, etc. involve learning by experiencing (experiential), and attendance is critical to the learning process. Therefore, absences may not be tolerated Certainly, if you miss or anticipate missing a day of school, you should notify the course directors of the courses that you will miss, and the Office for Student Affairs (675-5339). If your situation is critical, and it will be very difficult for you to contact course directors, then you may ask the Office for Student Affairs to contact these course directors for you. However, it is your responsibility to contact course directors regarding material which you have missed, and especially regarding the taking of a make up exam, if you miss an exam. Missing an exam is a very serious matter. If you see that you are going to miss an exam, you are expected to call the course director in charge or the academic Department Head prior to the exam. If this is not possible, it is your responsibility to call as soon as possible. It is extremely important that you keep the course directors and the Office for Student Affairs informed of your status if you are having personal difficulties. If you miss an exam or other major responsibility (e.g., small group session) due to illness, you must provide a signed physician's statement, using the form provided here.