I'm reading a book called "The 80/20 Principle". Its basic thrust is that it's pretty much an universal law that 20% of anything determines 80% of the outcome, therefore it's wise to pick your spots and focus your attention to that 20% instead of spreading it all over.

The point of this post is that the writer studied at Oxford and when he was a freshman, a tutor advised him not to bother showing up for lectures since professors merely repeat what's written in the textbooks. That'd save a lot of time since it takes less time to read something than to hear about it. Furthermore, to avoid being overwhelmed by reading demands, he should just read the conclusion first then the introduction then skim through the material for any interesting bits. There was no homework- all grades at Oxford are based on final exams. He heeded the tutor's advice, breezed through his college years with ample free time and graduated with honors.

I got excited then remembered this method wouldn't work at Gallaudet, what with mandatory attendance and homework.

So I'm curious, among you who've gone to other colleges- KB at an university in Ireland, Michelle at RIT, etc...are the policies of most classes anything like Oxford's?