Freedom, not license, responsibility, not negligence, accountability, not avoidance, principle, not dogma, mutual respect, not antagonism . The Yale system entrusts major responsibility to the student in pursuing their medical educational experience. The goal is to develop organized, self-disciplined and motivated physicians. The system allows students to advance at their own pace guided by their specific interests and goals. During the first two years, there are no required graded examinations.
Faculty do provide written assessments of student performance in small group sessions and seminars.
The system offers numerous advantages. The method of evaluation reduces competition, and the small seminar and lab size allows maximum student-faculty interaction. You don't have to study, but you'll look foolish if you don't because evertbody else will. What you have to understand is that the tradition of excellence at Yale has been around for so long that eventually it pervades everything you do here. Students who fail the anonymous course exam are required to make-up the deficiency at a later date.