Surgical resident learning style preferences in the wake of the rapid, widespread adoption of online learning technology during and following the COVID-19 pandemic is not widely studied. This study investigated learning style preferences of surgical residents in the context of engagement in a hybrid national scientific conference. Thirty-five surgical residents completed the Kolb Experiential Learning Profile (KELP) prior to attending the conference. Afterward, 26 completed a mixed methods survey. Login data were reviewed for online activity for all participants. Ninety-six percent of participants attended the conference in person and zero attended virtually only. Residents indicated focused time for learning and engaging with colleagues were most beneficial to their learning. Eighty-four percent were satisfied with the educational content provided. Results showed that 23% had an Acting learning style followed by Deciding at 20% and Balancing at 14%. Seventy-seven percent thought their KELP results were accurate and largely reinforced their existing learning approaches. Sixty-nine percent thought it would be helpful in their training while 84% thought it would be helpful in future professional development. Fifty-six percent planned to engage online, however only 7.7% did so, indicating the self-identified barrier of time prevented online engagement in education. Despite the small sample size, relationships between learning style and age and self-reported program size approached significance. Dedicated in-person learning is still effective and worthwhile for these learners. Experiential learning approaches may make in-person learning more impactful and microlearning may increase online engagement.