Having hard time with Pre-Reqs

[WannaBeMaleRN]

Ok a little about me. I am 32 and yes a male, married with two lovely girls. Anyway I went to nursing school back in 97 and dropped out (was 23 and didnt know better) well retaking my pre reqs now and find it impossible to memorize the stuff for A&P 1 have lab tests and the lecture teacher says read Chpt. 8-10 well **** that is like 75 pages or more, I can read three and cant remember or understand what I have read. Anyone have this prob.?

[greygooseuria]

I feel bad for my fellow classmates, because I can read a chapter and remember 90% of the material from it 2-3 years later. I absorb info like a sponge.

How I read is that I read the chapter in bits and pieces. I read 3-4 pages at a time, usually while listening to music. THEN I listen to the same music ALL THE TIME and before the test and when I get stuck on the test, if I hum a song I was listening to, it comes to me. It's a useful trick I picked up in college and it actually works. Just get your brain to associate A&P with different stimuli :)

Also, making connections is good. Don't just read the info; really THINK about how it works and imagine it working. For example, imagine in your mind how a nerve impulse would travel over a myelinated nerve: kinda like skipping a stone over water. Doing things like that will help you remember.

If all else fails, get someone like me to teach you everything the night before the test like people in my classes did. Needless to say, everyone at my table passed A&P I with an A while most of the class got Cs:)

[twstdlkephillyz]

Hey,

I am a straight A student, and I have the most difficult time memorizing. It's not just you, it's everyone, trust me. However, we can give you all the personal advise in the world, bottom line is that you need to find your own way. While some make outlines, others make notecards. I, on the other hand, record lectures. For some reason, listening to my Professors' lectures does it for me more than listening to my own personal recordings do. Try everything you can, and if it takes multiple strategies, so be it. Best of luck to you all!

[kettstunurse]

Your course should have a syllabus. Use it to read ahead. Read small chunks of material then reread them again later. You will be surprised at how much you remember. Flash cards are good too. I'm 45 and graduate in April with my ADN. I have had some tough times remembering what I read too but you can do it. Some little chickie in class will recite half the reading assignment from memory and I want to throttle her but I just go back and reread. You'll do fine. Don't get discouraged.