Overwhelmed..

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

Specializes in Maternal Child, Home Health, Med/Surg.

So I'm in the process of taking AP1, and Micro. I was doing really really well, until the last exam. Now, there's five weeks left, and I'm beginning to realize something. I don't think I'm capable of being able to get A's. I study ridiculous amounts, far more than what my peers do(at least with how much they say they study), yet I'm not doing well. Since my other grades weren't so great, all I can get in AP 1, 2, and Micro are at lowest A-'s.

I'm overwhelmed, tired, and losing faith. I don't think I'm cut out to do this. What seems to happen is I'll have everything down, and once the exam comes around(or practical, or quiz) it all just goes blank, and I can't remember any of it.. For many, it seems like they come by A's so easily, and yet, I just can't seem to figure it out..

Advice? Suggestions?

The only advice I can give you is to keep pushing! You have 5 weeks left. It seems like a long time but it's really not & it will fly by. Try to go to tutoring + study the way you've been studying. If you get an A- in both that's great because I wouldn't dare take A&P I with Micro .. A&P I alone is overwhelming. You are doing well. It's so many people in my A&P class taking A&P by itself & are barely scraping by with a B (if that). That last exam might not have been what you wanted it to be, but one grade doesn't determine your overall grade in the class.

Don't lose faith. You can do it! Only 5 weeks left just make them count. That's what I keep telling myself.

A- is awesome. You don't need 100% to be "cut out to do this," so don't be THAT hard on yourself. Honestly, you (and everyone else, really) need to get comfortable with Bs once you get to the nursing program.

With a tough grading scale and learning to think like a nurse, it's not easy, but that doesn't mean it's not for you. I was a 4.0 student before nursing, and I still do great, but what I along with my peers had to get used to Bs. Nursing is about so much more than that.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

What makes you say that with A-s you are "not cut out for this"? What is your concern? If it's that you think you won't get into nursing school with an A-, I am pretty sure that's good enough for them. But if you are just concerned because someone is doing half a grade better - that's just unproductive.

You are doing great!

Specializes in Maternal Child, Home Health, Med/Surg.

I just am not doing all that well, and I keep doing worse and worse it seems. On our last exams, I thought I did GREAT in micro, and ended up with an 82. Thought I did at least a B in AP, and got a 77! In my program, it feels like you HAVE to be perfect. I didn't do too well in other pre requisites/co requisites so I don't have as much flexibility. I'm terrified of getting anything less than an A-. It's just getting in. I'm really not a competitive student, I never have been. I believe I can make a good student, I'm just not academically competitive. Which is where I stress out. It's just overwhelming. It didn't really hit me until these classes!

Thank you thought everyone. It really helps to hear it sometimes. Especially since I don't have many who understand. Most the girls i'm in class with get A's like it's nothing! lol

Speaking as a 20+ year RN here...A/P plus Micro is a full load, and them some.

Cut yourself some slack.

If it makes you feel better, I'm currently retaking Micro "for fun and refresher," and to help with future grad school work. And... it's a lot of work. What was I thinking? :)

P.S., also keep in mind that different instructors are more (or less) "difficult" that others: The same "A" in Professor Humpty's Micro class, might be a "C" in Professor Dumpty's Micro class.

Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

Once the exam is over, do you requiz yourself on the material to see if the blank was just during the test time? I.e. do you go unblank afterwords?

Thank you.

Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

illusion:

I feel your pain. It is a full load. Why don't you ask these A people how they study, what they do? Many will be more than willing to share.

Analyze your exam results. Where do you fall short? Is it terminology? In that case maybe it is about finding a way to better relate to it and memorize. Is it the way questions are worded? Then practice some different ones. I am taking Micro too right now and quizlet has been VERY helpful. If you want to chat about Micro or compare notes, feel free to message me.

I, like many of the other repliers here, was a straight A student prior to entering the Nursing Program. But as Compassion_X mentioned, A students better get used to getting B's, and yes, even C's (this was a hard transition for me, believe me).

Nursing school is way different than conventional college classes. Sure, you'll be required to know your stuff, but when it comes to tests, it's not just about regurgitating what you just read/heard in class. It's about critically thinking things through! I've seen many B/C pre-nursing students do fantastic in actual nursing classes, because that's just how their mind works! They weren't very proficient in memorizing pages of facts, but they could critically think like there was no tomorrow.

Keep your head up, do NOT get discouraged... especially over A-'s. I'm graduating 2nd in my class, and I only got ONE A in all of my nursing classes! The rest were B's and C's (mostly B's ;) ) Good luck, you can do this!

Taking those two science classes together is not a good idea. I tried ans I ended up dropping micro twice. Took it a 3rd time alone and made an A. And I'm more of aa B average student.

As nursing students we put so much pressure on ourselves. Relax. Good luck.

Specializes in ICU / Urgent Care.

Have you taken a test taking class? Sounds like you suffer from extreme test anxiety. If you feel yourself going blank just close your eyes and take 3 long deep breaths to calm yourself down. Then start at the beginning of the exam and work from front to back and answer all questions you know for sure, this will build confidence, then go back and attempt any questions you skipped, a lot of times it will just "click."

Try this on your next tests, ill bet youll score much, much better. Goodluck

Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Experiment with alternate study methods. Try flashcards. Try EVERYTHING. And if you do not get all As it is ok. I got my BSN and I graduated with a 3.4. Meaning..I did not get all A's However not one employer ever asked me about my grades..they asked if I had a nurses license. Having a good work ethic will be way more important when you are working then memorizing things. However school is a part of it so keep going if you want to. If you want to quit you can do that as well. All up to you

.

+ Add a Comment