A&P1 & micro in 7 weeks? is it realistic

Ladybug15 · Feb 25, 2010

From your post, I can't tell if you have already taken a general bio course or not. Most micro courses will require completion of both AP1 and AP2, or a general bio course. There are a few select schools, however, that will allow you to take AP2 as a co-req. If you haven't taken gen. bio yet and it is not a pre-req, I would recommend just starting with AP1. If you've already taken a gen. bio course, I would think that taking AP1 and micro together should be doable, considering you have a lot of time to commit to your studies.

juliaann · Feb 25, 2010

You should definitely take bio before micro. If by "bio" you mean an intro biology class, if you haven't taken it already. Most schools require biology before micro and A&P.

My micro didn't require anatomy or physiology, but did require chemistry 1 and biology 1 as pre-requisites.

If you have your pre-reqs out of the way, I think micro and a&p should be okay together. I took anatomy at the same time as micro last semester. I didn't have any problem getting 'A's in both courses (and my other 2 courses, while working full time). It's all about time management and good study habits. You can do it! :)

•M♥J• · Feb 28, 2010

I would definitely take a general biology class before microbiology. Especially with such condensed classes. Plus, as said earlier, many schools require A&P 1 and 2 done before micro. Believe me, there's a reason.

RNCEN · Feb 28, 2010

To your title: In a word, no. I would suggest only taking one (if any) in depth science courses over a short period of time. You'll want to remember what you learned later!

thinwildmercury · Feb 28, 2010

just wanted to say at my school there are no pre-reqs for micro. i did take an into bio class and am finding it helped me some but we pretty much go over everything we need to know from into bio so if you have no pre reqs, then i would say don't waste precious time! the only reason i did is because i needed that into bio class for anatomy :)

juliaann · Feb 28, 2010

Hmmm, micro without any foundation in general biology would have been tough for me (and I assume most people based on conversations I've had with other micro students). As it is, I took my introductory biology class 7 years ago and microbiology last semester, and I felt like I was always a little behind the game. My instructor skipped the first 3 chapters of the book (introduction to micro, general chemistry review, general biology review) and just jumped in at chapter 4 assuming we knew that stuff. Sure she'd do a brief review when necessary, but I'm talking a 3-minute overview of cellular metabolism, then on to lecture. If you've never heard of glycolysis, kreb's, the ETC, or fermentation there's no way you would be tracking with her for the following hour of lecture. I found I needed to read those 3 chapters she skipped just to be able to bring myself up to speed. There's no way I could have self-taught the bio foundation I needed for that class. It was somewhere in my mind from 7 years ago and just needed a little dusting off. Luckily I got it dusted off quickly enough to save my grade and get an 'A' in the class...though the first test wasn't pretty!

Of course, different schools require different pre-reqs, and I'm sure the instructors accommodate for that. If a school doesn't require bio for micro, I'm sure the instructor will spend more time on general biology concepts.

Micro without a foundation in bio kind of boggles my mind a little, though. :)

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2010

The only bio I had prior to taking A&P 1&2 was in high school and that was years ago. I did just fine! I'm taking micro right now and it's a bit more challenging I think but it's fun. My school only requires Eng Comp and Algebra as prereqs for these courses. I am however glad I completed A&P before taking micro, that sequence alone has helped. I don't like the idea of taking A&P and micro in the same semester, much less in a compact semester. I know people doing that now in a regular semester and they are having panic attacks ... not that it cannot be done, but be prepared to sell your soul to the academic gods!