A&P 1 over the summer in a month??

RB2000 · Jan 17, 2010

Yeah, I think it is fine. Our school offers the same. I will be taking A&P II over the summer and microbiology. It will be a little more intense but people are passing.

NP Sam · Jan 17, 2010

I did it! Two summers ago I took A&P 1 with lab for six weeks (got a B for both lec and lab) and then FIVE days later started A&P 2 with lab for six weeks. I got a B in lec and A in lab. You can do it...

jennylouwho · Jan 17, 2010

It will be intense. You'll still be required to learn the same amount of information as those students taking it in 16 weeks (or whatever your semester amounts to). It's a lot of memorization, so if you're not good with quick memorization, I wouldn't do it. If, however, you retain information quickly, you should be good to go. :)

Suethestudent · Jan 17, 2010

I did something similar to this during Summer 2009. It was just exam after exam with no let up whatsoever. Be prepared for your adrenaline levels to be permanently off the scale! When it was all over, I took weeks to calm down because I still had that nagging, stomach-churning "I should be studying for an exam" feeling. I would only advise against it if you or a loved one are in poor health, because if you miss even a short part of the course due to absence, then you will really struggle to catch up.

Best of luck to you.

Rednights · Jan 17, 2010

I wouldn't recommend it unless you're extremely pressed for time, you lose way too much of what you learn too quickly and no one can stand 3-4 hour lectures 4 days a week. I took AP I during a normal semester, I remember a lot of the info still, AP II was just a blip in my summer at this point.

Hobbes02 · Jan 17, 2010

It will be intense. You'll still be required to learn the same amount of information as those students taking it in 16 weeks (or whatever your semester amounts to). It's a lot of memorization, so if you're not good with quick memorization, I wouldn't do it. If, however, you retain information quickly, you should be good to go. :)

This is good information. I'm currently taking Microbiology over intersession right now and it's intense to say the least! It's 4 months of information crammed into 3 weeks, 11 days total. We have 6 exams over the course of 11 days :eek: . The last week for me is coming up, I have an exam on each day (lecture Tuesday, lab Wednesday, and a cumulative final on Thursday). It's non-stop, in-your-face, learning and it isn't for everyone. I would highly advise against it if you have work or other obligations to consider, but it's not impossible. Keep cool, stay focused, and you'll do just fine. :)

Edit: The only downside is that I'm sure I won't retain as much information as I would during a regular semester but I had to take it in order to apply for entrance to the program this fall.

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Jan 17, 2010

This past summer I took A&P I in a condensed format, it was four hours a night, four nights a week for 16 classes. It was intense. It's not condensed in material, just time. I work full time and have three young kids at home, so it was a month from hell for me, but I managed to get an A, so I consider it a success. Not everyone in the class found it a good way to learn, but I'm not sure there's a way to know that ahead of time. If you're sure that you can avoid procrastinating and eat, sleep and breathe anatomy and physiology for a month, give it a shot. If you have a tendency to try and cram or put things off, I wouldn't recommend that format. Good luck.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2010

I took AP1 and AP2 last summer (2009), each within a 6-week summer session and each with labs meeting 2x a week. Earned all A's in lecture and lab for both courses. As far as missing out on information that would normally be presented during a regular semester, it's very minimal, nothing that would place you at a disadvantage to other students (a casual review of the fall semester's syllabus for the same professor demonstrated that, same exact chapters). Things do have to be cut out to accommodate the compacted time span but the professors know to cover the important topics. Just be prepared to take on lectures and labs at a furiously accelerated pace.

And need I also mention that I was simultaneously working full-time? And if I were to take an AP exam now, I am pretty confident my retention is still intact. I don't believe it suffers by taking it in the summer. If you study hard enough, you will retain the information.

So YES it can be done and done well if you set your mind to it. :up:

hopefulUS · Jan 19, 2010

Hmm.. I'm taking Physiology right now.. for the full spring term. It's only the second week..and we are already in chapter 4. I'm up until 2am-3am every night just for this class.. not to mention I have Microbio and Stats.. and Intercultural communications ( that class is a piece of cake though)

I don't know.. My advice is to try to avoid it if you can. If you must take it during the summer.. then its possible to pass. Any class is passable, its just about how much work you put into it. You can do it, if you have the will power.

Oh and just cause they offer it , doesn't mean people are passing it. In my university the failure percentage for college algebra is 80% and its still offered..with the SAME professors ( go figure..)

Well good luck! And study study study! You can do anything if you work at it.

Restoration · Jan 19, 2010

Wow! you are all brilliant. I thought about it and I dont think I would be able to absorb and comprehend that much info in four weeks, I will not be taking it till Fall 2010.

Thanks guys for your replies.

dean1987 · Jan 19, 2010

I wasn't sure if I would find a discussion regarding this topic but I am so glad that I came upon this. After finding out that my school offers both AP 1&2 over the summer a couple weeks each, I have been debating if I should go for it! The pros are that I don't have to work and won't be taking any other classes that would require any of my time. The cons is definitely that I won't have much of a summer. Completing both AP classes over the summer would leave me only with Microbiology for Fall 10. But I'm pretty sure I'll have to go back to work by then. I think its better to do it over the summer, rather than just takin AP I during the summer and then taking AP II with Microbiology in the fall, with work being a factor.... Sorry if this sounds confusing but I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK! THANKS IN ADVANCE