Advice on Microbiology

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What is the best way to get an A or B in Microbiology when your teacher is horrible? My teacher knows her Microbiology, but can't teach it!

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Step 1 is stop blaming the teacher! You will have good and bad ones along the way an you will need to make the most of it. Buckle down. Read. Seek extra help.

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Learn to teach yourself and you will be successful! I took online courses for years, and teaching yourself is an extremely valuable tool. Read the book, lecture notes and utilize online videos, youtube, Mastering Biology or whatever study tool goes along with your text book. Discover and understand your style of learning (visual, auditory, or Kinesthetic) and use that too to figure out the best way for you to study.

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What is the best way to get an A or B in Microbiology when your teacher is horrible? My teacher knows her Microbiology but can't teach it![/quote']

Well im not blaming the teacher! Some teachers just cant teach. So #1 dont tell me who I am blaming. When the whole class says she is horrible, that should tell you something! But i.will just have to teach myself i guess

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
So #1 dont tell me who I am blaming.

Good luck with your basic pre-reqs. And nursing school. It's going to be an uphill battle with that kind of attitude.

Sounds like you have it all figured out, teach yourself. I am sure you are the best teacher out there.

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Good luck with your basic pre-reqs. And nursing school. It's going to be an uphill battle with that kind of attitude.

Sounds like you have it all figured out, teach yourself. I am sure you are the best teacher out there.

I took your first post kind of defensive because of how you stated it. But maybe it wasnt meant to be mean, i just took it that way. I dont have an attitude with you, i thought you were just being mean. But hey sometimes people have to show tough love.

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Specializes in Home health.

My whole entire class in micro thought the teacher was horrible, but the problem wasn't her. It was that students expected it to be an easy class and were proven otherwise. Most people failed and the rest got Cs. I got my A.

Moral of the story: make the best out of what you are given. If the teacher isn't teaching the way you like, then grab the book and teach yourself. You are your best teacher! It is a tough class, but you can do it if you put your mind and time into it.

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I kind of understand what you mean because my micro teacher wasn't the best either. The thing is, I've had a lot of teachers who left a lot to be desired....but I didn't let it mess with my education. Its up to you to learn the material (in your books, handouts, etc.) and most of college is teaching yourself anyway. The teacher is just there to guide you and give you exams. The only way to get an A or B in ANY class - good or "bad" teacher - is to study hard. Accountability is important. If circumstances in life were always favorable, we'd never learn ANYTHING! Goodluck!

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I would suggest asking questions in lecture/lab, stop your teacher if there is something you don't understand. I think many people are to nervous to ask for help when they need it, if you have questions during class the chances are someone else does to!! As far as studying the materials goes always READ BEFORE LECTURE! I can not stress how much it helps, it means that when your teacher is going over the material its not the first time you're hearing it. I got an A in microbio and I credit it to the fact that I always read the material, took notes, and made the appropriate flash cards BEFORE I was ever lectured on that chapter. (As other people have said your learing style plays a part in this too... so for me this is how I know I learn best!)

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

Drop the class and research students in your school for another teacher. Been there done that! I know it's not the best advice but I would have failed microbiology if I stay with my initial professor. I just was not grasping anything she said. I kept trying until just before the withdrawal date but no hope. Of course risks to dropping a course if you really don't need to. IF the drop deadline has passed you will end up with a W. Also risk with financial aid if they see you get W's is too many classes. Some say it does not affect chances some say it does, but for me I had 2 W's on my transcript. W does not affect your GPA and I got into the nursing program. I got a B in microbiology when I took it with a different professor, would have been an A had I not been working fulltime at the time.

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I had an AP2 professor that simply... didn't have the "gift of teaching" to put it nicely. She was extremely smart, funny, and knowledgeable but she really couldn't get a point across. Her catchphrase was "ehh just look it up in the book". I had read her online reviews and saw the warnings about having to self-teach from the textbook, but I ended up sucking it up, tried my best but got an F. I retook this summer and did gradeforgivness(where I live you only get two in your college career apparently) with the professor I took for AP1 and got an A. If I could go back in time, I would've withdrew before the refund deadline(better than an F, W, and financial aid won't be affected)... School is too expensive to "teach yourself" and nursing schools are too competetive to take a chance at a C in a class that you have potential to do greater in. I wasted a lot of study time that took away from my other classes. Sure you can attempt to pass, but from my experience I would avoid something that could cause a major setback in your transcript.

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Thanks guys for all the advice. But the class is actually getting better, its just the first week that was hell. She uses powerpoint, which helps a lot because she will explain the topic in depth and use powerpoint as a guide

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