Advice for a pre nursing student?

badwolf · Aug 19, 2012

A&P I for me was a lot of memorization (mostly anatomy). Flash cards and printing off diagrams to label were my best study tools.

My best advice for starting college is to enjoy the new social life and friends that comes with it. However, make your studies top priority. A lot of people ( including me) have trouble balancing the two at first and that's okay. Take good notes, get a good night sleep before tests and study a little everyday.

Good luck! Even when you're working hard, college is a lot of fun.

GracyMae · Aug 19, 2012

I learned more in my A&P classes (they were 2 semesters long) than I learned in all of my other core classes, combined! Pay very close attention in this class - learn everything you can! Since being in nursing school, I can't tell you how many times I've heard professors say that you MUST have a good A&P foundation - understanding A&P will be the foundation upon which you build everything else! In order to understand the pathophysiological processes of diseases, and the way pharmacological interventions work within the body, you must first understand how the body systems work under normal, healthy conditions. Good Luck! You will be fine!

ChrisMarie09 · Aug 19, 2012

I was like you in high school. Straight-A student while needing to do hardly anything, even in AP classes. My first few months of college were a wake up call.

Just some general advice:

Take all of your classes seriously, not just the prereqs.

Stay ahead on reading and read through PowerPoint lectures before class.

Study a little bit during the day between classes rather than going back to your room and napping.

Do the homework even if it doesn't need to be turned in.

Find 1 or 2 people that you study well with rather than study for 5 mintues, gossip for 30, repeat (switch the two around).

Don't try to cram studying for tests in last minute.

Find an notes organization method that works for you.

Get a planner and write down what you need to do for homework for each class every day.

Some sort of desk or wall calender is nice so you can write down test dates or events and see them right in front of you.

Go out, have fun, but know when to turn down the invite to a party. Sometimes hearing your friends wild stories stories at breakfast Sunday morning are better than being there (being there may or may not have gotten you in trouble).

1futurenurse12 · Aug 20, 2012

Thank you all for the great advice! I officially start tomorrow and will definitely keep your tips in mind as I embark upon this journey :)

knittygrittyRN, MSN, RN · Aug 20, 2012

Don't focus on grades is my biggest piece of advice. Yes, you want to do well and there's no harm in always wanting that A. But to be realistic nursing is hard, and odds are you aren't going to get straight A's in any program you go to. Do the best that you know you can do, and don't focus on everyone else and their grades. It will drive you nuts especially since everyone wants to see how well they did and compare. Getting used to how nursing school tests their students can be hard so don't think you're going to be a terrible nurse if you don't do as well as you expected.

And as much as you study you need to take a break and enjoy some time for yourself. I used to kill myself every semester and before an exam I would basically re-read every chapter and redo every note. Relax, breathe and realize that you know more then you think you do. You have to take care of yourself before you can care for anyone else. Honestly I studied better when I went out to lunch with friends and took my mind off my worries (and then of course went home and studied again!)