Afraid I might not have what it takes?

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In high school I was an A-B student. I went to a community college my first year after graduating and I had straight As my first semester and all As and one B my second semester.

I got accepted into a nursing program for the fall as a transfer student. However, I was required to take two summer classes before I entered the program. I had to take Biology and a Nursing Seminar.

I just finished my seminar and I'm pretty confident I did well. However, I'm struggling in my biology class. My average grades for quizzes is a 70 and we took two tests so far which I got an 80 and 73 on. We have one more test until the class is over and it's a lot of chapters crammed into one test because it's the end of the summer class. I don't feel confident about knowing the information on the test.

I need a 75 for the nursing program and I will most likely be dropped if I cannot obtain that grade.

I'm really scared that I will be dropped.

Anyone else go through this before?

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I was not required to take biology for my nursing program (completing a transition LPN to RN program) but I took it as an AP (college level) class in high school and I just couldn't get it (although I have to admit that I never really studied a whole lot in high school, I just made good grades for the most part fortunately...except for AP Biology). I will admit, I found A+P a challenge and I studied my but off for it, but got a A for all it's components so if you are having trouble with Biology it doesn't mean that you aren't cut out for the program, it just means that it will be an area that you have to spend a little more time working on.

I would suggest studying hard so that you get the credit you need to stay in the program. If the book has website to supplement studying for the exams I would take advantage of it because these resources have helped many students improve their grades. Maybe form a study group and quiz each other on topics covered during lecture. I had a science professor tell me once that the best way to know if you are truly prepared for a test is if you can teach the material to someone else. This helps prove that you know the information and it also helps out your classmate in an area they may be struggling.

Nursing school is no cake walk. You will need to study hard to do well in the program but it is completely doable, even if science isn't your strongest subject. Some people say that the pre-requisite science courses are a lot easier than the nursing courses, and others find the nursing courses easier. I think it has a lot to do with thought process and application. I, for one, found the nursing courses a lot easier than the science courses. Yes, you need to know the science in order to apply the nursing, but the science is a lot of gross memorization whereas nursing is application and critical thinking. If you are good in those areas you will probably do well in the program once you conquer the sciences needed to advance.

Good luck and don't doubt yourself. You can do this!

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

Bio 1 is a very difficult course, and you are taking it over the summer, so the pace is fast

I found the Khanacademy.org website to be very helpful.

Animations and drawing are the way to study. You need to get a picture of the way things work.

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Stress really isn't a bad thing. Anxiety and stress can dissipate the more prepared you are. Study more. If you studied 10 hours a week make it 20. If you are "studying all you can" then possibly nursing isn't for you. I have a feeling you can study more. Good luck.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Biology 101 was not a requirement or prerequisite for any of the three nursing programs I've attended (LVN, ASN and online BSN). However, I took a yearlong college prep biology course while in high school. I also understand that some colleges require students to complete biology 101 before enrolling in the A&P sequence, but thankfully my local CC didn't require this.

My advice is to figure out how you learn. Once you know your learning style, create a study plan that is tailored to the way you learn. If you're an auditory learner, listen to audiobooks or read your text and notes aloud. If you're a visual learner, prepare flash cards, read, look at PowerPoint presentations, and take detailed notes. If you're a kinesthetic learner, attend lab practicals on your own time.

Good luck to you!

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