Anatomy & Physiology: experiences?

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So, really, in your experience how bad is it. What school did you take it from, and what supplements did you use (if any) to help you with the course/lab?

What are the labs like?

I'm enrolled in A&P 1+Lab for my freshman year this Fall.

If you are allowed to tape the lectures, I HIGHLY recommenced it. I have my instructors voiced burned into my brain from listening to the recordings over and over again. It was also nice to have them as a reference to go to if I had questions. As far as typing out the recordings... I never had time, would have been worried about spending all my time typing and not concentrating on learning the info....I know some people learn well that way though. It all boils down to how much time you have and the best way you learn.

I also used flash cards for anatomy which helped me greatly. I was able to find some flashcards that you could color in, which helped a lot for the bones.

I think you just have to try out different things and see what works for you, then stick with it. Everyone has a different way of learning.

Good Luck!!! :D

So a lot of people keep mentioning bones- I'm guessing that whatever exam is based on the bones is hell due to the 206 bones in the body, and you have to know all of them?

What was the worst section of A&P 1?

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That is interesting as I had the same thought for just this course, re: taping the lecture and typing up the notes. However, I'm reading that many times taping isn't allowed, and most sources claim it's detrimental.

Did it work out for you/what did you finish the course with?

What is the difference between the lecture exam and the lab exams?

All schools and professors may do things a little different, but none of my professors thus far have had a problem with me recording the lectures... they even encourage it! I made a high B in Anatomy I and an A in Anatomy II. I take Mirco this quarter! Out of the 12 pre-reqs I have taken this year, I have made all As and one B (I didn't study very well on my Anatomy I final and it brought my A down.) I would highly recommend taping your science courses especially because many times, you may not catch or understand what your professor is teaching until you hear it again in your own setting. I would catch things I missed in class when I would listen to the lectures. My teacher also gave reviews before tests so this helped me to be prepare as I would listen as I commute, grocery shop, work out, etc.

My class combined the physiology lectures with the anatomy labs (2 hours for labs where we would study anatomy models and 2 hours lecturing). My teacher would give us a list to identify for a lab exam (the names of the parts of bones, muscles, reproductive system, tissue slides, etc). We then would be tested over the anatomy by models in which we would have to write the name of the part shown. The second part of the class would be the actual lectures of the functions of the systems. These tests were the multiple choice/ true and false, etc. Our lab portion was 25% of our grade and the physiology lecture tests were 50% and the final (which only covered lecture tests, not anatomy) was 25% of our grade. Good luck!

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So a lot of people keep mentioning bones- I'm guessing that whatever exam is based on the bones is hell due to the 206 bones in the body, and you have to know all of them?

What was the worst section of A&P 1?

We had to know all of them, but we were only tested on 100 that my teacher randomly chose. Learning the bones was the hardest in my opinion, but I still made a 96 (it was alotttttttt of studying. You have to study, then study again, then study some more). The nervous system was hardest for me in anatomy I. The biggest obstacle, though is not so much the material, but learning how to study! Once you learn how to study the material, you are smooth sailing! :)

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All schools and professors may do things a little different, but none of my professors thus far have had a problem with me recording the lectures... they even encourage it! I made a high B in Anatomy I and an A in Anatomy II. I take Mirco this quarter! Out of the 12 pre-reqs I have taken this year, I have made only one B which was my own fault (I didn't study very well on my Anatomy I final and it brought my A down.) I would highly recommend taping your science courses especially because many times, you may not catch or understand what your professor is teaching until you hear it again in your own setting. I would catch things I missed in class when I would listen to the lectures. My teacher also gave reviews before tests so this helped me to be prepare as I would listen as I commute, grocery shop, work out, etc.

My class combined the physiology lectures with the anatomy labs (2 hours for labs where we would study anatomy models and 2 hours lecturing). My teacher would give us a list to identify for a lab exam (the names of the parts of bones, muscles, reproductive system, tissue slides, etc). We then would be tested over the anatomy by models in which we would have to write the name of the part shown. The second part of the class would be the actual lectures of the functions of the systems. These tests were the multiple choice/ true and false, etc. Our lab portion was 25% of our grade and the physiology lecture tests were 50% and the final (which only covered lecture tests, not anatomy) was 25% of our grade. Good luck!

Right on, very detailed. Much thanks.

Curious- so my A&P is a 4 credit course, which I take to mean that I get 1 grade for both lab and lecture. Hmmm. Additionally my school doesn't break-down grades, they're all A, B, C, D etc. 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, 1.0 I'd need to get an A in other courses, or 1 A in A&P and all B's in my other classes to get over a 3.45 GPA (Still calculating how to weasel out of GRE's) hehe

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The thing you must understand, and this is key, is that college is not hard. It really is just a continuation of high school. But in so many school systems students are just about programed to fear college and advanced courses. So like the Matrix, you must free your mind of your artifical restrictions. I am guilty of going omg how am I going to learn that with every new system we learn in A&P, even though we have learned 3 and I have only missed half of on question on an exam I am still in awe of how much there seems to be on the brain. But I will go into class today, cozy up with a brain, an eyeball, interear, spinal cord and some slides and in 3 hours I will know it all, no other studying needed once you committ to overcome the "I can't do this" additude. Impossiable is nothing, and schools do not have programs designed to make students fail.

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I loved A&P- I had a great instructor. We did not use a textbook ($ saver!), all of our lecture material was in powerpoints that we could download and print off. Many of the people in this thread have left great advice. You just have to study study study- and study smart. Find out what works best for you- flashcards, coloring, typing up your notes. I liked to type up my notes and make it a "fill in the blank" type thing. Also, when studying slides I would print out pictures and then label them. I did very well on tests when I devoted the time to do that- and it does take a lot of time as there is a lot of material.

From what you've described your school's grading system is the same as mine. In A&P we had 7 grades total: 3 lab tests and 4 lecture tests, all equally weighted. I've never had a teacher who discouraged recording, but I would ask first just to be sure. And pictures, take looooooooots of pictures in lab if it's allowed! But make sure you make note of what the picture is of, and important structures to go back and label.

I would really recommend to be very hands on, as others have suggested! Spend as much time as you can with materials like slides, bone models, brains etc. If there is an open lab GO! Many times we'd have a lab available and the instructor would come in at a random time and review with us.

Good luck, sounds like you will be well prepared.

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A&P1 & 2, Isn't bad at all if you just study properly. Ended up with a B in 1 and an A in 2. Don't just memorize! You need to actually understand the information and remember as much as you can while making sense of it. It is a lot of info though. I didn't use anything to get me through, and I have a 3 year old thats a night owl, so I had to work around her schedule! (that's really hard if you ask me, lol) My teacher was FANTASTIC, and I took it at a college in Arkansas.

Honestly, I found labs boring unless it was a dissection, which we did a few of. We used synthetic blood for blood typing. && other days he just demonstrated on the dummy bodies he had.

You will do great! :)

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How hard A & P is absolutely depends on your teacher. For me, I had a first time teacher who had no structure and no idea what he was doing. However, I think A & P is completely do-able, provided if you put in the time to study. I tried to read each chapter before the lecture, so I could have a better understanding during lecture. A & P I is mostly memorization. The hardest part for me was the muscles. I didn't buy any extra study tools or guides. The way I studied for tests was going over my lecture notes, read the book (many students don't think reading the book is necessary to pass a class, but I think it's vital if you want to pass A & P), and making my own flashcards. Labs were easier for me because it was more about seeing/doing/applications. I worked full time, went to school full time (took this with Micro and Psych), and still got an A.

I am taking A & P II this summer for a five week session, and it's so much info to learn in such a short time! I'm on the verge of making an A, but Don't know if I will get it. I wouldn't recommend a summer session unless you can handle all the info crammed into less time. We started my class off with 24 people, and now only have 9. Of the 9, I think only 4 are passing with a C or better.

Good luck with you class!

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Specializes in none as of to date.

I took A&P over the summer, which means 16 weeks crammed into 6 very fast paced weeks, then in the fall , I took Micro, A&P2, Nutrition, and Eng. comp 2 all at once. It is a lot of work, but if you can dedicate your time to study without fail, organize and manage that time efficiently, you should fair well. I got A's in all, so it is doable..however, understandin/comprehending everything you've just memorized, is a completely different thing...

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I was terrified of A&P when I first started but quickly found out that if I just committed myself to it, I would do fine. I worked full time (40+ hours) have two kids, and took 10 credit hours. (A&P, Developmental Psych, and Speech) and did fine. I would say the most difficult thing for me in A&P 1 was the bones and muscles. SO MUCH memorization. For the muscles, it is not only names, & locations, but also what they do (abduct the arm, etc) where the insert and where they attach to the bones. (aka: OIA) For the bones, you not only need to know all 206 of them, but also every little landmark on them as well.

I made my own flashcards rather than buying them. It took a pretty good chunk of time to do that but I was able to study while making which really helped. I took them everywhere, and pulled them out any time I found myself waiting in line, or with any kind of free time. I always read the chapter in my textbook BEFORE going to class so that I had a bit of background on what the instructor was lecturing on. I found that I could make note of what I wasn't quite understand just by reading it, and help get it cleared up in lecture. It also allowed me to use lecture time to reinforce the concepts I had already read about.

I didn't have time to go to open lab at my school but my textbook came with an online lab, labeling exercises, practice tests and even MP3 sessions over some of the tougher topics that were very helpful. I also joined a study group of about 3 other classmates and we all worked very well together.

I completely agree with the others, you will get out just as much as you put in. The class itself isn't too terribly difficult as long as you put in an effort. A&P II has been by far, my favorite college course so far. :)

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I absolutely loved A&P. You've been given some great advice here, but I just wanted to add that it's very important for you to figure out what learning style is best for you and use that to your advantage when you're studying. I'm a very visual and independent learner, so recording lectures would not have helped me. I learned more from looking at the powerpoint presentation during the lecture than what was said during the lecture. But that's just me, and learning what style is best for you will help you in determining what is the best way for you to study and will be most effective.

Good luck! You'll do great as long as you focus and put forth the effort.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I have to agree with what many others have said, your instructor makes a huge impact on the difficulty of the course. I found A&P I to be challenging and in fact I was a bit over whelmed the first few weeks, until I realized how much time I needed to dedicate to the class. Bones are challenging, but not so much the bones as it was the bone landmarks, at least for me. Muscles were a different story. Muscles are my nemesis. There were 24 that started the class with me I think only 8 passed, one of those being myself. (With an A, woooo J)

As far as study aids that I used, I made flashcards since writing things helps me remember them better. I recorded the lectures, I listened to other professor’s lectures on the internet, watched videos on YouTube, and I also found a lot of good information on here.

If you are really interested in what goes on inside of the body then you will enjoy A&P, if you just taking it because you have to, you will probably find it difficult and boring. I loved A&P, both 1&2. There is a lot of fascinating stuff going on inside of us. Good Luck!!

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