I am a student in Austin at ACC. I am registered, this fall, for Anatomy. From what I understand ACC has a reputation for super tough anatomy courses. I am hoping for ANYONE who has taken anatomy anywhere...........what advice can you give for sucess in this class???
I'm good at studying...........but is there anything else.....specific methods, materials, WHATEVER you did that helped you out in doing well in Anatomy??
Relax. Seriously. Take the time you have between classes to get caught up on your life. Get that closet organized and the coat of paint you want in the hallway because fall quarter, you will need to be focused on studying for anatomy and not doing those little things that tend to fall behind.
Mneumonics can be a very big help in anatomy. Every school teaches a bit differently and if your course is a strictly anatomy course (followed by phys) then it is likely mostly memorization. Everyone I know has had to learn all the cranial nerves and whether they were motor or sensory, so that's a good one to get down now.
But, you get great advice. Don't get behind. Study a little every day. Don't try to cram. It doesn't work.
Im taking A&P in the fall too!!! I read the A&P for dummies, which laid the groundwork, but there is a sticky of A&P notes, I printed them all out, and started studying them - doing this you'll have an over view/understanding of the first eeight chapters before the class even begins. Obviously you wont memorize everything, but having this info beforehand will be a huge help/
Repetition is also key I'm sure your professor will tell you this as well. Repeat it out loud to yourself or re typing notes you took in class can also help. It did help me make sure you give yourself free time too between your studying so you don't become overwhelmed. Don fall behind.read before lectures to help understanding so you have more of a grasp of what's being lectured on. Not letting yourself fall behind seems obvious but it can happen very easiy If you lose focus.
Try to really understand things. Don't necessarily just memorize them (although alot of AP1 is memorization). But understanding WHY things are called that and WHY they are where they are....the WHY is so important and will help you remember things more. I started reading my book a couple months before school started because I was so nervous! I worked my tail off and came out with A's in both AP1 and 2. You just have to really work at it. But it's fun because it's what you WANT to learn.
FLASH CARDS!!!! I literally went through hundreds of flash cards during A&P1...also for the textbook we used, there was a website called www.myaandp.com which was a hugge help, hopefully whatever text you are using has something similar. For me personally it was a mixture of flashcards, using the website to do practice tests and art-labeling, and then getting together with a classmate the day before tests/practicals to really sink the information in.
IMO the biggest problems with courses like this is everyone tells you how hard they are and you sike yourself out and it makes everything that much harder...if you study, are confident, and don't let anyone's negative words get to you, put the time in...you will do great! The lowest grade I got on any exam was a B- and I received A's on all my practicals, and I was a nervous wreck before starting the class and basically the whole first half of the semester!
I think a LOT of people go over board with AnP. Anatomy is literally the road map to the human body. How do you get better at driving places and remembering where to go without needing to call for help or look at a map? You travel the route over and over again. Anatomy is no different. Go through the motions of reading and placing visuals with what you are reading. If you know what one thing is, you can follow it one way or the other to find out what it leads to. Everything connects in some fashion and it is no different with the body. Some people take excessive notes. Some people study excessively. Some people cram the night before. For me, I found that just reading the material and studying the diagrams/maps/pictures of the current content was more than enough to let me cruise to an easy A in both AnP 1 and 2.
I have taken anatomy and believe it or not it was the easiest of all the science pre-req. Trust me if you can make it through chemistry you can definately make it through Anatomy. It seems as though you are taking anatomy alone and not A&P, which already is easier than most. Learning the names and fuctions of the bones and muscles, is just like learninging anything else, you might find it best to study this through repitition also recite the names and functions to yourself when your doing other things in your daily life, example, taking a shower name the body part and it's function or when reaching for something define which muscle you are using and it's movements.
Sometimes heed other peoples advice about whether or not a class of hard or not, in my experience I learned it always comes down to the professor. If you have a professor who is good at teaching it does not matter what degree of easy, if you do the work you will learn. And always remember someone else's experience will not always be yours, we all interpert things different.
By the way, there is nothing hard about learning, it at times is rigorous, but not hard. If you are willing to put in the work/effort (which I'm sre you are) not is not attainable.
Buy lots of index cards, buy those A&P coloring books the anatomy and physiology ones you will need colored pencils ( a large variety of colors is good) for thishttp://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Coloring-Book-Wynn-Kapit/dp/0805350861 , also go to other schools a&p websites and look at the models they have on there too, the models may be different from the ones your school has, but it ensures you really know where things are located and what they look like. Buy one of those photo atlases specifically for a&p and one of those histology atlases. Also find websites with histology slides to. Dont cram whatever you do. If your having trouble harass your professor or get a tutor. It is possible to get an A in A&P it just take some work. Dont be afraid to ask questions. Know the objectives on the syllabus.
shortnorthstudent
357 Posts
Relax. Seriously. Take the time you have between classes to get caught up on your life. Get that closet organized and the coat of paint you want in the hallway because fall quarter, you will need to be focused on studying for anatomy and not doing those little things that tend to fall behind.
Mneumonics can be a very big help in anatomy. Every school teaches a bit differently and if your course is a strictly anatomy course (followed by phys) then it is likely mostly memorization. Everyone I know has had to learn all the cranial nerves and whether they were motor or sensory, so that's a good one to get down now.
But, you get great advice. Don't get behind. Study a little every day. Don't try to cram. It doesn't work.