Bad at Biology Lab

[cerda394]

I'm taking a 6 week intro biology course & I noticed that I'm terrible at lab. I have ADHD so I struggle. I easily forget instructions so when I have to start, I'm just standing cluelessly not knowing what to do, or confused about directions. I'm always asking the teacher questions. I'm usually the last one out of lab. It's like directions just don't even get processed in my head cause shes so fast but everyone else seems to understand though. I'm trying to hard so I have an A In both lab and lecture but everyone processes stuff faster than me. I really want to be a nurse and I'm only 20, I'm just worried about future labs in biology and in nursing school. Anyone dealing with this before? I'm feeling terrible right now.

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Good day, cerda394:

I was always the last one out of lab myself; sometimes on purpose, and other times just because I was just so slow. I cannot imagine how fast paced a six week course can be. Give yourself a break on being worried; you'll do better in your next lab (just keep up the work now). If your college has a tutoring / learning center, use it. That's what I did when I was worried about being so slow on the microscope, and it worked wonders. Also, I've found Google images can be helpful for looking up slides and other information for lab when there just wasn't enough time in lab itself.

Thank you.

[notnursezelda]

with any lab course i took, i found repetition was key.

usually we have one table set up with one thing and then we would work in groups.

i would go over the key points or key structures over and over

wrote them down or highlighted them in my text, took notes, the works

even took pictures to help keep things in mind

(i asked the teachers if me taking pics was okay (for a/p, micro labs) etc, and i used those pics to review at home)

the tutoring center at my school had resources also to help study so i would again review the information or the set up or the entire skeletal system, whatever it was.

i worked with other students, so we would help each other out and help come up with creative ways to remember the information and stuff, it almost became like a game and fun, which really helped me out.

good luck!

[AmantesDelSol]

I am in a summer biology class right now and I am always the last one in lab. I find that the biggest reason for that is because I am actually there to learn while some students want to get through it as quickly as possible and leave. They may be fast, but that doesn't mean they are truly understanding the material. You paid good money to learn, so you take as much time as you feel you need and if you are the last one there, it usually means more one on one with the instructor which could be beneficial.