1/3 of class in danger of failing first semester

gerry79 · May 5, 2005

Our passing grade is a 78 and our class average right now is a 75 :stone and I'm in 3rd semester of an ADN program...

Down right scary!!!!! Our senior class lost about 10 people in the 3rd semester! What a shame to be so close to graduation and not make it. I dont look ahead. Many in my class are already scared to death about second semester because of what they have heard. I will take it one class at a time, one test at a time!

sunshine9 · May 5, 2005

We are approaching our final exam and it seems as if a third of the class is in danger of not making it. Is that normal? The mean average for the class is 77 and passing is 73. Every exam seems to be a life or death struggle, the gnashing of teeth and hysterical crying is enough to make a sane person crazy (OK I am being a bit facetious). How are the rest of you doing? I must say this has been quite a journey thus far!!

I start nursing school this fall. Where do you go to school at. Are you also working right now?

Sheri257 · May 5, 2005

I should know better than to read these threads!! I'm starting nursing school in the fall, and I'm scared to death..... I recently met someone who's in the program now, and her only advice was to let go of any need to get A's since it is very rare in the program.
Beth

This drives me nuts. I must have heard this a hundred times. Guess what I discovered? A lot of the people who spread this hysteria also tend to be the same people who don't study.

It's a myth that you can't get A's in nursing school. You usually hear that from people who flunk out. I've even heard it from teachers who flunked out at some point, and who had to repeat a semester in school.

The fact of the matter is: If you study hard, and you got A's in pre-reqs, you can still get A's in nursing school.

Yes, 1/3 of the class failing can be typical. But, also, one third of the class doesn't read the book. They don't have good study habits, and they're trying to skate by taking notes on the lecture alone.

That might have worked in pre-reqs but they actually expect you to read the book in nursing school. They test you on a lot of the reading that's not covered in lecture.

For some reason, this seems to be an alien concept to a lot of people but, if you READ THE BOOK you'll do fine. If you don't read the book, you won't. And I'm not talking about cramming either because that doesn't work with the large amount of assigned reading. You have to keep up with the reading assignments but, it's doable.

It always boils down to basics. The people who do the work do fine. The people who don't do the work flunk.

Don't worry about it.

:coollook:

BEANURSE · May 5, 2005

We are approaching our final exam and it seems as if a third of the class is in danger of not making it. Is that normal? The mean average for the class is 77 and passing is 73. Every exam seems to be a life or death struggle, the gnashing of teeth and hysterical crying is enough to make a sane person crazy (OK I am being a bit facetious). How are the rest of you doing? I must say this has been quite a journey thus far!!

I am just finishing my 2nd semester (of 4) in Atlanta....We started the program with approx. 180 people.....There were about 50-55 that took this 2nd semester final....Don't know the % of the people we have lost but it is a LOT.....My school (GPC) is known for weeding out and it IS really scary! Had I known what I know now I probably would have chosen another school!

all4christ1217 · May 5, 2005

yikes!!

i am starting school in June and i feel sick now!! in college i breezed through without too much studying. i know that it will be different and i have been reading a lot more during my last pre req class, keeping up etc, but i am nervous that i could slip back into old habits...

any advice?

anne

kirbi · May 5, 2005

We had 80 students at the beginning of last semester (first). We lost three due to grades (need to have a 76%) and three due to personal reasons, so we are sitting at 74 now.

So, I guess we've done pretty good!

4% failed

4% quit

92.5% of class still growing strong.

kirbi

Sheri257 · May 5, 2005

yikes!!
i am starting school in June and i feel sick now!! in college i breezed through without too much studying. i know that it will be different and i have been reading a lot more during my last pre req class, keeping up etc, but i am nervous that i could slip back into old habits...
any advice?
anne

Take the reading assignments and divide them up into the free days you have to study before the test. Make sure you do the reading you need to cover each day so that you get it done before the exam. Force yourself to do it, every single day, no matter how boring it may be, or whatever else you may have going on. I also take notes while I read, so that I have a somewhat condensed and more manageable version of the reading to review before tests.

Too many people try to do ten, twenty or whatever chapters two or three days before the test. It's just not going to happen.

People often complain that the tests don't always cover major points in class. Well, the instructors love pick out details in the book that aren't covered in lecture. They want to make sure you're doing the reading.

That's the key to success in nursing school, IMHO.

:coollook:

SmilingBluEyes · May 5, 2005

If anyone wants advice from an experienced nurse, I am willing to help (you may not like some of the things I suggest, cause they may defy conventional beliefs by some):

1. Get some good NCLEX review books at Barnes and Noble or Borders, and do these as an adjunct to reading your texts. The brutal truth is, many nursing schools "teach to the test" (meaning the NCLEX), so this will help you prepare for your exams enormously!

2. Also, if the instructor says, "it won't be on the test" well, don't believe it! Study it, anyhow. It probably WILL be there. I learned this pretty quickly after being "caught" unaware once or twice.

3. Learn to read and make notations in the margins of your text as you go. I used to read the paragraph, and then make a brief notation in the margin of my text of the "main idea" of the paragraph. It forced me to really understand what I was reading as I went, and when I "skimmed" after reading, in preparation for a test, I would read my notations, and that was about it. With 300-400 page reading assignments, you learn efficiency is the key. .

4. Also, I found study "groups" a real drain on me; dont' do them. I had ONE study partner who bounced things with me, and that was IT. If you do a study group, you are bound to have "slugs" who don't do their share, wanting instead, to sponge off your energies. You DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY of time or energy to carry people like this on your back, so DON'T! If you "must" study with others, make darn sure you are with people with VERY good study habits and work ethics that match your own----make sure they are willing to really contribute meaningfully and are serious. You don't have time to re-teach what they should have learned in class and in their readings. You only have all you can do to keep yourself afloat. I found my study partner invaluable. She filled in "gaps" I may have missed in my readings, and I filled in hers. We were very synergystic and beneficial to each other. I tried a study group ONCE and the scored worst grade on that subsequent exam I ever got, as a result. Even my instructor told me she was astounded how poorly I did, and asked what I did differently. That was the last time I ever did that. Study with only 1 or 2 others, and you will do much better, trust me.

5. Eat and sleep well, and care for yourself. Your brain needs energy, and sleep. Your body needs to be well. DO take care of yourself, or it will be harder to do well on tests and studying and keep up with clinical rotations.

6. If you are inclined , it does not hurt to PRAY. I did all the time for our every-other-week tests we had......it was quite stressful. Meditation worked wonders for me, too.

7. Once you find what works, don't change the routine. Routine is what kept me sane in nursing school. It was hard going to school with my husband 2000 mi away and raising a toddler, but I did develop a routine that worked and kept me from "losing it" in school. Everyone needs to find his or her "groove" and stay with it.

8. Do NOT change that first-instinct gut answer. If you go back and look at your tests, don't change the answers unless you are SURE you made a brain-dead error in the first choice. TRUST ME, changing answers cost me some serious points in my tests, til I learned to fly with my first gut- instinct. Chances are, you were right! Leave it alone!

Good luck, I hope these tips help those of you struggling and unsure why. Good study habits are so critical to doing well in school. It's typical to have very high attrition rates, esp in the first couple of semesters. We lost more than 1/2 of my classmates. It's hard to watch, but you don't have to be one of them. Hang in there and keep your heads down! Good luck to all students and aspiring nurses here.

Sheri257 · May 5, 2005

2. Also, if the instructor says, "it won't be on the test" well, don't believe it! Study it, anyhow. It probably WILL be there. I learned this pretty quickly after being "caught" unaware once or twice.

This is so true, unfortunately.

:bugeyes:

gerry79 · May 5, 2005

I start nursing school this fall. Where do you go to school at. Are you also working right now?

Yes I work full time and go to school in the evenings. I go to school in MA. Its an ADN program.

PickMePlze · May 5, 2005

We lost a lot of 1st semester students. We have to have 80% in classes to pass. Yesterday was our last final and grades were posted today. I'm thanking God I made it cause its scary to hear others struggling and trying to make a decent grade to pass.

mstigerlily · May 5, 2005

We had a class of 36 and lost about 6 students each semester. So yours seems a little high but not outrageous. Hang in there! If your program is challenging (as mine was) it will prepare you well for the boards. The state boards were a piece of cake after surviving our finals!

Melissa

We are approaching our final exam and it seems as if a third of the class is in danger of not making it. Is that normal? The mean average for the class is 77 and passing is 73. Every exam seems to be a life or death struggle, the gnashing of teeth and hysterical crying is enough to make a sane person crazy (OK I am being a bit facetious). How are the rest of you doing? I must say this has been quite a journey thus far!!