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Take really good notes, make good use of any open lab time offered. For your lab practicals, take digital pictures of the models used, and print them out to study from.

if you can afford it, buy the best quality flashcards possible, this will carry into a and p 2. carry them everywhere and study the ones you struggle to remember. focus more on the purpose of the structure and how it works rather than solely memorizing flashcards. there are flashcards that have this information as well but you have to shop around for them. go to the instructor you have registered for and ask if for labs and lectures you can take either/both you camera or laptop to record the classes for reference. get a study group of at least three ppl since you cant always expect the second person to show up...split up the study work and share notes. This is info I gathered from others and I will be taking a and p 1 this summer. Good luck and God Bless.

My professor always said one word when we walked out the door. Study. And, he meant it. Hours and hours every night, no matter what. But, I got an A.

A&P is not a class you'll ever be able to cram for. If it helps you feel better, A&P 2 will likely feel a little easier to you (at least, it did for me). You need to put aside an hour each day at least to sit and read or study. It is so much information, so fast, and if you wait until the week before the exam to study, you wont get that A. For me, there were no tricks for learning it. I just had to learn it. If you have access to animations or interactive practice (like wileyplus), USE IT. Interaction and talking about the stuff you are learning will help you learn it. I also found that teaching it to my son (who was pre-school aged) was helpful. If I could make him understand it, it meant I understood it. He now knows more about his anatomy than most adults.

I'm in A&P I right now, and I agree with everybody else. Take good notes. Study. I record the lectures and listen to them again later to make sure my note are complete. Study. Join a good study group. Study. Utilize every bit of time you can in Open Lab. Study. My school gave us a DVD of lectures that coincide with our lessons -- I put the audio onto CD and listen to it while I'm commuting. Study. And on top of all that, don't forget to study.

If you want to take digital photos in lab, be sure and get permission first. At my school, digital photos are expressly forbidden -- it has something to do with copyright. The other school I was considering, on the other hand, recommended taking digital photos.

I am awful at simply memorizing things. I got a B in A&P1 and a C in A&P2. I am a notorious procrastinator. If I had to do it all over again, I would have set aside an hour each day to study the labs. I had no issue in lecture (I got A's in lecture for both classes), but the memorization required in the labs was insane, especially for the blood vessels (they all look the same to me!). I failed my first two lab tests in A&P2, both were on the circulatory system, in order to not get a D in the class I had to get A's on my last two labs. In order to retain information, I took extra strength ginko biloba, I didn't think it would work, but it did! I simply read the lab book and thought of interesting rhymes and used other fun memorization mechanisms.

Don't worry about getting an "easy" teacher. I had "easy" teachers, and I didn't learn half as much as the students who had the more difficult teacher. The easy teachers didn't teach! Try to get a professor who takes out the time to work with the students or teaches you fun ways to memorize placment in the body.

Meghann,

PM me if you would re: the ginko biloba.

Thx!

Hoosier

Do you have access to a tutor for the course? My university had one and attending tutoring sessions is what made me successful in A&P. He would simplify the content and repeat it five times (or more!) so everyone understands. Definitely a lifesaver for me.