Courses

I know when you check the info for some schools, or even some advisement counselors (not nursing) will say you need a C average to be considered. But the reality is that you are competing for a spot and if you are competing against lets say 100 other people, you don't want Cs. I don't know anyone at my school that got in with a C despite the fact that when you check the website it says you need a C or above in these classes to be considered.

Having said that - So far I can't say that I find these courses hard. Challenging, yes and they take a lot of time to study and master. These are not courses that you can just skim the material or read for an hour a day. To get high grades, you really gotta put in the work. Here's where knowing which style you learn best will become really helpful.

Immerse yourself in these courses. If you have an active social life, that might have to take a back seat for a while. Some may disagree with me on that but if getting into nursing school is what you want, you are gonna have to do whatever it takes because competition is tough.

Good Luck!

2 things I recommend to everyone:

1. Make 3x5 cards, study them till you know them. Make your own, because making them is study itself and then review them, classifying them into three groups: things you know, things you don't know and things you need to know better and then move them as they change.

2. Download and listen to podcasts. UC Berkeley has several excellent free biology and a&p podcasts in iTunes under iTunes U. If you don't have an MP3 player, you don't need one, you can download iTunes for free and access the podcasts on your computer.

Other things you can do: join or start a study group, ask your instructor if he or she minds if you record them. If they don't, get a digital voice recorder (you can pick one up at Radio Shack for 20 or 30 dollars I believe).

Yes, it's a lot, but that's what it takes, there are no shortcuts (not that you were asking for any).

Caring about how well you do will make a tremendous difference. It will drive you to make your class a priority in many ways. Everything from how well you listen in class (every class ;o) ) to being willing to put the time and effort into homework.

Being a good student will make an even bigger difference. Do you know how to be a good student and just didn't apply what you know? Or do you need suggestions on where to go to learn how to get the most return for your time and effort?

First, make sure you have a good teacher - ratemyprofessors.com A good teacher can make the biggest difference.

Second, if you think you are going to struggle, set yourself up with a tutor at school.

Third, you need to find out the best way you learn. Notecards don't work for everyone. I like them, but I learn in color and by hearing, meaning I write down what I need to know in color, or type it in color and then I read it out loud(obviously at home.) I personally do not like study groups. My school is very diverse and it is nearly impossible to get people together. I'd rather not deal with that. I'd rather not put my learning into the hands of fellow learning students.

Fourth, I wouldn't say completely remove your social life. Cut back a lot, yes. I don't have a big social life. But I do get together with friends and family every now and then(a few times a month) and talk about things other than school. I think you can go crazy if you don't get out of the study zone every now and then and I think you will burn out faster.

Fifth, not all schools go off grades. What I mean is, just because you get a C, doesn't mean you won't get in. My A&P teacher said this on Thursday(when we took our last test of the quarter) "Patients are not going to ask you what grade you got in my class. All they are going to care about is that you care about them and will do everything you can to help them."

My school has a waiting list, and it is calculated based on when you got on the waiting list, not by your grades. It's a community college and they don't believe in prioritizing by grades. This is for every program at my school that has a waitlist, which is pretty much every healthcare program.

Good luck!