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Discussion

Depressed with first semester

Hey everyone..... Well congrats to everyone that has made it this far their first semester!

Today I finally broke down in front of my Pathophysiology/Pharmacology instructor when he talked to over HALF of our students in their first semester because we either failed the past test below the 77% or if he believes we aren't going to make it in his class.

I have not been doing too hott in this class because of the following:

The instructor provides us with handouts of powerpoints; but they are the ones provided by the book company that is dry with little information and do not "HIGHLIGHT" the material we really need to know; it highlights the WHOLE information from the chapters in 2-3 words. Two, we don't go over the material that we need until after the quizes or tests we may have in that class period.

Well my school has the policy of only being able to Withdrawl or fail a class (below a 77%) twice before the student is dismissed from the program. Right now I am contemplating withdrawling the class, but let me remind you this is a private school and this class costs over $1200 to take. I am only wanting my BSN and not worried about an "F" being on a transcript, but kind of worried of it being in my GPA. I feel that I have grasped and am continuing to grasp the material, but am not great with applying it to his tests because of test anxiety and also to be honest, he pulls questions from eenie minie moeing that are already pre-written questions, not even his own as well.

My question is to you, if you were in this position and had the possibility of passing the class, would you stay in it and see because technically failing and withdrawling is the same in the school's eyes. OR would you decide to withdrawl and still go to class and maybe end up with the agony of passing the other material with great grades and technically "PASS" the class but end up not because you withdrew beforehand?

I am around a 73% right now and have one more test, one quiz, and the final exam. The quizes are 20%, tests are 35% and the final is 45% of your total overall grade.

Please offer any support or encouragement PLUS ADVICE that you may have, I greatly would appreciate it. :redbeatheMe

Featured Replies

If it were me......I'd get off of these boards and study my butt off!!! You can do it- NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

what you have described is normal for nursing school. i think your way of studying is in direct conflict with how you are being tested. thus i suggest that you sit down with an instructor and talk about how you study and get some suggestions. i would also gather suggestions from "a" and "b" students. if you feel that you cannot apply new methods to improve your grade in time, then (and only then) would i suggest that you withdraw to protect your grade.:twocents: gl!

I would stick with it, also do the questions that are in your book, or that come from the cd that came with your book since this is where the material is comming from. Use NCLEX type study questions as well. You can totally pull this off and remember if you just pass by 1 point you still passed and you will still be called a nurse just like the person who got a perfect score.

Never,

Never,

Never Give Up.

Get a tutor. A student who's a semester or two ahead of you who aced this class and understands how to prepare. You've already spent $1200 on this class - don't waste it! Protect that investment of time and money.

PS - you may find that you are interested in continuing your education at some point, so don't close the doors or opportunity by assuming that you will be satisfied with a BSN 20 years from now. Things (and you) may change!

Don't drop the class.

Just study more!

How do you study? If I were in your situation, I would read the chapter(s) before class and make notes/questions about whatever I don't understand. Then go to class and ask questions. If I don't understand something, I raise my hand and ask the professor to explain the information to me. Good luck!

Clearly you want to pass, so with all your hard work and determination YOU WILL SUCCEED!!! I would stay in the class! So study harder!! Good luck!

Hi lyn,

We all have different learning styles. You might want to try this link and find out what type of learner you are:

www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

After you've answered it, read through their material and see what suggestions they give you. When you know how you learn...be proactive in your learning and talk to your profs. Ask questions and don't let them stop until you understand what it is you need to understand. A good teacher makes sure that all his students understand the material.

Best of luck to you.

Go talk to the professor one-on-one during his office hours. There's classes that I sometimes just don't "get." I can understand the material but when it comes time for the test I clearly didn't absorb the material in the way the professor was testing for. I am the shyest person on earth but when I forced myself to go talk with my fundamentals professor one-on-one it made all the difference in the world. Talk about how you've been studying, what you've been studying, what questions on the test you didn't get and why you didn't get them, and ask him what he was looking for on those test questions so that you can better understand what he testing for. Also this shows your professor that you're serious, you're a hard working student, and that you care. Sometimes they'll give you extra hints or a more thorough insight into the class you just wouldn't get elsewise. I swear office hours can be invaluable.

Do not drop the class. You still have so many opportunities to raise your grade. I know you're probably tired and discouraged but muster up all the motivation and strength humanly possible and make a commitment to yourself that you will study your heart out for this class and you won't give up. If you do all this and still don't pass the class than at least you can walk away knowing that you gave it your all and you will be better prepared for next time because you saw it all the way through. There's no shame in failing a class you tried like hell to pass. I'm finishing my first semester as well and it was a rude awakening that nursing classes are nothing like pre-requisites. I have had to completely change the way I study and it has taken me a long time to "get it" in my classes. I feel like in my fundamentals class I'm still not totally there but I know that with time I'll get the system down I just have to stick with it. Nursing school is not easy and sometimes it takes more than once to get through these classes. Keep at it. I know you can do it!

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