Estimated study time A&P v. Micro

Applebed · Mar 25, 2006

One of my classmates is taking AP1 and Micro. She is doing okay, but studies constantly. She seems very stressed out. I'm sure it can be done successfully though.

I studied for approx. 5 hours for my first AP1 lecture exam. Scored 92%. I studied for well over 20 hours for my first AP1 lab exam. Scored 82%.

I find lecture to be much easier than lab, but lab is more interesting (I love hands on) and the lecture exams are always multiple choice..

I woke up extremely early on the day of registration to ensure that I would get an available seat with the instructor I wanted. If you are able to choose your instructor, I definitely suggest asking around (other students, ratemyprofessor.com, etc)! I'm sure I'd be doing alot worse if I had a different instructor.

I think I will have a harder time in AP2. The systems covered in AP2 are not some of my favorites. And my AP2 instructor doesn't speak english well.

stpauligirl · Mar 25, 2006

Hi everyone! I'm trying to plan and plot my summer class schedule and next fall. I'm considering taking A&P I and Micro at the same time. I've read alot here on the board about how challenging A&P is, and I'm wondering:
1) For those of you who have taken it/are taking A&P I, if you would share with me, on average how many hours per week you spend studying.
2) Is it true that A&P I is a bit more challenging than A&P II?
3) Same for Micro, how many estimated hours average per week studying?
Thank you!

A&P took twice as much study time as Micro. both are not easy and will require serious effort....but Micro is not quite as crazy as A&P. can't tell you how many hours....it all depends, in A&P it was constant.

Megsd, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2006

Keep in mind that not all A&P 1 vs. A&P 2 subjects are the same for all schools. In my school I took Anatomy and Physiology as two separate classes. I studied anatomy more than physiology (anatomy is so much memorization), and my lab and lecture for anatomy were completely separate classes. I always felt lecture tests were a breeze -- multiple choice questions based on diagrams out of the textbook, whereas lab was identification of structures on cadavers. So I usually just studied for lab and anything "extra" covered in lecture. My lab grades were high 80s-low 90s, my lecture grades were 96-100. I loved anatomy and actually studied it as an excuse not to study for my other, less interesting, classes. Overall I probably studied 20-30 hours a week for anatomy.

Microbiology *can* take a lot of time because they add stuff like unknowns, which can take a while because every time you run a test, it has to incubate, so if you run a test that leads to a dead end, you've basically wasted 2 days and the deadlines approach quickly. If you've taken biology and chemistry (especially genetics stuff, which my class seemed to have the hardest time with) you will have a good basis for what you will learn. I took micro last quarter and studied maaaybe 5-10 hours a week. Of course, a lot of people in my micro lab had a different lecture instructor than I did and most of that class was failing their lecture exams, while I didn't have any problems on mine.

Hope that helps a little.

stpauligirl · Mar 26, 2006

Keep in mind that not all A&P 1 vs. A&P 2 subjects are the same for all schools. In my school I took Anatomy and Physiology as two separate classes. I studied anatomy more than physiology (anatomy is so much memorization), and my lab and lecture for anatomy were completely separate classes. I always felt lecture tests were a breeze -- multiple choice questions based on diagrams out of the textbook, whereas lab was identification of structures on cadavers. So I usually just studied for lab and anything "extra" covered in lecture. My lab grades were high 80s-low 90s, my lecture grades were 96-100. I loved anatomy and actually studied it as an excuse not to study for my other, less interesting, classes. Overall I probably studied 20-30 hours a week for anatomy.
Microbiology *can* take a lot of time because they add stuff like unknowns, which can take a while because every time you run a test, it has to incubate, so if you run a test that leads to a dead end, you've basically wasted 2 days and the deadlines approach quickly. If you've taken biology and chemistry (especially genetics stuff, which my class seemed to have the hardest time with) you will have a good basis for what you will learn. I took micro last quarter and studied maaaybe 5-10 hours a week. Of course, a lot of people in my micro lab had a different lecture instructor than I did and most of that class was failing their lecture exams, while I didn't have any problems on mine.
Hope that helps a little.

I am glad you brought the lab work up.....in both classes the lab portion is far more demanding than the lecture portion. My A&P lab and micro lab are equally demanding even though both are of a different nature. The micro lab is not easy!

Sunshine0425 · Mar 26, 2006

For me it is just the opposite. In A&P I could get away with studying for maybe 5-8 hours for a test and Ace it with NO problem. At the time I thought it was excrutiating!! THEN I took Micro. To give an example...We have been on Spring Break this past week, and I have studied about 2-3 hours every night M-F...last night I studied for 4 hours, and tonight will be pretty close to an all nighter. (We have a test tomorrow) :uhoh3: Maybe it's my prof...All I know is that I am working SO hard to get that A. For me it's double the amt of work A&P was.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2006

Thank you all so much for the info. I was going to spread them out so I wouldn't double up but I think the need for good instructors (schedule means double up) trumps the need to spread them out. So one semester it'll be A&P plus micro.

Lady_in_red · Mar 27, 2006

Micro was on of the best classes I have ever taken because of the kick but professor I had. The tests were progressively more difficult with essay questions, choose multiple answers, and fill in the blanks. It didn't matter though because the material and the presentation was so great! Definitly my favorite class so far and the hardest!

If you can get a great teacher for the class it makes all the difference.

TRINI_RN · Mar 27, 2006

I studied far less in AP I than I do in APII. I'm taking AP II and Micro right now and for me Micro requires less time. AP II seems to be very in depth in the phisiology part and that's what's taking up most of my study time. Micro is really interesting to me, so stuff seems to stick the first time around.