Help with Classes at athens tech

Goldie798 · Oct 1, 2009

Congratulations on your decision to begin the ATC road to becoming an ADN! I just started in the ADN programn last week. I'm so glad I got in, but I'm overwhelmed right now! It moves so fast! The instructors are great, as are my classmates. It's so comforting to be among a group of folks that have suffered through similar experiences to get into the program.

As for you, the first advice I give you is to use ratemyprofessor.com to get the best instructors. Your instructors make all the difference when trying to make A's in your five core classes. And do shoot for A's, never a B's. Forget that 3.68 GPA! Strive to make 4.0's!!! You can do it because I did, and I was an average high school student and have been out of high school for many years.

To make A's, you must attend every class, you must read your book, and you must take your own notes to go along with the teacher's power points. Also test yourself with end-of-chapter reviews before taking test. When time for an exam, OVER STUDY and do whatever it takes to memorize. Sing it, make an anacronym, draw it, organize it, whatever! I began recording my classes after Antomy 191, and it helped so much! I could go home, read the book thoroughly and take detailed notes as I listened to the instructor a second time. Being able to read the book in small sections and then listen to my instructor helped me to understand better AND remember. Still take notes during class because you never know when the recorder will fail you!

Now I'll tell you what I was told when I first signed up at ATC for the ADN program. Take one core class per quarter along with one (possibly two) easy classes such as Speech or Sociology. Take all of your sciences BEFORE the RN Pre-entrance exam. Take English during the summer, never a Science because there are only ten weeks during the summer quarter. Schedule the Exam for the first part of January so finals are over, you have Christmas break to study, and it's before your other classes really get started. Study the National League for Nursing book because the exam looks just like it. (I still have mine if you want to buy it. I also have the Cliff books for Chemistry and Physics that I used alongside of it. Strangely, there were a lot of chemistry and physics questions on that exam. I made a 98, and I studied for two weeks prior to the exam.) If you don't have time to take all of the Sciences before the exam, go for Anatomy 1 and Microbiology before Anatomy 2 because there were a few Microbiology questions on the exam.

I know a lot of people who took Mathematic Modeling instead of College Algebra. I took the College Algebra and almost died! It was so hard. People who took Mathematic Modeling with Mr. R said it was easy. There were algebra problems on the NLN exam, but they were just like what the Guide had in it. Not hard at all if you know the basics of Algebra.

I hope this helps you. I wish I had someone like me to answer my questions so long ago! Good luck!

Goldie798 · Oct 2, 2009

I forgot something. You mentioned study aids. Stick with the books because there's not any time for anything else! A sweet friend loaned me his coloring books for the skeleton and muscles, but the pictures and some of the names were different than my text book. Google things instead. Sometimes you can find cute little games on the internet that help you understand and memorize complicated concepts. Other times, you can find things explained on an elementary level. The first thing I googled because I just didn't understand my instructor or my book was messenger RNA and the making of proteins in a cell. I played games and read different websites until I at least had it memorized. Eventually it began to make sense. Now I've pretty much forgotten it! But I know I can remember it in a minute if I review it!

Good luck!

braylon08 · Oct 2, 2009

Thanks so much (Goldie798). Keep me posted on how your classes go. Also did you use any study aids for any of your classes.

Goldie798 · Oct 2, 2009

Except for what I could find on Google, I didn't use any study aids. Just buy the textbook and the lab manual that comes with the class. I did purchase a few study aids when I first began, but I never used them. Like I said, they just made things more complicated because it was another thing to read and they were slightly different than what the instructors were teaching. I did use the Athens Tech tutors for Math, and they were great! Also, buy your books at Campus Bookstore. They are so much cheaper than the ATC bookstore, and they offer better prices when you sell them back. As for English 191, if you pick one of the good instructors and already know how to use proper grammar, it's a pretty easy class, but it still takes work.

One thing they don't mention about the ADN program until you get accepted is that if you have a criminal record with law enforcement, don't bother to enter the program because no hospital will let you enter clinicals if you have a criminal record. Without clinicals a student can't pass the program. I understood them to say this at the orientation meeting, but last week they said that if you know of anything in your past that might show up on a background check to let them know beforehand. So I don't know if this means they can forgive some past offenses. I was certainly glad I had a clean record, but I was thinking this might have been a nice thing to know before working so hard to get accepted! If I had a criminal record I would have made all those A's for nothing!

braylon08 · Oct 3, 2009

Thanks again I'm gonna keep on asking you things as i think of it. Good luck to you too!