How many pre-reqs?

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I am about to sign up for classes (pre-reqs) tomorrow and have read a lot of threads suggesting taking only one science class at a time. I want to bang out my pre-reqs as soon as possible so I'm considering taking chemistry and intro to biology at the same time, along with a math, English, and intro to software.

Does the one science class at a time suggestion only apply to A&P? Has anyone else taken these 5 classes in the beginning?

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Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

I did my first year of nursing school I had...

Intro to Nursing (with a 3 hour lab)

Promoting Health and wellness (nursing)

Chemistry (with a 3 hour lab)

Nutrition (which was considered a BIO class)

and French for nurses

It was a lot of work but doable. As far as having BIO and CHEM in the same semester it would all depend on how well you do in science classes. If this is your first year of college and you find science challenging then I wouldn't do it. But if science comes naturally to you, then you can probably handle it. Good luck! ;)

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day, user_rachael:

That's a heavy load to start off. Chemistry and math may involve a lot of homework; English might involve papers. The other two should be "normal" in terms of study time. I do recommend reviewing https://allnurses.com/pre-nursing-student/how-get-any-846733.html

Thank you.

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Thanks for the input!

I actually read that article on how to get an A in any course last night.

I should have clarified, I don't have any responsibilities at the moment, just spend most of my time surfing A Song of Ice and Fire theories and swimming in my pool. I've read so many posts from students that work full time, with kids, while taking on a full time class load, maybe I'm in over my head.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

It really depends on your other responsibilities, and how comfortably you are with the subjects and with school in general. I started out taking one course at a time because I'd been out of school for a while and had a lot of other things sucking my time and energies. At this point I'm able to juggle two classes and my other responsibilities. (quarter system, full load is 3 classes)

I think it is potentially do-able if school is going to be your main focus and you comfortable are in handling a heavy academic load.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

It really depends on YOU. If you really feel like you can handle it and manage your time well AND get As, go for it. It sounds like a pretty heavy load, though. This is your first semester, right? I would take it easy your first semester, honestly. Pile on more next semester if this semester ends up being too easy, but don't end up here 6 months later posting about needing to fix your GPA because you took on too much and can't get into nursing school as a result.

Also, a friendly heads up, you may want to change your avatar to something more anonymous. There are lots of reasons to protect your identity on a public forum, especially once you're a nurse! :)

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You're right, normally I don't care about anonymity, but it may be beneficial in the future if I don't have my picture up here.

I also think you're right about starting off with less classes this semester, and increasing my work load if I see fit in the future.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Hi user_rachael:

I did 14 credits in the spring; it's doable, but by the end of the semester I was exhausted mentally. I did the AP2 with Microbiology, Nutritional Science, and Life Cycle Development. No social life, limited family life. If you are good with math and science, then your schedule should be completely doable given being a full time student and not working. However, if you are medium to weak in either, then look at making adjustments.

Thank you.

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Specializes in ICU.

I took 5 classes last fall. I did A&P II, micro, algebra I, English comp, and a student success class. If you have the time to devote to it, go for it. It just all depends on what you can handle. I ended up with 4 A's and 1 B.

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Just reiterating what everyone else said: it varies for each individual. What's doable for you may seem impossible to others and vice versa. I've taken up to 4 science classes at the same time and found myself doing alright. Obviously, I was suffering in some of the classes since it was pretty rigorous, but it was certainly doable. And I was working part-time, as well as putting 10-15 hours per week in an organization that I was heavily involved in. I certainly learned some applicable time management skills throughout my college experience..

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It depends on how long ago you were in school last. I was/am a returning student. My first term back was ruff. Not just because of the courses, but learning all the 'extra.' How to turn in assignments, what is APA style writing, etc. And learning to actually USE the tutoring center. I wish I took Student for Success the first term I was there.

I'm in full swing now. Last term I took 2 sciences and a math, along with 2 historys, 17 credit hrs and I Aced all of them.

When I went back, I looked at it like it was a full time job. And I put in the hours and work to get it done.

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I hope my school offers a "Student for Success" type of program. I am going tomorrow to sign up, I will inquire about the kind of class they offer that help build a good study foundation.

I'm absolutely most concerned about math. My mathematically proficient boyfriend and I just reviewed some basic algebra problems and I really struggled. While I would love to bang out these pre-reqs ASAP, it's imperative that I grasp the fundamentals of algebra, and because of that, I'm only going to take up to 4 classes this semester.

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