How much time do you *really*spend studying?

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I am curious if I am doing too much, or not enough! I would love to hear how often everyone studies and if you dont mind sharing, what your general GPA/letter grade is. I spend at least 3 hours every night studying, and weekends are a free for all. This has worked well so far (pre-reqs) but I havent taken my first nursing test yet... I hope its enough!

Majority of my class isn't getting by without studying much. I attend 98% of the lectures. Some lectures I can really get into. Some like this psych class we have I can't even focus in class. I am doodling and playing on my phone or iPod touch so I don't fall asleep. But I am also pretty good with the psych stuff already. Those were always my easiest classes.

My Med/Surge instructor teaches the class in a way that is really engaging so it's easy to pay attention in that class. But just because I personally have done ok in my nursing program with minimal effort, doesn't mean it's an easy or slow program. It's not and I am no doubt an exception and not the norm in our class. I will listen to friends totally bash our program about how hard the grading scale is compared to other local schooles, or how much reading they give us and so on and I just let them vent because I don't agree. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be on the grading scale that the local BSN program uses. But it is what it is and I understand the reasoning as to why it's stricter. I overall think our program has been great, but I am in the minority.

I didn't say easier....I said more of the material is covered in lecture as well as in the readings. If you're doing well and not studying very much, yet going to lecuture....most of the material must be in the lecture.....unless you were born with indwelling knowledge:rolleyes:

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This isn't necessarily true. I don't study 4 hrs a week and my program is not easy by any means and is at a very fast speed. People are just different. We lost 13-14 people by the second half of our second semester to not meeting the 77% grade min. We didn't lose any to the math test that requires 100% or to skills check offs. It was all to not getting that grade strictly from exams. I know that at least 90% of those students studied a heck of a lot more than I ever did, yet still struggled a lot. The only class I struggled in it wasn't even the material I had a hard time with it, I just lost focus and got into reading a series of 10 books and when I read I don't put it down so I went into 3 of my exams without ever sleeping. When I did bad on those tests and reviewed I saw that I made a lot of stupid errors. Probably from lack of sleep.

Our school also recommends 3 hrs of study per credit. Well I can tell you, there is no way in heck I would ever study that much.

But it's not fair to say someones program must not be hard or fast paced because those people have an easier time. I have done better in nursing school than I did in my Pre Reqs with a LOT less effort.

Ok, well nursing must just come easier to you than others. But, people in my program study A LOT for tests...pretty much everyday. We are down to 17 out of the 50 we started with last august and we are in our 3rd out of 4 semesters. And i wasn't trying to make it out that I have it harder than other people, I know there are harder programs out there....

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I didn't say easier....I said more of the material is covered in lecture as well as in the readings. If you're doing well and not studying very much, yet going to lecuture....most of the material must be in the lecture.....unless you were born with indwelling knowledge:rolleyes:

Well I was born with a lot of awesomeness ;) but I would say that ours is pretty close to the 70:30 as well. They have a lot of "required reading" that they pass out. They go over the general concepts in class and for further clarification and stuff or to "better understand" you are supposed to read. The questions come from both. Usually though I get what it is we are talking about and don't need to dive further into it. Our Fundamentals class seemed like a lot of common sense stuff. A lot of the med/surge stuff was covered in the Patho Phys class I took yet added the fundamentals stuff to it. The maternity class I did well in, but I have also had 4 kids and complicated pregnancies. I was pretty well educated in maternity already. The peds class again, I knew a lot of the stuff covered and the rest seemed more like a mini med surge.

So far this psych stuff we have covered I could have taught the class. But it's an area I am extremely experienced with.

I didn't say that I NEVER study. I just don't study a lot. If we go over something that we need to remember a lot of things, like a lot of facts, I will spend a little more time on that. But it's not often I do. I usually will kind of quickly read through my notes or meet up with a friend to skim through our notes the day before an exam. I have tried tons of different ways to study. But it never works. I just don't have the focus and patience.

I get frustrated taking long tests. Our last exam was like 50 questions and about 2/3 of the way through it took me all I had to finish it. I am always the first or second person done with my exams as well. It's just who I am. I am sure when I start our advanced med/surge 1 and 2 I am going to have to put forth more of an effort. But I have a lot of real life experience in quiet a bit of things and I was someone that whenever I or a family member or friend had something going on, I researched all I could on it. This was before I ever started nursing school, and I have been a patient way more times than I would have ever liked to have been.

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Yeah, our 70:30 isn't they tell us the general concepts and then the 30% is us delving further....we talk about 70% of the topics in class, and the rest is in our textbooks.

In our program, the folks who didn't keep up with all the reading....didn't pass.

Well I was born with a lot of awesomeness ;) but I would say that ours is pretty close to the 70:30 as well. They have a lot of "required reading" that they pass out. They go over the general concepts in class and for further clarification and stuff or to "better understand" you are supposed to read. The questions come from both. Usually though I get what it is we are talking about and don't need to dive further into it. Our Fundamentals class seemed like a lot of common sense stuff. A lot of the med/surge stuff was covered in the Patho Phys class I took yet added the fundamentals stuff to it. The maternity class I did well in, but I have also had 4 kids and complicated pregnancies. I was pretty well educated in maternity already. The peds class again, I knew a lot of the stuff covered and the rest seemed more like a mini med surge.

So far this psych stuff we have covered I could have taught the class. But it's an area I am extremely experienced with.

I didn't say that I NEVER study. I just don't study a lot. If we go over something that we need to remember a lot of things, like a lot of facts, I will spend a little more time on that. But it's not often I do. I usually will kind of quickly read through my notes or meet up with a friend to skim through our notes the day before an exam. I have tried tons of different ways to study. But it never works. I just don't have the focus and patience.

I get frustrated taking long tests. Our last exam was like 50 questions and about 2/3 of the way through it took me all I had to finish it. I am always the first or second person done with my exams as well. It's just who I am. I am sure when I start our advanced med/surge 1 and 2 I am going to have to put forth more of an effort. But I have a lot of real life experience in quiet a bit of things and I was someone that whenever I or a family member or friend had something going on, I researched all I could on it. This was before I ever started nursing school, and I have been a patient way more times than I would have ever liked to have been.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Yeah, our 70:30 isn't they tell us the general concepts and then the 30% is us delving further....we talk about 70% of the topics in class, and the rest is in our textbooks.

In our program, the folks who didn't keep up with all the reading....didn't pass.

Well I guess my program is just super easy. I am sure the 1/3 of the class we lost in the first 1.5 semesters probably thought so. :rolleyes:

That or I am just truly awesome or "lucky". Obviously there has to be some reason I don't have to study hours on end. It couldn't possibly be anything else. :smokin:

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Well I guess my program is just super easy. I am sure the 1/3 of the class we lost in the first 1.5 semesters probably thought so. :rolleyes:

That or I am just truly awesome or "lucky". Obviously there has to be some reason I don't have to study hours on end. It couldn't possibly be anything else. :smokin:

Yup, it couldn't be anything else....it must be an extreme that I didn't state. There's nothing in between right....it's either that the program is super easy or that you're the next Florence Nightengale, the wonderkind of nursing.

Got it.

Have a good night.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Yup, it couldn't be anything else....it must be an extreme that I didn't state. There's nothing in between right....it's either that the program is super easy or that you're the next Florence Nightengale, the wonderkind of nursing.

Got it.

Have a good night.

Thanks, you too! :)

On a side for the OP, I just thought about the Pharm class. I did spend more time studying that one, well I met up with a friend and we spent a couple hours a week on that class studying with each other, it was so much memorization.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

Annnnnnd it starts. The "my program is harder than yours" fun.

:rolleyes:

This train is never late! Oh, and I'd like to point out.....my program has PROOF that working more than 3 days a week will make you flunk out. They also say you should study at least 2 hours per credit hour to succeed. That would mean I'd have to work no more than 20ish hours a week and study at least 20 hours a week this term. Riiiiiight.

I do neither of those, and I am not Einstein. A quick learner, yes....but not gifted in any way. Like I said, it doesn't matter how much you study, as long as it's effective. There's no magic number where you can pat yourself on the back and you get a cookie. No need to get snarky about it. I do want to add...the time I quoted in my first post didn't include the time I spend on paperwork. I don't consider that studying, but that takes up an hour or two per week as well.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Annnnnnd it starts. The "my program is harder than yours" fun.

:rolleyes:

This train is never late! Oh, and I'd like to point out.....my program has PROOF that working more than 3 days a week will make you flunk out. They also say you should study at least 2 hours per credit hour to succeed. That would mean I'd have to work no more than 20ish hours a week and study at least 20 hours a week this term. Riiiiiight.

I do neither of those, and I am not Einstein. A quick learner, yes....but not gifted in any way. Like I said, it doesn't matter how much you study, as long as it's effective. There's no magic number where you can pat yourself on the back and you get a cookie. No need to get snarky about it. I do want to add...the time I quoted in my first post didn't include the time I spend on paperwork. I don't consider that studying, but that takes up an hour or two per week as well.

Pretty much. It seems if people don't seem to have a hard time in nursing school, spend all their free time studying, and give up any personal life, than their program must be easy. :rolleyes: Couldn't possibly be that people are different and individuals. We handle stress differently and so on. Oh wait, they did teach that in nursing school. Maybe I did learn something. :p

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Pretty much. It seems if people don't seem to have a hard time in nursing school, spend all their free time studying, and give up any personal life, than their program must be easy. :rolleyes: Couldn't possibly be that people are different and individuals. We handle stress differently and so on. Oh wait, they did teach that in nursing school. Maybe I did learn something. :p

Except that it was you who said I called your program easy. I said it wasn't easy, but different. You're perspective was that you're a nursing wonderkind with inborn knowledge. If you're going to be snarky.....at least be accurate.

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Specializes in ICU.
Except that it was you who said I called your program easy. I said it wasn't easy, but different. You're perspective was that you're a nursing wonderkind with inborn knowledge. If you're going to be snarky.....at least be accurate.

When she said you called her program easy, she was only stating what you were clearly alluding to, but wouldn't (for whatever reason) state outright. It was pretty obvious what you were pointing at.

While we're on the subject of accuracy, I never got the impression that her perspective is that she's a nursing wonderkind with inborn knowledge. She stated quite clearly that she has a wealth of personal experience with a wide range of healthcare topics. She also stated that for those topics that she may not have had much personal experience or foreknowledge to draw from, she studied more intently.

A lot of things could account for her success. She could be a truly auditory learner...it could be that she has a healthy amount of confidence that precludes her from feeling like she has to meet a pseudo arbitrary (arbitrary for her, maybe not for others) study/reading quota in order to feel prepared. Perhaps she's better than most at seeing the bigger picture and doesn't need to invest the time others do in searching for it. But I do know from my own experience, that she is not the only one...

Much as it might sting to learn that others can succeed and thrive in nursing school without devoting an enormous amount of time to study, since for you, it may be much different in that respect, that's no reason to be belittling. It doesn't make you less than, it just makes you different. And I mean that sincerely. The end goal is the same. I'm sure you'll both get there and will be well prepared when you do. But it doesn't hurt to show a little grace along the way.

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Glad to know you can read my mind....or you think you can, since that is not what I was alluding do.

I was very clear, and not alluding to anything. I said, it's obvious that her program covers more of the tested material in lecture (vs, being tested on material that isn't, in any way covered in lecture). I'm also an auditory learner, I pretty much have total recall of information I hear (as in, I can sit and hear again in my head the exact words the Prof said on a subject) so pretty much remember anything said in lecture....that's not what I study. However, if material isn't covered in lecture....yet is in the exam, it doesn't matter how gifted an auditory learner you are....it doesn't matter how smart anyone is. It's a matter of having to read the books to get the information.

What I clearly said is, that if someone is able to do well in nursing school without a lot of reading/studying....obviously most of the material for the exams is covered in class. The only other option is that it's inborn knowledge.....

That is not saying that her program is easier.....it's stating a logical observation about the feature of her program.

Y'all are waaaaaayyyyyy to touchy.

Oh, and you might want to work on that mindreading thing....you need some work.

When she said you called her program easy, she was only stating what you were clearly alluding to, but wouldn't (for whatever reason) state outright. It was pretty obvious what you were pointing at.

While we're on the subject of accuracy, I never got the impression that her perspective is that she's a nursing wonderkind with inborn knowledge. She stated quite clearly that she has a wealth of personal experience with a wide range of healthcare topics. She also stated that for those topics that she may not have had much personal experience or foreknowledge to draw from, she studied more intently.

A lot of things could account for her success. She could be a truly auditory learner...it could be that she has a healthy amount of confidence that precludes her from feeling like she has to meet a pseudo arbitrary (arbitrary for her, maybe not for others) study/reading quota in order to feel prepared. Perhaps she's better than most at seeing the bigger picture and doesn't need to invest the time others do in searching for it. But I do know from my own experience, that she is not the only one...

Much as it might sting to learn that others can succeed and thrive in nursing school without devoting an enormous amount of time to study, since for you, it may be much different in that respect, that's no reason to be belittling. It doesn't make you less than, it just makes you different. And I mean that sincerely. The end goal is the same. I'm sure you'll both get there and will be well prepared when you do. But it doesn't hurt to show a little grace along the way.

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