How to survive Pre-nursing

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Is there any advice on how to get through pre-nursing? I am in my second semester of prerequisites and I am struggling. Any advice would be really appreciated.

I know! I'm worried I may not even get in and it's only my second semester. I have always wanted to go into the medical field. I'm trying not to psyche myself out. But this is harder than I expected.

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I know! I'm worried I may not even get in and it's only my second semester. I have always wanted to go into the medical field. I'm trying not to psyche myself out. But this is harder than I expected.

Help me out here - what do you find difficult about it? Homework? Discussions? Tests? Papers? Concepts?

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I don't mean to be rude or mean either but to be completely honest, if you're struggling this much with only 2 classes and one of them is Psychology 101 (which is probably the easiest out of all of the required pre-reqs), then nursing may not be for you. It's only going to get harder and more rigorous from here. I work 2 jobs, have a family, and am going through a lot of personal medical problems right now, as well as taking A&P I, Micro, and Chem and currently have A's in all 3... you just kinda have to make time and make it a priority if this is what you really want.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Trauma.

You need to figure out what method of learning and studying suits you best. I struggled when I first started my prerequisites and quickly figured out I needed to take only one class per quarter until I had the hang of things. I did this for three quarters. Once I felt comfortable taking more than one class at a time, I would schedule my classes hours apart on campus. This would give me two or three hours in between classes that I would use to study in the library. In the beginning, if I went home to "study" I would do everything but that. Nowadays, I know which methods work best for me and I'm much more motivated and am capable of getting nearly everything done at home. Every now and then I just go to the campus library for kicks and giggles. Gets me out of the house. I went from taking one class at a time to making the President's List for a full-time course load.

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I really do not mean to sound rude, but how is it possible to be taking 3 hard courses and be doing so well (on the top of that, you work and have a family)?

To me it does not sound realistic. Unless, you have some unbelievable science background...

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I really do not mean to sound rude, but how is it possible to be taking 3 hard courses and be doing so well (on the top of that, you work and have a family)?

To me it does not sound realistic. Unless, you have some unbelievable science background...

It depends on a few factors-

If you have the right support network at home (partner, kids chipping in), then it's not like they are doing eeeeverything themselves.

Professors that don't bog students down with too much busywork and lecture in a clear manner make the courses easier to handle.

If you know a study method that works for you (everyone's different!) and grasp concepts quickly, then it makes the classes easier still.

I'm taking a full-time course load (science heavy), with work, (no family), but I still have time left over to breathe; I've got classmates who are also taking full-time course loads, but have work + families to take care of.

It's not impossible, but you've really gotta become a master at time management. :D

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While I can't offer anything in terms of personal experience, I can simply relay what I've been told. Recently I worked with a parent who was in nursing, had 2 kids, and worked. When I asked her if she could tell me what that was like she boiled it down to "It's going to make you choose between school or work". My father was going to school for Electrical engineering while working in the military. When his grades started to slip in a math course his professor gave the ultimatum "quit your job or quit my class". He had to drop out.

Fortunately he was able to go to PA school thanks to the military except now he had me to deal with. He made it through but not before going though plenty of long nights.

Long story short, you can keep working through it, find something else you'll enjoy more, or compose yourself and try again when the situation isn't as tough.

I do not mean to psyche you out of your choice and if it means anything, it's just a pre-req. My pre-reqs for my biology degree were pretty lackluster but excelled in my biology classes (and a bit in physics). Point is, if you can get through this, there's a good chance you will have an easier time in future courses.

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I really do not mean to sound rude, but how is it possible to be taking 3 hard courses and be doing so well (on the top of that, you work and have a family)?

To me it does not sound realistic. Unless, you have some unbelievable science background...

I'm assuming you're referring to me? If so, thank you. I'll take that as a compliment. lol To be honest, it's really not all that difficult. I mean, if I was a pre-med or biomedical sciences student I would be taking 4-5 science courses in a semester. I have friends who have taken Ochem, Physics, and 2 Biology courses all in the same semester, all while also working in the research lab or at another job. I'm only taking 3 classes and Gen Chem is pretty easy, in my opinion... I don't really study much outside of class for that one. With Micro and A&P, I make use of my downtime at work and review when it's slow. But I won't lie, I don't have to study as much as other students and I know that. My brain absorbs the information easily and it usually sticks just by sitting in class.

I really don't appreciate the hidden accusation in your message, though, that I'm basically lying about my grades and everything else I have going on in life. It is possible for some people to be able to handle a full load, both inside and outside of school, and still succeed academically. Time management is key! And also really enjoying what you're learning. :)

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Specializes in Neuro.

A&P, Micro & Patho are no walks in the park (for most of us anyway), so don't want to downplay your struggle. But the nurses I know have hinted that compared to pre-nursing, actual nursing school is not even remotely easy & demands a lot, repeat a lot of your time.

I'm just curious, are you new to college? Only reason I ask is after literally not having to study in high school for many, college is sometimes a small shock because you actually have to do some studying...this is especially true for pre-nursing science courses.

At this point you have to decide if you're dedicated enough to seeing this through & willing to really buckle down to make the grade. You dont want to invest your time/money only to realize this isnt for you or you arent dedicated enough to make the grade. If youre struggling with an easier class like Psych, classes like A&P are going to be a huge shock when you realize the study time/effort required to pass it. Not saying this to discourage you, rather suggesting you have an honest conversation with yourself about whether you are going to be willing to buckle down & dedicate & commit yourself to making better grades (at the cost of sometimes taking time from family & putting longer study hours in than your used to). If you can not answer yourself with anything other than I am willing to buckle down, please rethink what you're trying to do. Nothing IMO is worse than wasting your time & especially your money.

Good luck!

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I really do not mean to sound rude, but how is it possible to be taking 3 hard courses and be doing so well (on the top of that, you work and have a family)?

To me it does not sound realistic. Unless, you have some unbelievable science background...

I'm taking 14 credit hours (4 classes, two are sciences) and while I don't work full time, I do have two kids that I homeschool. I have A's in all my classes and no science background. It's entirely realistic if you have good time management skills and good study habits. I hate to be that girl, but I haven't found most of my science classes all that difficult. Mostly because I have great teachers and a high level of interest in the topics, which is a great motivator.

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I'm taking 14 credit hours (4 classes, two are sciences) and while I don't work full time, I do have two kids that I homeschool. I have A's in all my classes and no science background. It's entirely realistic if you have good time management skills and good study habits. I hate to be that girl, but I haven't found most of my science classes all that difficult. Mostly because I have great teachers and a high level of interest in the topics, which is a great motivator.

Yeah I'm with you two. I have four kids (all with one activity or another at any given time) and a husband who works a ridiculous schedule. I have a 4.0 in all of my BSN pre-reqs (starting the nursing program this fall). I'm just saying that it's possible.

I say this with the utmost respect, OP, but I feel like you've given up already. If you want this, if you REALLY want this, pull up your boot straps and get it done.

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I really do not mean to sound rude, but how is it possible to be taking 3 hard courses and be doing so well (on the top of that, you work and have a family)?

To me it does not sound realistic. Unless, you have some unbelievable science background...

When I was in school I did not find my two years of prereqs for my ABSN program to be very demanding or difficult at all. I worked 25-50 hours a week while having 15+ credit hours every semester. I think I found it easy because all of those lower level classes are mostly just memorization which I excel at, but that came back to bite me in nursing school because I actually had to study a ton and had never actually studied before so it was a shock.

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