How to survive the semester with borderline grades

[nursingdivastudent]

Okay so i'm a level 1 student & of course prior to nursing school i've made nothing but A's & B's with minimum effort. I can be honest and say i've unfortunately come into nursing school with the same approach when it comes to my work. Now the semester is coming to a close and i'm borderline C/D with one more class exam, kaplan test, & comprehensive final. I know i'm capable of passing the test,my problem is discipline and putting my feet and hands to work to meet my intentions- biggest procrastinator :/. I know it sounds bad & to basically sum it up i've been lazy! I've learned my lesson the hard way & at a very time pressing point in the semester but i seriously will do anything to pass and refuse to consider dropping or repeating. Any advice on how i can tackle these exams and study effectively without overwhelming myself? Thanks

[BBboy]

Well stop procrastinating and being lazy. Are you going to tackle treating a patient in the same way? Don't treat the studying as if you're just going to pass the exam, treat it as though you're the going to be the nurse caring for a critically ill patient.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Stay off of social media (delete the apps temporarily if you have to), turn off your phone while you're studying, study in blocks of time, go someplace quiet (the library if you have to).

As you've discovered, nursing school is different than high school, and even the college time you put in for your pre reqs.

This is where you find out what it's like to be an adult learner. I'm not going to lecture, you've already figured out that your past study habits won't cut it.

You can't just study for the short term anymore. No more cramming for a test and then forgetting everything after the test is over.

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

Any advice? Why are you worried about "overwhelming" yourself? What does that even mean? I would not worry about "overwhelming" yourself. I am not sure I would be proud to announce I earned As and Bs with "minimum effort". So you are proud of minimum effort? I do not understand the post at all. Are you saying you do not understand why you are not getting an A with "minimum effort"? I mean..that might be the easiest fix of all time.

[nursingdivastudent]

No, me saying that was to point out that i didn't have to put as much time into studying for pre-reqs to be successful as i do in nursing.

[nursingdivastudent]

Thanks :)

[nursingdivastudent]

Stay off of social media (delete the apps temporarily if you have to), turn off your phone while you're studying, study in blocks of time, go someplace quiet (the library if you have to).

As you've discovered, nursing school is different than high school, and even the college time you put in for your pre reqs.

This is where you find out what it's like to be an adult learner. I'm not going to lecture, you've already figured out that your past study habits won't cut it.

You can't just study for the short term anymore. No more cramming for a test and then forgetting everything after the test is over.

thanks! I'm gonna make this a habit & stick to it.

[augurey]

thanks! I'm gonna make this a habit & stick to it.

If there are websites or apps that you have a hard time staying off of, there are apps that will block them for a set period of time set by you so that you can't be distracted by them. One was called Cold Turkey (I can't remember if that was for the phone or computer - that's the name for one and the name for the other is different).

[nursingdivastudent]

If there are websites or apps that you have a hard time staying off of, there are apps that will block them for a set period of time set by you so that you can't be distracted by them. One was called Cold Turkey (I can't remember if that was for the phone or computer - that's the name for one and the name for the other is different).

i'm not really crazy about social media so it doesn't kill me to be away away from it, my main problems have been discipline & procrastination but these last two days i've done well with reading ahead & going to the library for set hours. I feel so much better.

[canigraduate]

Set a schedule and stick to it. Use timers if necessary. Have a backup plan if you are unable to stay on task.

You sound just like I did in nursing school. I was diagnosed with ADHD because of it. Not saying you have ADHD, but nursing school is a completely different kettle of fish and old strategies have to be discarded and new ones learned.

What worked for me was figuring out my learning style. Figure out if you are a visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learner and adjust accordingly.

If you are visual, use charts and graphics to study. If you are kinesthetic, do projects or do something physical while studying. I used to record lectures and listen to them again on 2x speed while doing my daily workouts. I also used to take notes on a whiteboard because it was the act of writing that helped. I never went back to read notes, so writing them on paper was a waste of product. If you are an auditory learner, ask if you can record lectures and listen to them a couple of times.

Good luck!