On Thursday I had my first exam in A&P 2. I studied, I made flashcards, I had friends I studied with, I did my very best given the circumstances, and I got a 65%. This exam was worth 10% of our overall grade.....
I'm crushed. I just got done bawling my eyes out and I feel horrible.
I'll grant the fact that this last month has been crazy. I'm carrying a full course load and my husband [He's in the military] has been gone...So I've had to take care of the baby, the house, handle all my homework, and study without much help. So I understand that maybe this exam was out of the ordinary...but I feel like giving up.
During the exam I didn't feel like I did that bad. I knew there were things I didn't know...but I did the best I could and I just feel like if my best isn't good enough what's the point?
I'm in the midst of a pity party, and I don't know what I'm looking for....but I know the two fields I'm most interested in seem unattainable right now. No way I can become a nurse or a pharmacist with C's and D's.
Thanks for listening to my rant. I don't have anyone else to talk to and I just needed to get this out...
I have my first practical next week....I'm super nervous and anxious now. I'm hoping I can turn this energy into great studying habits. I think repetition will help.
=]
Everyone has had wonderful advice, and they're absolutely correct! Just think of all the rest of the tests as opportunities to bring your grade up :)
As for the practicals- you'll do well I'm sure! In case you're still working out ways you like to study for labs, this is how I did it, adn it helped me a TON!
1. I numbered the items we had to identify and wrote the numbers on a sticky tab with an arrow.
2. Then I stuck it on the model and took a picture (Make sure the picture is close enough to see what you're identifying, but far enough out to see what the body area is. If you take it too close up, all you'll see is the tab and not know the orientation of the model/ organ (posterior, anterior, etc.).)
3. I printed the pictures out in wallet size, cut them out and stuck them on index cards.
4. Then I wrote the name of the organ/ blood vessel, etc. on the other side.
This way you're actually studying the model!
Also- when we were studying endocrine, etc. my A&P II teacher would have a microscope set up and she would ask us to identify the tissue and what hormone was secreted by it. WHEW! The way I studied for those types of questions was making quizzes and matching games.
These classes are all about figuring out your learning style. It also might help you, for lab and lecture, to explain the processes to people. Tell the story and you'll know how comfortable you are with it. If you still have some areas you need help sorting out, then ask your teacher or another student.
Thank you all for your responses! You all don't know what this means to me. I will take everyone's advice from here on forward. I just pray I do remotely well on the Practical since it's worth 10% of my grade too.
Please, all the positive vibes and prayers you can spare. Thanks again for the advice!
what helped me in A&P was buying the kaplan anatomy flash cards. Anatomy Flashcards - product summary - Bing Shopping inexpensive but a life savor!!! they have all the systems with pictures on the front labeled with numbers and the back had what they were and what they do!!! good luck you will do great!!
Checkout A&P for Dummies from the library. The concepts are easier to digest and they explain a little more than the text might.
Usually the first test is toughest of all because you're not sure where to put your studying focus and what the test style is. Now that you know, you'l have a better plan for studying.
I've been there love. My first lab exam in A&P I was SO ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS that I actually laughed out loud when I saw my grade. Well down into the 40s, like a 41% if I remember correctly. I was more embarassed than anything. After that I bought the anatomy flashcards and moved on up. I made sure I met with my teacher and explained that I somehow dropped the ball and asked for study tips. I hated the idea of a teacher thinking I was some slacker. I mean, c'mon, a 41?
Try out the flash cards. Look around for an A&P for dummies kind of book. I made up songs, watched youtube videos, explained entire systems and mechanisms to my kid in a super animated voice like when I'm reading her stories. Maybe you aren't a study group kind of person? They've never worked for me. See if you can call on friends for help with the baby (you said you have a baby right?). You may be surprised to find out how willing people are to help, even if it's just to give you a few hours in a quiet room to review. RECORD THOSE LECTURES and listen to them constantly; in the car, going to bed at night, on the treadmill, at the playground, eeeeeverywhere. I can darn near quote entire nursing lectures like extended monologues at this point.
ONE failed exam in A&P isn't the end of the world. It may feel like it, but I promise you it doesn't make you less of a person or less likely to succeed. Chin up, friend. Get back in the game and kill it.
The practical went a lot better than I expected - I got an 85%. Our professor is also pushing back Exam 2 until AFTER Spring Break so I'll have an extra undisturbed [well...kinda] week to study.
Recording lectures, rewriting my notes and merging them with info from the book, old notes, handouts, and the lecture is suuuupperrrr tedious...BUT it seems to be working. When I do that I feel like I get a better grasp of the details of the material.
This may sound pretty ridiculous, but the greatest tool I used to help me understand things in A&P was my Anatomy Coloring Book. I bought the Kaplan version at Barnes & Noble, picked up a fresh pack of colored pencils, and used it all throughout A&P I and A&P II. What I would do was label everything on the page and then went back and colored in each part, and as I colored it in, I just said the name over and over again. And then I'd go back and make sure I understood how everything fit and worked together. Don't get me wrong, I still referred to my notes and textbook all the time, but for some reason the coloring made everything stick. And I ended up getting an A in both classes. So, yes, I am 28 years old and love to color, and I'm not ashamed of it! Lol.
I stopped getting online [for the most part] so I wasn't able to update you all. As the semester progressed I continued to get D's on every single regular exam No matter what I did, no matter how I studied, I still got D's. However, my practicals were still very stellar. As a matter of fact, on my final practical with the cadaver I got an A [probably because it is hands on?]
Then, with a stroke of luck I managed to swing a C on my Final Exam! awesome! so with all my quizzes, the final practical and exam, then the extra points from the lab manual, everything averaged out. I finished this semester with a B!! :w00t:
I really don't know how...I just knew this class was going to kill me. So to all those reading and feel like you're struggling, DON'T GIVE UP! you can turn it around too!
thanks for all the advice and encouragement everyone!
its only ONE 65.... and a 65 isnt' that low of a score. Add some great scores and you will still average out and still have a good chance to get a fantastic grade. Consider it a learning experience and just study every day. :)
No matter what I did, no matter how I studied, I still got D's. However, my practicals were still very stellar. As a matter of fact, on my final practical with the cadaver I got an A [probably because it is hands on?].thumb.jpg.e59a161e7d6dbf7895a0b2c15cddf5b2.jpg){kind=small}
hopeful616
61 Posts
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I have my first practical next week....I'm super nervous and anxious now. I'm hoping I can turn this energy into great studying habits. I think repetition will help.
=]
Everyone has had wonderful advice, and they're absolutely correct! Just think of all the rest of the tests as opportunities to bring your grade up :)
As for the practicals- you'll do well I'm sure! In case you're still working out ways you like to study for labs, this is how I did it, adn it helped me a TON!
1. I numbered the items we had to identify and wrote the numbers on a sticky tab with an arrow.
2. Then I stuck it on the model and took a picture (Make sure the picture is close enough to see what you're identifying, but far enough out to see what the body area is. If you take it too close up, all you'll see is the tab and not know the orientation of the model/ organ (posterior, anterior, etc.).)
3. I printed the pictures out in wallet size, cut them out and stuck them on index cards.
4. Then I wrote the name of the organ/ blood vessel, etc. on the other side.
This way you're actually studying the model!
Also- when we were studying endocrine, etc. my A&P II teacher would have a microscope set up and she would ask us to identify the tissue and what hormone was secreted by it. WHEW! The way I studied for those types of questions was making quizzes and matching games.
These classes are all about figuring out your learning style. It also might help you, for lab and lecture, to explain the processes to people. Tell the story and you'll know how comfortable you are with it. If you still have some areas you need help sorting out, then ask your teacher or another student.
You can do this! :hug: