Is this a bad sign??

hopefullICUnurse77 · Feb 19, 2009

my school only required "intro to microbiology"

perphaps you can take a step back and take the intro class? If you really think that a grade

Renald · Feb 19, 2009

To be honest with you, I went to a school where sciences were really simple. I actually had to drive 40 minutes just to get to these Community Colleges to do my pre-reqs. There were a couple of community colleges that offered the pre-reqs but the professors were rated bad. If you want to get into a decent nursing school, you need the good grades. Good luck with your studies.

Cilantrophobe · Feb 19, 2009

Welcome to my world! The very first science class I took was nutrition, and those questions were so twisted I thought my head was going to fly off.

Since this is something you will encounter quite a bit throughout school, my advice to you is not to focus on what you think will be on the test. Try to know the in's and out's of every topic you cover, or that your instructor expects you to know. Does your teacher provide any sort of checklist of topics, before the test? If not you should ask him if there is anything he can provide you.

I can't tell you how many people complain about how what they studied wasn't on the test. I know it sounds crazy to suggest that you know everything, but really it does work. And it is possible, trust me. I will warn you that it is mentally exhausting but I would rather know too much than too little.

I have never dropped a class because of a bad professor, but I do research all of my professors before enrolling, every semester. The truth is that when you are in nursing school bad professors may be unavoidable, so you need to learn how to work around that, in a worst case scenario.

So, no, this is not a bad sign. Many people struggle with how to study and test for their science classes. You will get the hang of it. If your book has a study guide, try that out, see if it has a companion website. See if anybody else in your class wants to join a study group. Seek out the people in the class with the highest scores and see if they have any pointers. Try a biology website. You may find that better explanations of certain things can be easily found on the internet.

Good luck, you'll get the hang of it.

tfleuter, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2009

Bad instructors can make a subject seem impossible, even when they are not. I would still attempt to do well in the class you are in, but to use ratemyprofessor in the future for the rest of the classes. There's a difference between a hard instructor who wants you to know the subject and one who likes to write up tests that trick you instead of testing your knowledge. As mentioned, you won't have a lot of choices for instructors when get into nursing school, but there's no sense in wasting time in your pre-reqs with bad professors.

Roxy0628 · Feb 19, 2009

Wow thank you everyone!! You all gave such good advice. I suppose I could try a different method of studying or join a study group :nuke: Either way, I am definitely going to keep trying. Thanks again

OnMyWay2MSN · Feb 19, 2009

I started taking my science pre-reqs after 8 years out of college, it was a grind, but after each semester you'll start picking it up. Best thing with me was meeting up with people in your class just to see how they are studying, that helped me out a lot...best of luck

blitz1030 · Feb 19, 2009

I was a bio major for 2 years and took a lot of bio classes including both intros, micro and anatomy. I have to say that Intro to Bio one was the hardest biology class I have taken. There is just so much info to absorb in such a short amount of time. I worked like crazy studying for hours and managed to get one of 3 A's in the class. At the beginning of the class there were 26 students. By the end there were 18. 3 got A's 5 got b's and 2 got c's the rest failed. My professor said that it is a "weed out" class so keep working at it. You will do great. It is a lot of memorization...just like anatomy and micro. Find a study habit that works for you. For me I have to write it out on paper and then say it out loud to myself. Just reading doesn't work for me. So just stay determined and don't let Intro to Bio win! You can do it! You have such great classes to look forward to.

And about the professor, I hate to tell you but there is going to come a time that you are going to have to take a class, good professor or not. A good professor really helps but it is not always an option. I would say that you have already put a lot of effort into the class and to keep working at it. Don't let a bad professor get to you.

Good luck!

Roxy0628 · Feb 20, 2009

I was a bio major for 2 years and took a lot of bio classes including both intros, micro and anatomy. I have to say that Intro to Bio one was the hardest biology class I have taken. There is just so much info to absorb in such a short amount of time. I worked like crazy studying for hours and managed to get one of 3 A's in the class. At the beginning of the class there were 26 students. By the end there were 18. 3 got A's 5 got b's and 2 got c's the rest failed. My professor said that it is a "weed out" class so keep working at it. You will do great. It is a lot of memorization...just like anatomy and micro. Find a study habit that works for you. For me I have to write it out on paper and then say it out loud to myself. Just reading doesn't work for me. So just stay determined and don't let Intro to Bio win! You can do it! You have such great classes to look forward to.
And about the professor, I hate to tell you but there is going to come a time that you are going to have to take a class, good professor or not. A good professor really helps but it is not always an option. I would say that you have already put a lot of effort into the class and to keep working at it. Don't let a bad professor get to you.
Good luck!

Thanks for your advice. It really feels as if she is weeding people out and that is really sad. I don't know what is going to happen but if I don't pass this class I could lose my pell-grant and be on academic probation :crying2: If by midterm I am still struggling I will probably drop the class and take it again with a different instructor......I guess. Thanks again.

Cilantrophobe · Feb 20, 2009

Thanks for your advice. It really feels as if she is weeding people out and that is really sad. I don't know what is going to happen but if I don't pass this class I could lose my pell-grant and be on academic probation If by midterm I am still struggling I will probably drop the class and take it again with a different instructor......I guess. Thanks again.

Don't think like that.

Is the BIO class you are taking the lowest level BIO class your college offers? If not and you can't get past the struggles you are having in 110, drop down to a lower level BIO class. I know if I was taking CHM 110 I would be lost. Don't listen to that crap about weeding people out. People drop out during their final semester of nursing school. Give me a break! They ALL weed people out, even the geniuses.

Just study, study, and study some more. Those twisted questions won't throw you off very often if you REALLY know the information. You might be studying things on a level too shallow and you need to go deeper. Reading the book can a lot help sometimes.

Roxy0628 · Feb 21, 2009

Don't think like that.
Is the BIO class you are taking the lowest level BIO class your college offers? If not and you can't get past the struggles you are having in 110, drop down to a lower level BIO class. I know if I was taking CHM 110 I would be lost. Don't listen to that crap about weeding people out. People drop out during their final semester of nursing school. Give me a break! They ALL weed people out, even the geniuses.
Just study, study, and study some more. Those twisted questions won't throw you off very often if you REALLY know the information. You might be studying things on a level too shallow and you need to go deeper. Reading the book can a lot help sometimes.

Yes it is intro to bio or Bio 110. It is a pre-req before I can get into A&P and other sciences. I am struggling but I guess I just have to keep on truckin!! Thanks again

ms.hopeful2013 · Feb 21, 2009

Make flash cards! There not for everyone but it works for me, write down the main function of whatever your learning or the main idea and then review your notes from class and write them down in your own words :) it always works for me. It just takes a lot of time to write up the flash cards but to me its well worth it! Good luck