Just starting prereqs... dream schedule?

Jlovio · May 24, 2018

Nutrition and stats are both easy so I'd get those out of the way first. I never had to take intro to bio but I've heard it wasn't easy so maybe match that one with those two. I took A&P I & II together and would not recommend it unless you believe you have the ability to ace them. I was the only person out of a dozen or so that started in both, to remain in both. Every other person dropped II because it was too much. But I also didn't have to work while taking the classes so I had that to my advantage. If you do decide to take them together remember it's not just two classes, but four because of the lab. Micro was easy in comparison to those two so if you want to pair two bios together I'd do it with micro. I haven't taken chem so no advice their. Good luck!

Guest1029094 · May 24, 2018

I still have to take A&P 1,2 and micro but I can tell you Chemistry is difficult.

I would take chemistry with an easy class or by itself and also not with statistics

because statistics can be difficult. Hope that helps..

Guest1029094 · May 24, 2018

Best of luck to you!

caliotter3 · May 25, 2018

Can't speak to the specifics, because there are multiple factors at play here. Different instructors can make different subjects "easier" or more "difficult" based on their own teaching criteria. There are walk in the park courses and then there are courses where half the class drops and the rest do not get an A. We can't know for your school. You need to do some reflection on how strong of a student you have been in the past, your aptitude for science, math, etc., ability to tackle heavy academic workloads, willingness to work extra, plans for outside work, etc. Do not overload yourself if you do not have to. Rome wasn't built in a day and you don't have to take all the science courses in one or two semesters. You do need to remember that grades of A are your goal to be competitive. If that means one prerequisite at a time with X number of general education courses or "filler" courses, so be it. Good luck.

broughden · May 25, 2018

I am about to start my prerequisites this fall and I would love your suggestions on how to line up these classes over the next 3 semesters. I'm fortunate in that the university where I'm completing prereq's offers these courses every semester so I have some flexibility in setting things up. Also, I already have my BA but am heading back to school for the first time in... awhile :) so I want to ease in and, of course, do awesome.
What do you recommend taking during the same semester as A&P 1? A&P II?
Any classes the you found really helpful to take together?
Any you would absolutely avoid taking during the same semester?
These are the courses I need to complete:
A&P I
A&P II
Intro Biology
Intro Microbiology
Intro Chemistry
Intro Nutrition
Statistics
I'd love to hear you stories and get your advice. Thank you in advance!

My suggestion would be to split it up so:

1. none of the three semesters are particularly heavy, one bad grade in a pre-req can throw everything off and force you to repeat it.

2. if class material overlaps take them at the same time to cut down on studying

I would suggest:

Semester 1- A&P1, Intro to Bio, Intro Nutrition (take Nutrition online if your university offers it)

Semester 2- A&P2, Intro Micro (material over laps such as cellular respiration)

Semester 3- Intro Chem, Stats (both in the summer)

djksjdalksjf · May 25, 2018

Take bio and chem before you take anything else. They provide the building blocks for everything else you will learn. Seriously. Even nutrition.

broughden · May 25, 2018

I disagree about the chem. At no point in A&P, micro, nutrition, or biology did I use balancing equations, Lewis dot structures, stochiometry, or most of the other math we learned in chem.

Interesting class, but wasn't particularly useful for any of the other life science classes you take.

xxstarrynitesxx · May 25, 2018

I agree with ctdfmags. All of the sciences are interconnected and having a laying down the foundation will help pave you way to success. You may not have to use every single thing you learn, but you will see concepts from Biology (cell components, Krebs cycle, cell structure, etc.) and Chemistry (how/why certain will or will not interact, sig figs, dimensional analysis, metrics, etc.). I personally took my heavy sciences separately with fluff classes. A&P I lays down some groundwork for A&P II which is information intensive. Microbiology is its own separate thing altogether, but you will see some overlap with. Nutrition for me was quite easy for me and I took it as a fluff class. Stats will be something that you either like or don't like. I personally hated it, but I am good at it.

You know yourself the best. What one person finds easy, another person may struggle at. Professors at my school strongly discourage people from taking the heavy sciences together and are working to make this a mandatory policy. Most students do struggle with them and wind up either dropping on to focus on the other or getting less than an A in both. Protect your GPA as much as possible and work to master the material. Don't accidentally sabotage yourself in a rush to get things done. Hold onto your motivation. Best wishes!

RayyRN2b · May 26, 2018

Hi! How exciting! First off, I would say that only you know your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to science classes.

If it were me, I would take:

Semester 1: Intro Bio, A&P1, and Stats

Semester 2: A&P2, Chem (keep this semester "light"- these classes can be tricky)

Semester 3: Micro, Nutrition

Microbio was my FAVORITE class, however, it took up the most time studying wise (At my school we have 10 hours of lab a week for Micro)

Intro Bio is easy and it's best to get Intro Bio done asap so you have a basic understanding of biology

I suggest taking Chem before Micro and Nutrition because certain aspects of chemistry can appear in both classes

Reminder: Pre-reqs are often times a top contributing factor that admissions departments look at to determine if you can handle the workload of nursing school..TRY YOUR BEST to get the top grade possible. I have an overall graduating gpa of 3.8, but I really messed up one semester and tried to cram 5 classes (2 of those being pre-reqs) + 20 hours of work + 10 hours of interning. I received a C in a major pre-req class and truly feel that it is counted against me on my applications.

mbrae · May 26, 2018

Thank you everyone for weighing in and for the detailed responses! So many incredible tips here. Super grateful for the advice!

ExcitedABSN · May 26, 2018

This is the best advice. I just finished by prereqs with all As, and I took my courses in this order. A&P II is a build up from A&P I. I would not recommend taking them together.