I just started my first semester of prereqs for the nursing program. I'm taking Science of Nutrition, Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology and Liberal Arts Mathematics. Three of the four classes are express session classes (which means a regular semesters' worth of work in just six weeks).
I'm only in my second week of school and I pretty much cry nearly every day. I feel so far in over my head. I'm not stupid, but I definitely feel like it when I sit next to people in class who are already coming to school in their scrubs but can't even pronounce "mammogram" correctly. I switched from being halfway done with an AA in Anthropology to the RN program because the economy is so bad that I'm scared I wouldn't be able to ever find a job with just an AA in something as broad as Anthropology. Before these classes I never cried because I didn't understand the material. I live with my boyfriend and he just tells me everyday how worried he is about me- I've only been doing this for two weeks!
I also forgot to mention that I go to school from 9 am to 3 pm and then work from 5 pm to 10 pm... so there's no time for tutoring and hardly enough time to get homework done or study.
Am I just taking too many classes at once? Should I slow down?
What amount of classes did everyone else take at one time?
Please no "advice" on eating healthy and meditating, I do that stuff anyway, I'm asking strictly about courseload.
12 credit hours for our summers is full-time also. Having taken a horrendous course load the last two semesters (fall 2010 and spring 2011) I have no desire to go kazooey this summer! I'm only taking two courses this summer and will qualify for part-time Pell Grant. I'll get half the amount I get for full-time but for my situation I can make my budget work.
Use the videos, do outside research (web resources), and study smartly. Use flashcards, look up the concepts you do not understand, and summarize them- in your own words on a flashcard. Take those w/you everywhere and read em' and read em' while watching visual aids (youtube videos) so that the simultaneous material gives you a "EUREKA I GOT IT NOW" moment! That's the trick that worked for me in some areas. It also helps to see some physiological processes animated as a supplement to the lecture and reading from the class.
Yes, if you fail a class and retake it it will cancel out your previou grade, regardless of whatever the grade was before. I'm about 80% sure I'll end both the A&P and Nutrition classes with a C... I just can't bring myself to just stop going. I have to at least see it through. Also, with the financial aid money your attendence is a big factor. If you do not attend enough classes or stop going altogether then you wind up owing back the money you got for the semester. I rather make average grades in the two classes with perfect attendance than just fail outright because I didn't even try.
I'm thinking that maybe if I make As in my Psychology and Mathematics class that that will help keep my GPA at an okay point even if I don't do great in the others? I'm not entirely sure about how to figure a GPA.
For the nursing program at this school, though, you must maintain a 2.5 GPA.
At the JC that I attend, if you get a C you cannot retake the class. If you get a D or an F you can. So this is why C's are so bad, because it is a blemish that can never be undone. The higher your GPA the more options you will have. The JC I attend has a minimum GPA as well (for entry into the nursing program), but who gets in is determined by all the qualifying applicants being entered into a lottery. When I started working on my pre-reqs I sat next to students who decided a C was okay because their overall GPA was still above the required threshold. I did what ever it took to get A's and I'm glad I did because when it came time to apply to the JC's nursing program, there were over 700 applicants for 60 seats! Because I had kept my GPA up I was able to go to plan B, which was transfer to a university and apply to their competitive nursing program, and because of my high GPA and TEAS score, I got right in. I am not suggesting you quit your classes, I'm suggesting that a C is the worst grade you could possibly get, worse than a D or F, because it drastically brings down your GPA and (at least at my school) the class cannot be retaken. If it was me, I would continue going to class, learning what I could, and then I would blow the final to ensure a D or lower so I could retake the class. It's not just the GPA though, it's the fact that you really need to understand your science classes because these will be the foundation on which you will your nursing carreer.
See, it's kind of a double whammy. If I take the full 12 credit hours and recieve my full grant for the semester it pays for my tuition AND I get the difference deposited to my account. If I didn't get the extra money then I would be forced to work a lot more than I do. I only make minimum wage, so the fact that I can get some free money for working a little harder totally saves me when it comes to living expenses.
I think after this semester I will probably start taking out loans instead of just receiving the pell grant. Too much work for too little time...
flysbyemerald08
55 Posts
12 credit hours for our summers is full-time also. Having taken a horrendous course load the last two semesters (fall 2010 and spring 2011) I have no desire to go kazooey this summer! I'm only taking two courses this summer and will qualify for part-time Pell Grant. I'll get half the amount I get for full-time but for my situation I can make my budget work.
Use the videos, do outside research (web resources), and study smartly. Use flashcards, look up the concepts you do not understand, and summarize them- in your own words on a flashcard. Take those w/you everywhere and read em' and read em' while watching visual aids (youtube videos) so that the simultaneous material gives you a "EUREKA I GOT IT NOW" moment! That's the trick that worked for me in some areas. It also helps to see some physiological processes animated as a supplement to the lecture and reading from the class.
Best of luck to you :)