Kind of Bummed

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today i dropped my first pre-nursing course and i'm a bit down in the blues. let me just say for starters science is not my strongest academic suit, yet i'm interested in nursing enough not to avoid them any longer. when i first enrolled in anatomy and physiology i really had no idea what i was getting into. i've heard a rumor around campus about how tough the class is and how much study time is needed just to get the minimum passing grade but i took the rumors lightly.

first off for an 18 week course anatomy and physiology was moving to the tune of 2 to 4 chapters a week. needless to say every time i looked up it was a test, practicum, or the instructors giving about 5 hours of information in a 2 hour period. the class was broken down where the lecture (monday & wednesday) would focus on the physiology aspect and the lab (tuesday & thursday) would focus on the anatomy aspect. i did well in the lab made b's on the first 4 test and got an a and b on the first two practicums. however in the lecture i made 3 c's on the first 3 exams and a d on the last one. my comfort level in the lab is sky high in comparison to the lecture where very little was sinking in. not to mention that the lecture exam included 5 essay questions asking how certain organs, tissue and chemicals function within the body. the only thing that really saved me during the lecture exams was that i could recall some of the information that was covered by the lab instructor. other than that i was up a river with no paddles or life vest when it came to lecture exams.

i'm not going to make any excuses for my bad grades and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong but i feel that physiology is a class that requires the instructor to take the time to breakdown, use example and models to explain concepts and functions. i know that instructors don't have to do all of that and trust me this lecture instructor don't. however it would sure increase the learn curve and concepts and functions would be easy to grasp over a handout.

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our instructor is a bit vague as well....he just hands out the objectives for lab and tells us if you have any questions just ask..if you cant find something just ask...

for lecture he uses the objectives at the beginning of each chapter for essay questions....our class feels as if we are basically teaching ourselves.....cant be all that bad as i received a 93 for A & P 1 and holding a strong 95 for 2.....it is work,doabale but work...

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Do you get study guides for the test? It can be so much information, and if you missed something little and it winds up being heavily covered on the test, you're in trouble.

I got a 73 on an A&P exam yesterday, because 30ish questions out of 50 were on something I'd clearly not spent enough time learning (physiology of muscle movement). I was pretty angry- but not with the teacher, with myself.

While teachers are important, it's really on you to make sure you understand the material. If you don't get what you need in class, spend some time learning it from other resources. Something I've found really helpful (and skipped before this last time and clearly should not have) with Dr. Marian Diamond's anatomy lectures from UC Berkley. She's awesome, and really explains everything clearly. The videos are all over the internet.

Good luck when you take it next time!

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I'm sorry you are going through a rough time. You might not like what I'm about to say but think of this as preparation for nursing school. Nothing really prepares you for nursing school though - But the pace of nursing school is fast and furious and every time you turn around there is a test, practical via skills checkoffs,care plans, process papers, clinicals, and numerous other things. Not to mention the stakes are much higher, the grades needed for passing nursing will be higher than what is required for pre-reqs. I took A&P II in a summer semester so a lot of info was crammed in that short time, but I still made an A in lecture and a B in lab. Made As for lecture and lab in A&P I. My prof also sucked! But I knew the only way I was getting into nursing school was making As so I sucked it up and committed myself to learning the material. It took hours and hours of studying each day. I actually learned more from Youtube than I did from my prof at school. Look up Prof Marian Diamond on youtube. She is fantastic! I credit doing well in A&P because of her videos.

I'm in my 3rd semester of nursing school. Nursing school is tough. The material comes at you fast and furious. The amount of reading assigned is insane. 2-4 chapters a week is nothing compared to the reading assignments in nursing school. So really, this will somewhat help you to get used to the fast pace of nursing school. And sometimes, you may get an instructor in nursing school that really sucks, you may not have the option of dropping classes in nursing school. A friend of mine dropped in first semester because she was not doing well, they denied letting her back in. She's still trying to apply to nursing schools and has not gotten back into another - meanwhile we graduate in May.

Way back when I started my pre-reqs, at one point, I used to make excuses for myself. The teacher sucked, I'm not good at this, blah blah blah. Then I had a change of thinking. If there's a class that I'm struggling in, I seek help quickly before it snowballs out of control. Whether its getting tutoring at school or turning to other sources to learn the info or taking hours and hours each day to study. One way or the other, I'm gonna get it done. I'm not trying to throw salt in your wounds but if you want to get through nursing school, its an attitude that you are going to have to adapt. I've never seen so many people cry in school till I got to nursing school. But we get through it and keep pushing. You may get another prof that sucks, then what? Do you drop the class again? There is so much help out there. If you are not learning enough from your prof, seek out other sources.

Good luck!

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If you believe your performance is reflective on your inadequate preparation, change the way you prepare for exams! For example, in certain lecture classes I record the lecture and have found it to be an extremely helpful tool. I listen to the lecture again and rewrite my class notes. Sometimes, depending on the class, I would also go to a study group. If you believe your professor/instructor is lacking, ask around campus for the best A&P teacher. I believe most people can do adequately in these intro science courses. The variable of how much preparation and study time is required for optimal grade attainment may vary considerably from student to student. However, just because I studied 4 hours and received and "A" and person B studies 14 hours and gets an "A" does not change the fact that we both earned "A"'s.

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I'm in A&P II now, and I know how you feel. It can get overwhelming and disheartening at times. The things that I find help me:

Read ahead and take notes ahead on the chapter you will be going over in class

Use online resources (a good one is usually the one that compliments your text book)

Use study groups

Get used to a dirty house, your family being ignored, and a less sleep than you are used to. Also, dropping it before you get a failing grade on your transcript was smart. When you take it again, you can learn from any mistakes you made and do better next time. And I agree with an above poster, maybe it's just a matter of a different prof.

Good Luck, hang in there!

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our instructor is a bit vague as well....he just hands out the objectives for lab and tells us if you have any questions just ask..if you cant find something just ask...

for lecture he uses the objectives at the beginning of each chapter for essay questions....our class feels as if we are basically teaching ourselves.....cant be all that bad as i received a 93 for A & P 1 and holding a strong 95 for 2.....it is work,doabale but work...

Sounds like the instructor I had. Just curious how did you teach yourself? I tried to do the same but wasn't to good at it judging by my grades in lecture (Physiology).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Do you get study guides for the test? It can be so much information, and if you missed something little and it winds up being heavily covered on the test, you're in trouble.

I got a 73 on an A&P exam yesterday, because 30ish questions out of 50 were on something I'd clearly not spent enough time learning (physiology of muscle movement). I was pretty angry- but not with the teacher, with myself.

While teachers are important, it's really on you to make sure you understand the material. If you don't get what you need in class, spend some time learning it from other resources. Something I've found really helpful (and skipped before this last time and clearly should not have) with Dr. Marian Diamond's anatomy lectures from UC Berkley. She's awesome, and really explains everything clearly. The videos are all over the internet.

Good luck when you take it next time!

Yes but it only covered chapter definitions which helped in some aspect of the class. I wished the study guide covered body functions like how bones are made, muscle move movement, homeostasis etc. His test works like this 25 mulitple choice covering certain aspects of physiology like describe abduction movement or what is the best example of transcription. Also on the test were 5 essay questions that cover certain specifics of physiology like explain positive and negative feedback of homeostasis.

Thanks Ill be sure to look her up when I retake the class in Spring.

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I'm sorry you are going through a rough time. You might not like what I'm about to say but think of this as preparation for nursing school. Nothing really prepares you for nursing school though - But the pace of nursing school is fast and furious and every time you turn around there is a test, practical via skills checkoffs,care plans, process papers, clinicals, and numerous other things. Not to mention the stakes are much higher, the grades needed for passing nursing will be higher than what is required for pre-reqs. I took A&P II in a summer semester so a lot of info was crammed in that short time, but I still made an A in lecture and a B in lab. Made As for lecture and lab in A&P I. My prof also sucked! But I knew the only way I was getting into nursing school was making As so I sucked it up and committed myself to learning the material. It took hours and hours of studying each day. I actually learned more from Youtube than I did from my prof at school. Look up Prof Marian Diamond on youtube. She is fantastic! I credit doing well in A&P because of her videos.

I'm in my 3rd semester of nursing school. Nursing school is tough. The material comes at you fast and furious. The amount of reading assigned is insane. 2-4 chapters a week is nothing compared to the reading assignments in nursing school. So really, this will somewhat help you to get used to the fast pace of nursing school. And sometimes, you may get an instructor in nursing school that really sucks, you may not have the option of dropping classes in nursing school. A friend of mine dropped in first semester because she was not doing well, they denied letting her back in. She's still trying to apply to nursing schools and has not gotten back into another - meanwhile we graduate in May.

Way back when I started my pre-reqs, at one point, I used to make excuses for myself. The teacher sucked, I'm not good at this, blah blah blah. Then I had a change of thinking. If there's a class that I'm struggling in, I seek help quickly before it snowballs out of control. Whether its getting tutoring at school or turning to other sources to learn the info or taking hours and hours each day to study. One way or the other, I'm gonna get it done. I'm not trying to throw salt in your wounds but if you want to get through nursing school, its an attitude that you are going to have to adapt. I've never seen so many people cry in school till I got to nursing school. But we get through it and keep pushing. You may get another prof that sucks, then what? Do you drop the class again? There is so much help out there. If you are not learning enough from your prof, seek out other sources.

Good luck!

Thanks I'll keep all this in mine when I retake the class next semester.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you believe your performance is reflective on your inadequate preparation, change the way you prepare for exams! For example, in certain lecture classes I record the lecture and have found it to be an extremely helpful tool. I listen to the lecture again and rewrite my class notes. Sometimes, depending on the class, I would also go to a study group. If you believe your professor/instructor is lacking, ask around campus for the best A&P teacher. I believe most people can do adequately in these intro science courses. The variable of how much preparation and study time is required for optimal grade attainment may vary considerably from student to student. However, just because I studied 4 hours and received and "A" and person B studies 14 hours and gets an "A" does not change the fact that we both earned "A"'s.

You hit it right on the nose how I felt every time I got a C grade. I would question myself saying maybe if I would have stayed up another 3 or 4 hours before this test. I was going to record the lecture but the instructor would not allow us to record or take pictures of his lectures. Next time around Im gonna put in extra effort and say up till 4 to 6 am if I have to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I'm in A&P II now, and I know how you feel. It can get overwhelming and disheartening at times. The things that I find help me:

Read ahead and take notes ahead on the chapter you will be going over in class

Use online resources (a good one is usually the one that compliments your text book)

Use study groups

Get used to a dirty house, your family being ignored, and a less sleep than you are used to. Also, dropping it before you get a failing grade on your transcript was smart. When you take it again, you can learn from any mistakes you made and do better next time. And I agree with an above poster, maybe it's just a matter of a different prof.

Good Luck, hang in there!

Your advise is noted and will be taken.

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Thanks you everyone for your responses I really appriciate them and will put them into action next time around. I just wish I knew what I know right now maybe a month or so before the class started. On the brighter side I have the book and some notes that will give me a head start on the spring semester.

I'm thinking of taking the Anatomy and Physiology as two seperate courses is that a good idea?

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