March 27th Cohorts and Newbie help

cincinursemary · Feb 28, 2013

Welcome aboard. I'm a year in. My first class was overwhelming, at first. I got to feel more comfortable around the 3rd week if memory serves. Get organized. Pay attention to the stuff in orientation. And get the APA book, you will use it a lot!

EmJeanRN, ASN, RN · Mar 1, 2013

My advice:

1. Keep all books until you are graduated. They make great resource material for other classes.

2. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

3. Organize. Get a large wall calendar that you can write on and rub off. It helps keep track of assignments due.

4. Sticky tab every chapter you are asked to read in your book. Makes for quick reference.

5. Save everything you write. Discussion boards, papers etc. They may come in handy in another class. Save every citation and reference you use, so that you don't have to look it up later in another class.

5. If you have access to a printer other than home...print out everything for your class and put it in a binder with plastic sleeves. Helps with organization.

6. I started the program gung-ho. I am now burned out. Ready to be done. I post poned several classes to take vacation and it just ended up dragging out the agony!!

7. Do not panic. You will get the hang of citations, discussion boards, writing papers etc. 5 weeks can whiz by and next thing you know you have classes done!

8. Good luck...we whine and complain and each TA is different. Some classes hated by some...were a breeze for others, and vice versa. Depends on the TA and your efforts as well.

cincinursemary · Mar 2, 2013

My advice:
1. Keep all books until you are graduated. They make great resource material for other classes.
2. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
3. Organize. Get a large wall calendar that you can write on and rub off. It helps keep track of assignments due.
4. Sticky tab every chapter you are asked to read in your book. Makes for quick reference.
5. Save everything you write. Discussion boards, papers etc. They may come in handy in another class. Save every citation and reference you use, so that you don't have to look it up later in another class.
5. If you have access to a printer other than home...print out everything for your class and put it in a binder with plastic sleeves. Helps with organization.
6. I started the program gung-ho. I am now burned out. Ready to be done. I post poned several classes to take vacation and it just ended up dragging out the agony!!
7. Do not panic. You will get the hang of citations, discussion boards, writing papers etc. 5 weeks can whiz by and next thing you know you have classes done!
8. Good luck...we whine and complain and each TA is different. Some classes hated by some...were a breeze for others, and vice versa. Depends on the TA and your efforts as well.

Great advice! :yes:

VinoLover2030 · Mar 2, 2013

There is a huge post here on this board about what to expect as well various smaller post about various classes and what to expect. I would start there. Good luck!

VinoLover2030 · Mar 2, 2013

My advice would be to rent your books and to use the online library. They are a great for Referred sources. I dont know about you but I would not be saving every book you have. Renting is much cheaper. I have always rented from Campus book rentals. The difference between paying 140 for a book you will use for 5 weeks and will gather dust as you accumulate 9 more books for class or spending 40 bucks for your book and shipping it back for free when your done.....Im just saying. I dont have the time to try to find someone to buy my books that may be out dated once Im done holding them for 2 years. lol Good luck

ab264102 · Mar 2, 2013

Are there any classes that was an absolute waste to get books for?

msteeleart · Mar 2, 2013

I am almost done with the second week of 4510 and I highly recommend PERRLA. It makes writing these papers so much easier. 4510 hasn't been bad so far except for the paper I am currently working on. The individual analysis paper is a beast.

msteeleart · Mar 2, 2013

Rent your textbooks, it is cheaper. I rent from bookrenter.com. Free shipping.

SoundRN7 · Mar 3, 2013

EmJean has some great advice there. As to books... I have both rented and bought my books. When I buy my books, I always buy them used from places like 1/2.com or B & N at decent prices. A lot of the time I end up selling my books back after the class is over at 1/2.com.

chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Mar 5, 2013

Are there any classes that was an absolute waste to get books for?

One way to save money is to buy the older edition of the assigned text. Generally the changes between the editions are small - often insignificant - but the difference in price is dramatic.

I did this for nearly every course in the OU curriculum, rarely paid more than $5 or $10 and often paid more for shipping (usually $3.99) than for the book. The one drawback to doing this is that the page numbering often is quite different and the chapters are sometimes named differently. I had good luck contacting the TA and asking for her/him to send me a listing of the chapters from the assigned text, then making a matrix between the two editions. Most TA's were accommodating (I was usually up front in my request in explaining that I was trying to save money). In the rare case that the TA refused to provide information ("Students must use the assigned edition!"), I would simply contact a fellow student with the request.

Good luck at OU. Despite my many ravings on this board, the RN-BSN program is actually pretty decent and fairly priced.

travelovingnurse · Mar 6, 2013

Thank you!

My advice:
1. Keep all books until you are graduated. They make great resource material for other classes.
2. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
3. Organize. Get a large wall calendar that you can write on and rub off. It helps keep track of assignments due.
4. Sticky tab every chapter you are asked to read in your book. Makes for quick reference.
5. Save everything you write. Discussion boards, papers etc. They may come in handy in another class. Save every citation and reference you use, so that you don't have to look it up later in another class.
5. If you have access to a printer other than home...print out everything for your class and put it in a binder with plastic sleeves. Helps with organization.
6. I started the program gung-ho. I am now burned out. Ready to be done. I post poned several classes to take vacation and it just ended up dragging out the agony!!
7. Do not panic. You will get the hang of citations, discussion boards, writing papers etc. 5 weeks can whiz by and next thing you know you have classes done!
8. Good luck...we whine and complain and each TA is different. Some classes hated by some...were a breeze for others, and vice versa. Depends on the TA and your efforts as well.