Micro -- through Rio or in a classroom setting?

sassiebaz · Feb 19, 2007

How's Micro through Rio? Is there any way to tell if I'd succeed in it by taking it online vs. classroom?
I've taken Chem through there; earned an A even. So I obviously have no trouble self-teaching. On the flip side I attempted A&P1 through them and dropped it two lessons in. I found it absolutely unbearable. Just........got too bogged down in the details iykwim. I now love the classroom A&P1, where I get stories and examples of different diseases or processes as they relate to concepts being covered. This subject matter just seems to click better for me by taking it in person.
If I opt to wait to take Micro in the classroom, the earliest I could do so would be Spring 2008. (For childcare reasons, I'm only able to take Saturday courses, which Gateway appears to offer semesterly for the big 4 nursing prereq courses. And I'll be taking Saturday A&P2 Fall 2007.) Obviously that further delays my application into the nursing program.
I sometimes think I should just take Micro through Rio and be okay with passing (I tend to concern myself with getting A's, which I'm not sure I could pull off with Micro online). Will I really use Micro in nursing school to any heavy extent? What exactly could Micro be compared to -- iow, what percentage of general Bio, Chemistry, A&P, Nutrition, etc. does it encompass?

Wow! An "A" in Chem through Rio...I must be an idiot. I couldnt even get Bio 156 or Algebra online. I just didnt get it ya know. Well, I couldn't get Algebra in the classroom either. I have been really depressed about that too. I had to drop my Algebra class and I felt like such a dummy! All the students in there were way younger than me too. What is it? I can do science all day but math....I just dont understand it! Should these courses really be that dificult?

sassiebaz · Feb 19, 2007

How's Micro through Rio? Is there any way to tell if I'd succeed in it by taking it online vs. classroom?
I've taken Chem through there; earned an A even. So I obviously have no trouble self-teaching. On the flip side I attempted A&P1 through them and dropped it two lessons in. I found it absolutely unbearable. Just........got too bogged down in the details iykwim. I now love the classroom A&P1, where I get stories and examples of different diseases or processes as they relate to concepts being covered. This subject matter just seems to click better for me by taking it in person.
If I opt to wait to take Micro in the classroom, the earliest I could do so would be Spring 2008. (For childcare reasons, I'm only able to take Saturday courses, which Gateway appears to offer semesterly for the big 4 nursing prereq courses. And I'll be taking Saturday A&P2 Fall 2007.) Obviously that further delays my application into the nursing program.
I sometimes think I should just take Micro through Rio and be okay with passing (I tend to concern myself with getting A's, which I'm not sure I could pull off with Micro online). Will I really use Micro in nursing school to any heavy extent? What exactly could Micro be compared to -- iow, what percentage of general Bio, Chemistry, A&P, Nutrition, etc. does it encompass?

Oh, one more thing. A friend of mine took Micro through Phoenix college online. She said it was a breeze. Maybe that is an option for you?

AZmom · Feb 19, 2007

Oh, one more thing. A friend of mine took Micro through Phoenix college online. She said it was a breeze. Maybe that is an option for you?

Huh. I didn't know anyone else offerred it online. I'll have to look into it. I wonder how or why it would be easier to take it online through PC vs. Rio?

eta: Doesn't look like PC has offerred Micro online for the past year at all. They do A&P online though. Are you sure it wasn't that which your friend took?

peeesh · Feb 19, 2007

I took Rio microbiology online.. it was very hard to understand for me.. I had a A in the class but then when i took the mid term test i couldnt pass it.i studied so long... the review for the mid term test review was over 4 pages well over 100 questions of information and u had to look up each question.. When i took the microbiology class in the summer at SCC it was soooooo much easier for me to understand... without doing the hands on labs and stuff its very confusing... i loved the class when i took it in the classroom i learned alot... I got a A when i took it during the summer... I said im never taking a demanding rio class like that again! good luck to you! =)

sassiebaz · Feb 19, 2007

Huh. I didn't know anyone else offerred it online. I'll have to look into it. I wonder how or why it would be easier to take it online through PC vs. Rio?
eta: Doesn't look like PC has offerred Micro online for the past year at all. They do A&P online though. Are you sure it wasn't that which your friend took?

Of course I could be mistaken but, Im pretty sure it was Micro. She may have misunderstood me though. I was discussing Biology and maybe that is what she took. Anyways, she said that Rio's biology was alot of essay and she didn't like that. With PC it was more question/answer form. That part Im sure of....I will double check, if I can get ahold of her. She moved awhile back and we lost contact.

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 19, 2007

I took Micro online through Rio Salado because I didn't want to wait for a spot at the CC's.

I would look into it. Pros: You study on your own time (great for your situation), and the only assignments that you can't use your book for are the midterm and the final. Everything else (weekly assignments, labs) you do at your computer (with books in hand, if you like). Because I aced ALL of the weekly quizzes and lab assignments, I would have needed to fail the midterm and the final to get a C in the class!!! Finally, I think the only things from Micro that I needed were some of the basic concepts that apply to certain viruses (HIV, Hep, RSV, etc.) and bacteria (staph, strep) that we see as future nurses. We review the process of gram staining and the importance of hand washing, but Micro goes into some serious detail that I am never going to need again (or - if I do need it - I'm sure another class will be required).

Downside: I had a pretty strong cell biology background so much of it was review for me. I could see it being a challenge for some. Did you take BIO 188 or 156? If you remember the cell stuff (replication, organelles, basic genetics), I would give it a try.

My advice: Try it out. I got into nursing school a year earlier because I took it. Find others who have signed up and get lots of advice (maybe even start a study group). I'm not a big fan of taking the nursing prereqs online (Especially, chem or A & P), but Micro seems to be one that is definately doable. Good luck!

CrazyPremed

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Feb 19, 2007

I was in micro at a CC but dropped it there and just enrolled in Rio's micro. My class starts this week. I decided to test my knowledge from being in my home CC's micro for one month. I took the online self-test for Rio's lesson one just today. I got 50%. It is an understatement to say that Rio goes into far more depth compared to most micro classes. That said, I'm glad I'm in the class and I think it will be just fine.

If you are aiming to get your application in to MCCCD's nursing program - then why not take micro at Rio? If your grade isn't critical?

If you want to PM me later on in the semester I can tell you how it is going.

PHLEBOTOMIST_TO_RN · Feb 20, 2007

I would advise taking the mirco class in "person." I took both my A&P1 and II online at rio and it was hell ( basically read my textbook front to back). I took my micro class at SCC back in 2004 and I found that experience to be far better.

RNfaster · Feb 23, 2007

I've taken all my prerequisites online. Very convenient and conducive to working full-time. Rio Salado is good for convenience. Their online "lesson plans" are not kept up-to-date and are often poorly edited and presented. They are usually full of busted hyperlinks. I got a high B (89 --irritating as it only shows up as a "B.") in Microbiology because I learned that I should have been sifting through these lesson plans for some practice quizzes and exercises. --I hadn't been bothering with them after hitting the deadlinks and reading stuff that was directly regurgitated from the text (and not credited). Those practice quizzes enable you to breeze through the exams. --You still need to take time to study the material, though.

My Microbiology teacher did not write English very well. Irritating.

All in all, I'd do it again, but with lowered expectations. The convenience is unbeatable. (And I am fine with buying extra textbooks and self-teaching.) Now that I have learned their system/method, classes are a breeze. I am in my last prereq - A&P2.