Need help from a Straight A student on cramming large amt of material...

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Jun 19, 2007

There is just no getting around the fact that A&P is a tough subject, even when you're doing it over 13 weeks instead of in a summer course like you're doing. There is just so much information, and right now, it's ALL equally important! Later on, you'll figure out what you need and what you don't, but a good working knowledge of A&P is the backbone of our chosen profession. I worked and worked at it, and couldn't get above a B.

My study habits, though, were mostly preparation. My professor stuck annoyingly to the syllabus, so we knew exactly what we would be covering, when the quizzes and exams were and what the labs would entail. Knowing this made it easy to prepare for lecture ahead of time by skimming the material and making notes in the textbook or the notebook. Then, I'd read it again more carefully, just to grasp the material. That way, I could pay attention to him in class, and note what he emphasized and add to my notes that way. By that time, the material was pretty much obtained. I'd review the notebook for quizzes, and the text for exams (it's just the way our prof did things!).

I know how frustrating it is to take these summer courses (pity me... I'm taking English Comp in a period of 5 weeks. A paper a week!) I wish you lots of luck; you'll get through it, and later on will wonder how you did it!

justme1972 · Jun 19, 2007

There is just no getting around the fact that A&P is a tough subject, even when you're doing it over 13 weeks instead of in a summer course like you're doing. There is just so much information, and right now, it's ALL equally important! Later on, you'll figure out what you need and what you don't, but a good working knowledge of A&P is the backbone of our chosen profession. I worked and worked at it, and couldn't get above a B.
My study habits, though, were mostly preparation. My professor stuck annoyingly to the syllabus, so we knew exactly what we would be covering, when the quizzes and exams were and what the labs would entail. Knowing this made it easy to prepare for lecture ahead of time by skimming the material and making notes in the textbook or the notebook. Then, I'd read it again more carefully, just to grasp the material. That way, I could pay attention to him in class, and note what he emphasized and add to my notes that way. By that time, the material was pretty much obtained. I'd review the notebook for quizzes, and the text for exams (it's just the way our prof did things!).
I know how frustrating it is to take these summer courses (pity me... I'm taking English Comp in a period of 5 weeks. A paper a week!) I wish you lots of luck; you'll get through it, and later on will wonder how you did it!

Thanks for the pep talk...one thing I have learned in this process, is that I really can function on 5 hours of sleep a night.

Well, back to my books...I've resorted to reading the chapter summary and just looking up terms and processes I don't know and memorizing the answers for the MC question at the end of the chapter.

That is all I can do...I wish he had a syllabus that he stuck with, but he didn't, so we didn't really know when we were getting these tests, and now he is cramming everything at the last minute.

studentforlife · Jun 19, 2007

Textbooks generally have websites that contain practice tests and study material. It might help to take a look at that, particularly if your professor uses test-bank questions on his exams.

Mommycakers · Jun 19, 2007

Hi, I am sure you have heard this before but taping your notes may be helpful. I am also taking A&P I this summer in a 6 week course. It is a lot of material and I think taping all my notes is what is helping me do so well in the class. I then can be doing something else that I must do around the house or with the kids and I can listen to my recorder thru my headphones at the same time. Good Luck! I know what you are going thru.

Gurmo · Jun 19, 2007

You can do it! Just remember why you are doing it to keep you motivated to do so. Here is what I am seeing:

all of these chapters are about 50 to 70 pages EACH.
THIS TUESDAY (tomorrow).......Exam Chap 6 and 8 (skipping 7)
THIS THURSDAY.....................Exam Chap 9
NEXT MONDAY.......................Exam Chap 10
NEXT WEDNESDAY..................Our final, only on Chap 11, 12, 13
NEXT THURSDAY.....................Lab Practicum on Muslces and Nervous Sys.

Not knowing anything else about you I'm going to pretend you are a 9-5er, class 6-9 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and probably have a family that needs some attention correct? OK, so in a given day you probably have at most 3.5 to 4 hours per day M-Th to do some reading (I'm including your lunch break). Include in this 7 hours on Friday, 14 + hours on Saturday and another 14+ on Sunday. Today being Tuesday so not including that I'd say you have about a total of 38 hours in which you need to get through 5 chapters (since 6 & 8 are today) so that come to about 7.5 hours per chapter.

Since typically later chapters depend on what you learned in the previous chapters, I'd spend more time on the earlier chapters dedicating about 8 or 9 hours per, but really get to know and understand them. AND REALLY STICK TO YOUR TIME TABLE!

Meaning that if you are falling behind or the time I posted are not realistic, create your own time table and dedicate yourself to it! I know it seems like a lot and other things around you may get negelated (family for one, work out, cleaning, cooking, etc) but these will only be temperary changes until you can get through the material - but really understand it!

What is the BEST WAY for me to cover this material...if I read it page by page, like I normally do, and disect every paragraph, write things in my own words, there is no way I can get through all of this material.

Me too! So I feel your pain. It will tyically take me a couple of hours to get through a chapter of about 20 pages because of all the notes that I take while reading. (For some reason, I've never thought it was right to write in books and highlighting materials insides books makes me tend to skip over the highlighted material.)

You can get through this! You may be a little behind but a little behind is better than nothing at all eh?

justme1972 · Jun 20, 2007

I appreciate all of the replies! I think I may have got either a low B or a high C on the test I took today....it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

I got an 88 on my test I took on Monday :) I was so sick over the weekend, and I thought it was so hard! I was very excited to get my grade back today!

A week and two days and AP I will be a MEMORY!!!!