New college student!!! Help!

Rox.G · Jun 25, 2012

Is it just anatomy or anatomy and physiology? If its just anatomy then I think you'll be fine with anatomy, math, & English. I'm not the best in math, but I took college algebra & a&p 1 at the same time and survived! Just stay ahead with your studying! I'm not sure which bio you'll be taking, but I would maybe wait on that one for another semester since you've been out of school for a while.

IndyElmer · Jun 25, 2012

Some students who don't have a lot of science experience find it helpful to take biology and then anatomy. Some schools actually require that sequence while others let you take anatomy with no previous science experience. My anatomy classmates who had no science experience had to work a little harder the first week or two (as our instructor considered the first few chapters to be review and flew through them), but then the rest of the semester, it wasn't any harder for them than for those who had more science experience.

Austincb · Jun 25, 2012

I have 4 kids and my college requires me to take a basic biology and chemistry class, I'll be taking those this fall along with a math dosing class and a computer class it's a full load but I I don't I won't be able to apply to nursing school this year. Just keep your eye on the prize if you want it bad enough you can handle it :)

mcnealm_92 · Jun 25, 2012

Hi there! First off, congrats on beginning your first class!

I am in my sophomore year of nursing, and I have realized that it is often very wise to space out your science and math classes, especially if you're like me and strive to get high grades. I've already taken my school's version of the classes you mentioned, and I would recommend taking math, anatomy, and english in the same semester, but put off bio until next semester. Science classes can be very time consuming, and you have to adjust to how to study science as opposed to how to study the humanities.

I don't have any children, but I work full-time. So I understand why you're worried about being overwhelmed. Take the science classes in as small doses as possible, and you should be fine. :)

Best of luck to you!

willowita, ADN, RN · Jun 25, 2012

Since you haven't been in school for 10 years, I think you should leave anatomy off your list for the time being. It's a heavy class and along with the other 3, it's going to be tough. Not that you can't do it, but why put yourself through the ringer if you can put off one class for another semester.

Plus, I found that taking bio before A&P and Micro really helped me understand the latter classes. Bio lays out a foundation for understanding cells and cellular processes. It also introduces you to the different kingdoms, which again, I found helpful in Micro. You will also see topics like protein synthesis, DNA replication, and cellular respiration in Bio, A&P, and Micro. Bio will expose you to these processes and help you form a basic understanding. Then when you get into the other courses, you'll start to see how they work in the human body.

Driven2succeed · Jun 26, 2012

Congrats!

I would recommend mixing the time consuming courses such as anatomy with easier classes, that way you can start eliminating sciences without struggling so much. Good Luck :)

bella_bakes · Jun 29, 2012

Thank you so much for everyone's advice!! Really appreciate it! I do wanna strive for high grades so I will be taking my time with science classes. Since I need BIOLOGY 2 I was thinking to start with BIO 60 since I haven't taken a bio class since high school. But, is BIO 60 human biology, easier than BIO 2 micro? I want to ease into my science classes and start from the bottom. Thanks in advance again! ?

IndyElmer · Jun 29, 2012

I'm not sure I understand your question as the numbers/titles at each school are a little different.

For example, BIO100 might be called Intro Biology but at another school, an equivalent intro biology class might be called BIO111 at a different university. While a microbiology course could fall anywhere in the 200's, 300's or 400's dpending on the course content/target audience.

Are you saying that BIO60 is Human Biology and BIO2 is Microbiology?

bella_bakes · Jun 29, 2012

I'm sorry I didn't think about that!! Lol. Yes bio 2 is Micro Biology and bio 60 is Human Biology.

IndyElmer · Jun 29, 2012

At my school, anatomy and physiology were separate and an intro biology course (either general intro or human bio) was not a pre-requisite. For some of my classmates, this created quite a struggle the first week or two of classes because my instructors acted as if everyone had already taken an intro bio course and they FLEW through about 5 chapters in ONE week. It wasn't that the info was complex (or even super necessary for the rest of the material in the class), but it did leave some of their heads spinning. For anyone in their position, I would recommend finding out what free biology tutoring services are available before the term starts so that during the first week, you have a tutor who can quickly help you find our bearings so that you don't get bogged down before you even get started on the "real" material.

I didn't know anyone in my micro class, and the instructor went at a more reasonable pace hitting just the highlights of the intro chapters then straight into the micro stuff. I did meet someone part way through my micro class who ended up dropping the course and completed an intro bio course that she was already taking. When I talked to her the next term, she was finding that intro bio course helpful in both micro and anatomy.

(My very excellent study partner was an English major in her first degree and had never had an intro bio course. She got A's in all of her science pre-reqs, but she was also whip smart and studying with someone who had a B.S. in biology.)

In the end, I think it's possible to be succcessful without the intro biology class (human biology in your case), but whether or not a particular student can be successful depends a lot on the specific student, their instructor and resources that the school makes available.

As a side note, micro is one of my least favorite of all the biology classes I've ever taken. I tend to think it could be an unpleasant first college biology class.