I noticed alot of you have 4.0's. Do you have kids? I just dont understand how you do it. Are you up all night studying or just genuises???
I do ok I have a 3.4 but come on, BSN programs want a 4.0- the competition is stiff. Of course minimum prereq GPA may be 3.0 but thats not whose admitted. The school Im applying to gets 350 apps for 50 seats and is on a GPA ranking selection. So they automatically admit all 4.0's. I still have Stats, Micro, and Chem to take- so I want to know how are you guys getting A's???
This stuff is hard, and with small children and a household to run on top of that is even harder. I need some insight here.
Specializes in Lactation Ed, Pp, MS, Hospice, Agency.
i want a 4.0..yea i do believe studying a lot is the key :)
And studying effectively! And having a place to study: quietly (put a note on the door) or have a time/days you do it. I think I might opt for the library this semester! No answering the phone or email during this time too! LOL!
I graduated from college with my BA in 1999...I was a 3.5 student and this was before kids. When I went back to school for nursing, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I did it one class at a time. I do not have a strong bio background...I was a teacher and took the easiest bio classes to satisfy my science requirements for my BA. So when the time came I took one class at a time...it I did well I would move on. I ended up with an A in Anatomy, physiology and micro.
I have 2 small boys...they were 1 & 3 when I went back to school in 2002. I studied every chance I had...in fact I had never had to work so hard to get good grades. I did use a small study group. Thank goodness I made friends with a girl that hd just graduated with a 4.0+ in biology from UCSD...she was able to explain so much to me.
Do the reading...and just devote the time necessary to these classes. They are time consuming, but I am living proof that they can be conquered!
I made a lot of A's rewriting notes. I would go to class and write down the important stuff, and then recopy them neatly. Something about the recopying help to get it into my head and reinforced what I'd learned. I graduated with a 3.8 though, not a 4.0. :)
That was my strategy as well. I also learned that when an instructor is hesitating or reiterates a point, you will see it on the test. I graduated with a 3.96. I was a single mom with two children, and worked full time(two twenty four hour shifts a week.)
I have also maintained a 4.0 since going back to school in Jan. 04. I don't work outside the home, which sure helps A LOT. My secret is that I never let myself get behind. I have a calender on my laptop where I input all my test dates, due dates for homework, etc. and I arrange my schedule so I allow myself ample time to study.
I would have to be deathly ill to miss a class! I pay attention in class, never leave early or arrive late, and always take notes. If the instructor gives a list of topics to study for the exam, I will go through each topic and write out (or type out) everything I know about it, using my notes and the book, etc. Then I use that as my study guide. I also have my kids quiz me. I start studying for exams several days in advance so I don't have to cram at the last minute.
So far, all those things have worked well for me, but I like some of the ideas I'm seeing in this thread, and might use some of them down the road.
I will be graduating in August and have kept a 4.0 all the way through including pre-reqs. I don't really have much advice because I didn't really study that much. To me nursing school was fairly easy. I never studied for the finals, I figured that I should have learned this stuff during the semester.
I noticed alot of you have 4.0's. Do you have kids? I just dont understand how you do it. Are you up all night studying or just genuises???
I do ok I have a 3.4 but come on, BSN programs want a 4.0- the competition is stiff. Of course minimum prereq GPA may be 3.0 but thats not whose admitted. The school Im applying to gets 350 apps for 50 seats and is on a GPA ranking selection. So they automatically admit all 4.0's. I still have Stats, Micro, and Chem to take- so I want to know how are you guys getting A's???
This stuff is hard, and with small children and a household to run on top of that is even harder. I need some insight here.
-Jasmine (hopeful Nurse Practitioner)
I have four children and I got into my BSN program with a 3.92 I made one B in my pre-reqs. The program I am in selects students by GPA ranking also. The cutoff when I was selected was a 3.3.
I have made all A's in the year and a half I have been in my program. I find that if you really work hard and learn things for the sake of knowing them instead of cramming at the last minute that your life is easier in the long run. I studied the hardest when I had Anatomy, when I took Physiology, I had a leg up on it because I really knew my Anatomy and some of the Phys. Physiology is very logical, I loved it, and that helped me with nursing. Once you get to a point in nursing there is a lot of repetition, there are some things different, but a lot of it is the same. Since you are a mature learner and have children, trust your gut. When I take tests and am stuck I go with my first instinct, it is usually right. Drives me bonkers when I change the answer and get it wrong....
Also, take time to be with your family. I think our brains need downtime. I usually study for awhile, play with the kids, study some more, take the dogs and kids for a walk. My kids have activities and I usually go sit and talk to the other moms. If I have a test the next day I will take notecards and try to look through them.
I made a lot of A's rewriting notes. I would go to class and write down the important stuff, and then recopy them neatly. Something about the recopying help to get it into my head and reinforced what I'd learned. I graduated with a 3.8 though, not a 4.0. :)
Ah yes, rewriting notes. I do this a lot. I will use the book too to fill things in when I rewrite. When I went to college the first time I was a Psych major. I learned in Psychology of Learning that it helps to rewrite the information. Something abuot slowing down the thought process and allowing the information to slip in. I can't remember exactly how it works, as that was back in the 80's.
I would be happy dancing if I graduated with a 3.8:) .
Well, I was in college about two years ago for awhile.. and along with study buddies, I also took advantage of the tutors there... I don't know about everywhere else, but here at this school, they are wonderful! I'd be so confused (A&P) after class about something, and once I talked with the tutors, I understood it.. Now mind you, I never got to finish A&P because I moved away for awhile.. I'll be starting that up again this Fall... But when I was going to class and was taking A&P, I utilized the tutors as much as I could along with rewriting the notes, study buddies, and using the cd that the book came with...
Everyone has to find their own way of doing things that works for them.. You will find "your" way and you will get the 4.0 as long as you keep it up and not get discouraged... :)
I have found that if I treat school as if it were my job I have a lot more time to study and spend with my family. I have two teenagers and my husband's business sends him out of the country weeks at a time, my day ends when the kids get out of school. I have taken it slow, only taking one full time semester and all my pre-reqs. out of the way before I start the RN program this fall.
I had a great instructor that gave good advice "remember you are smarter than the test!" I found that to be too true. :)
A frame of mind, and figuring out what's best for you.
I know some people recorded every word of an instructor's lecture, but listening didn't help me. Scribbling notes, then recopying them neatly later was what worked for me (i used my recorder in case i'd missed something to jot down).
You are what you eat. Which means that whatever you eat can also affect you mentally, so avoid caffeine and junk as much as possible.
You have to set some sort of time aside to do something fun or non-school related. This helps to ward off a nervous breakdown.
wannabemw
284 Posts
And studying effectively! And having a place to study: quietly (put a note on the door) or have a time/days you do it. I think I might opt for the library this semester! No answering the phone or email during this time too! LOL!
~MJ