Please help, I am getting bad grades in AP1 and am very discouraged?

Gregoryt9 · Mar 9, 2010

Perhaps you should speak with your academic advisor to see if the nursing field is best for you. They could really help you more.

But If I can impose my advice- Never give up to difficulty. You either win or you learn something. Adapt your study techniques. Whether it is doing more flashcards, reading chapters a second time, get tutoring, as long as you adapt your tactics to get a better grade then they will improve. But whatever you do, don't get discouraged! Otherwise, you'll be allotting your strength to being negative instead of positive.

mangopeach · Mar 9, 2010

Was this your first exam? If so, you can recover. Don't give up yet.

Can you pinpoint what you think the problem might be? Do you think its a matter of not understanding the info or problems retaining the info?

•M♥J• · Mar 9, 2010

If these were your first exams, please don't give up! A lot of studens do poorly the first time around because they don't know what to expect. Try again on the next one and try to focus on where you may have lacked before. Was the exam really detailed? Focus on the finer points of the material, then. Were there diagrams to label? Make blank copies of the diagrams that you know will be on it and label, label, label! Were there terms to memorize? Just buckle down and try to learn from your mistakes. But don't ever give up!

mangopeach · Mar 9, 2010

For you and for anyone else struggling in A&P, please check out the A&P sticky threads. There is a ton of helpful information in both threads. Lots of websites that may help.

Freedom42 · Mar 9, 2010

i just found out that i got a 58 on my lecture exam and i got a 60 on my lab practical... i am getting very discouraged and am thinking about quitting...now that i got those bad grades i have no motivation to study because this has made me think that the class is way too hard for me to pass. passing is a 65(d) and since i am a nursing major i need at least a c to pass, which is an 80 (if i'm not mistaken). i need some type of study tips or some type of motivation from people who have gone through the same thing and what they did...

i have tutored a number of students in a&p who started out with failing grades. they were able to turn those grades around. you can, too.

first, ask yourself: are you really putting in enough time? many of the students i've worked with simply weren't hitting the books hard enough. figure two to three hours of study time for every hour you spend in lecture and lab. if you're not putting in at least that amount of time, you're not working hard enough. get out your date book and schedule every hour between now and the next exam. when you take a quiz or an exam, take the night off, and then start studying for the next test immediately.

second, find your "hour of power," that time of day when you are most alert and able to concentrate. that hour, every day, becomes your a&p hour. no exceptions. for me, that hour began just before sunrisee . it was very satisfying to head off to school knowing that i'd already gotten some good study time under my belt.

third, get into a study group, find a tutor, or do both -- but do it immediately. schedule a two-hour session with your study group every week. you can have your tutor meet with the group -- it's a great way to split the cost -- or you can simply work together. talk it out! if you can explain a concept to a classmate, you understand it. you'll also find ways to help each other. in my group, for example, one person would take photos of every model in the lab and e-mail them to the rest of us so that we could study without going on campus. painless.

fourth, figure out what kind of learner you are and make it work for you. visual? make flash cards. kinetic? go for a walk with a classmate and quiz each other as you move. audio? tape your lecture and listen to it again and again.

finally, if your professor offers review sessions, go to them! i am always baffled by students who tell me they didn't go to the review session. if you can't go because of work or whatever, have someone tape it for you. but take advantage of every bit of extra help your instructor offers. and don't leave anything until the last minute: pounce on it! a&p is not difficult. it's the volume of material that's a challenge. time is on your side provided you use it to your advantage.

WaitingInNJ · Mar 9, 2010

Freedom42 touched on all the possible study techniques. From talking to others in class I know that everybody learns a different way. My best way was to go over the class notes and write them on flash cards. I would do this 2 or 3 times before a test. The process of writing helps me to learn. Then I would study the cards, and then get a notepad and just write down everything I could remember about every subject.

Does this take time? You bet. It it worth it? It was for me. Good luck.

MedOncIllinoisRN · Mar 10, 2010

I would just study more. AP isn't very hard if you take the time to do the memorization. Make flash cards like other people have suggested. Most AP textbooks have some online site you can subscribe to like course compass for Pearson books. Purchase the access code ($45 or so if you didn't buy a new book) and do the practice tests, quizzes and anatomy matching diagrams and you should be fine. If you're failing AP, it's because you're not applying yourself. Getting a study partner might be helpful too. If you can'T motivate yourself, having a partner to help do flash card drills might be the trick.

coffeeaftermidnight · Mar 11, 2010

How strong is your science background? I took biology for science majors the term before my A&PI class (taking now) and it has really helped so much!

My professor was just speaking about how the pre-req's for A&P have dropped for our college and unfortunately it's increasing the amount of students that struggle in the class. He wholeheartedly feels that there need to be requirements for stronger science classes prior to taking A&P since it is one of those "power" college courses.

As for study tips, I'm putting in 15-18 hours per week in just A&P studying. On test weeks, I study about 30 hours just for tests. Our professor recommends 15 hours of study time AFTER the study guide is complete (just to give you an idea).

One thing I do is I tape all the lectures. Then I come home, re-write my notes as I listen to the lecture again. This helps fill in the blanks I may have missed AND just repeat the information.

I also pre-read all my chapters prior to going to class. He gives us our homework at the beginning of the term, so I try to complete that prior to the lecture on the content. Then I have a lot of the basics down and have a better understanding of what he is lecturing on.

My A&P book also has mp3's available on their website for download. I download them on to my iPod. A lot of it is just the main topics of the chapters with some quiz questions that you can answer (it gives a pause and then gives you the correct answer). I listen to these in the car driving to and from work and school. It's just more exposure to the material, which can't hurt.

It's a tough course!

LilMSSunshine · Mar 11, 2010

Does your campus have a learning center? At my school there is a place that students can go to learn different studying techniques. Do you know what type of learner you are? Finding out may help you come up with an efficient way to study.

Soontobehope · Mar 14, 2010

Don't give up....you just need to find the best way to retain the info. Keep trying different ways until you find the one that works for you. Good Luck!