Pre-Nursing Student feeling discouraged

Shan, RN · Oct 27, 2019

I took micro this past spring and I had to maintain good study habits to make an A. It's a class with a lot of material so there's really no way around having to put in the work. But once you really get into the material, it's so fascinating that studying and doing the work isn't as much a chore as it used to be. I encourage you to really dive into the subject because if you like the field of medicine, there's a good chance that micro can become fun.

I used to be really bad about procrastinating. For me, what really helped was finding a setting in which studying was relaxing and free of distractions. For me, that was coffee shops. They just have a vibe that I find really conducive to focusing, though that's definitely not the case for some people. After that, it was just about picking certain times of certain days around school and work that I would devote to studying, and other times of other days that I would devote to free time.

If you're thinking about retaking over the summer, I would caution to make that your only class. That way, you can devote the shorter semester to ONLY micro. Since the material will be familiar, you can devote all of your attention toward the topics that were a little more difficult for you.

You got this! It is totally within your power to achieve anything if you want it bad enough. Micro is really interesting and has many practical applications in nursing, so explore it and see if you start to enjoy learning about it.

BoogieScience · Oct 28, 2019

In my opinion a C is better than an incomplete on your transcript. Some tips that could help you improve your grade:
-see your professor during office hours and ask him/her on how to do better. This will give you the opportunity to address topics you don't understand and it shows the prof that you're committed to the class to improve.
-if procrastination and time management is an issue, track your study time using the pomodoro technique by studying for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5 minutes and rinse and repeat. I recommend the app "Befocused". It's free and it tracks how much time you've studied. You can even break down different tasks. I like to breakdown each task as a class.
-for every unit you take, you must dedicate 2 hours of studying per week, so if your microbio class is 4 units, then you should at least be studying 8 hours per week.
-if there is still a concept/topic you don't understand, view youtube videos. Many channels are dedicated to the sciences so you'll definitely be able to find anything microbio related.
-form study groups with other students. This offers a different perspective when another classmate gives their take on a difficult concept. Try not to form more than groups of 4 or else it's just going to turn into a hangout rather than a study session.
-quiz yourself. The only way to know you really understand the material is by constantly testing yourself. I like to use another app called quizlet. I can make flashcards in the app and test myself anywhere like in line at the store and waiting for the bus.
I hope this helps. Try these tips and see what works for you. Best of luck!

cheekychavss · Oct 29, 2019

@Shan thank you! I really appreciate your honesty and straightforwardness. This helped me out a lot ?

@BoogieScience Thank you so much for replying. I love your advice and thank you for the awesome tips ?

Mooky33870 · Oct 29, 2019

I would probably pass with a C. If you've passed the withdraw period, that won't look good on your transcript to drop out. You can always pass it with a C and then retake it in the summer to try and get a better grade. All the nursing programs I've seen take your GPA into account when you apply. Best of luck!

cheekychavss · Nov 7, 2019

@Mooky33870 thank you ! I think I will retake it ?