Has anyone taken microbiology and physiology in the same semester?

sydneya1231, ADN · May 18, 2018

I don't work, but I do have a kid. I took Microbiology, A&P2, and 2 other classes and pulled through with an A in all. It wasn't easy and at the beginning I spent all day studying or working on labs for micro. It gets easier and less time consuming once you learn how to study efficiently for both. They're time consuming, but doable together. Most of my A&P2 class was in my Microbiology class.

JulyLeo · May 18, 2018

I decided last to apply for nursing school while completing my final semester of my public health degree. I was taking 9 credit hours and decided to add on Microbiology and APII in a 10 week "fast track" course(my other 9 hours were epidemiology, Health administration, and Application software and were on a regular 16 week schedule). This way my undergrad financial aid would pay for it before I graduated and lost it. I came out with an A in micro, B in AP. It is doable. I also worked 50 hours a week (I was finishing my last semester online so I could work and live). The second you get the course calendar of do dates, buy a planner and schedule everything on it: due dates, studying, etc. It's doable and many nursing programs require 2 AP courses, micro, chemistry (sometimes 2 chemistry courses), plus some upper level math so most students end up having to take any two of those courses together and usually turn out fine. I'm not sure where the stigma comes from that it should be avoided because it's almost necessary if you want to finish on time.

Tasha0070 · May 18, 2018

Well I'm doing the community college mane program, which transitions to a university. They do accept, you just have to find a course equivalent. I did that and had it signed off on by administration. I wouldn't completely rule it out, I would do my research beforehand.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · May 19, 2018

Thanks for the tips! Just wondering, did you have to work while taking these classes? I have a part-time job where I only have to work about ten hours a week.

I didn't work but I definitely had discretionary time that I could have invested in earning money had that been necessary. (I lived off of severance pay, unemployment, and a second mortgage in order to finance pre-nursing and nursing education.)

sofiwes49 · May 19, 2018

I'm not sure where the stigma comes from that it should be avoided because it's almost necessary if you want to finish on time.

Yes! Thank you! My advisors keep telling me to take them separately but unless I stay at the CC for another year, I don't have that choice. It's been so reassuring to hear of other students who have taken these classes together and succeeded so thank you!

justwanttohelp12 · May 19, 2018

It totally depends on your time management skills. I took physiology and microbiology together along with two other GE classes. I held the highest grade in my microbio class and I was somewhere in the top 10% for physio. Most counselors don't recommend taking them together because it can be an overwhelming amount of info, but I thought the two classes paired up perfectly. Some of the information that you'll learn in microbio will show up in physio so it's like you're studying for both classes at the same time. For example, the immune system is part of both classes. You'll learn about the organs involved in the immune system in physio then in microbio you'll learn about the cells and how they work to fight off infections. Honestly, I would hate to keep "relearning" the same material over and over; it gets redundant.

Jlovio · May 21, 2018

I didn't take micro with any other science class but I did take A&P I and A&P II together and I got A's in both with lots of work. I just finished micro this past semester and got an A with honestly no work at all. It was quite easy. So I guess if you had to take two sciences together I would recomend one of them being micro. I'm not sure about pathophysioligy, I will be starting that class next week.

(David) · May 22, 2018

You have received plenty of great responses here, but I figured I would add my two cents as well.

- I truly think it depends on your situation and your personality and/or time management skills. For me, I took both the same semester as it was the last semester I could take my pre-reqs and still apply to my desired programs without waiting another year. It was worth it for me.

- It depends on your situation. I am fortunate enough to have quit one career last year and be able to focus 100% on school (and being a parent to two kids and all that related jazz). I think being a parent and doing things around the house for the family takes WAY more than 10 hours a week (like your part time job), but if you have these things as well as a P/T job, take it into consideration. I also took two additional courses along with Micro and Physiology (Critical Thinking History course and Statistics online).

What the counselor said is a common sentiment. If you don't have to, try not to take two science courses at a time. If you are time-bound and/or hungry, go for it. Plenty of people have done it very successfully - you can too!

I have multiple folks in both my Physiology class and my Micro class that were doing both or Micro/Anatomy at the same time.

Bottom line: Is it feasible? Absolutely. You know your personality and situation. If you have reservations about it knowing what you know about yourself don't do it. If you know you can kick butt then go for it!

Best of luck!

-David

UnapologeticallyCurly · May 23, 2018

If you have a strong foundation (i.e. anatomy, chemistry, basic biology) you should do well... The students who struggle are the ones who skipped prerequisite courses or found a teacher to give them a waiver, so they got behind trying to learn the basics along with new material-- I can't tell you how many people in my class didn't know how to balance equations, do simple conversions, or know where certain anatomical structures were. Also depends on your outside commitments. If you have to work a FT job or have many family responsibilities, I wouldn't recommend it. They can both creep up on you and it moves FAST. I recommend looking up your teachers on ratemyprofessor.com to get an idea for what you're in for.

Be serious about learning: DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT, RECORD LECTURES IF YOU NEED IT, DON'T MISS ANY CLASSES, PLAN YOUR STUDYING, and you will do great í ½í²ª

sofiwes49 · May 23, 2018

If you have a strong foundation (i.e. anatomy, chemistry, basic biology) you should do well... The students who struggle are the ones who skipped prerequisite courses or found a teacher to give them a waiver, so they got behind trying to learn the basics along with new material-- I can't tell you how many people in my class didn't know how to balance equations, do simple conversions, or know where certain anatomical structures were. Also depends on your outside commitments. If you have to work a FT job or have many family responsibilities, I wouldn't recommend it. They can both creep up on you and it moves FAST. I recommend looking up your teachers on ratemyprofessor.com to get an idea for what you're in for.
Be serious about learning: DOWNLOAD THE POWERPOINT, RECORD LECTURES IF YOU NEED IT, DON'T MISS ANY CLASSES, PLAN YOUR STUDYING, and you will do great ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

Thank you! Those are the exact classes I am planning on taking this fall: general biology, general chemistry, and anatomy! Thanks for your advice!

Ready2B2019 · May 23, 2018

I don't know how many alternates but there is definitely a good chance to get in if you're selected as an alternated just make sure you send the response as soon as you can that you want to be considered as an alternate. I actually got put as an alternate at north and got accepted at central but then got called by north to accept my alternate a week after I had attended orientation at central so that's why I know about both.. at north we did not have to spend any money and everything was more relaxed. There's a certain place that's used for uniforms but besides that you can purchase other items elsewhere, which is great because you want to find the best price possible.

Futurenusingt · May 30, 2018

Hey ! I'm sure you can do it just make sure you manage your time wisely and its best if you only take those two classes. I was originally going to do that (just take micro + physiology) but decided that'll be alot so ended up taking physiology over the summer. You got this, work hard and don't compare yourself to anyone. This is your success story, afterall.

good lck!