4 Qs about A&P vs. Microbiology?

I am taking Micro this quarter. My Micro is set up almost exactly like my A&P classes were. I am studying about the same, maybe even a little less! I think it is easier. I got A's in A&P and have a very high A in micro so far. I was very apprehensive about micro and it has turned out to be not so bad. It is extremely interesting in regards to current disease and the causes and very well related to every day life. Also much of it relates back to A&P topics. You will be fine!

Did you already take A&P? I took Micro before A&P I and II - big mistake IMO. I wish I'd taken both A&P classes first.

I found A&P I easier than Micro and A&P II harder. In the Micro class I took, spelling counted (I'm guessing it does in all Micro classes), so that was sometimes tricky. I though it was a very interesting class. Just keep up with studying and you'll do fine. If your professor uses a lot of slides, you can practice recognizing microbes, etc, by searching for them online.

mtc-val, do you have the same professor who taught you a&p and microbiology?

congratulations for your high a in microbiology and a in a&p! and thank you for your reply.

narnian70, i have finished a&p i and ii, and will take micro this summer. you are right. it would be harder if take micro before a&p.

thank you for the suggestion. i will use the websites to practice recognizing microbes.

thank you both.

take care.

Thanks for asking! I was actually wondering the same thing. :)

I think understanding DNA replication from A&P (it was very basic) helped with understanding how viruses and bacteria replicate in micro. Having basic cell biology understanding helped a lot. Our labs were actually pretty fun. We would set up our slides or petri dishes on Tuesdays. Come back on Thursdays and see what grew or fermented, etc. Discuss our findings. Go home and write a lab report. We also had lab quizes on Tuesdays. The lectures were like a whole 'nuther class. We would have quizes and exams that were about memorization and an understanding of microbes. Don't worry about not being able to understand things you can't see. Microbes have their own world and if you aren't grasping something in class, ask your instructor. I also found watching youtube videos really helpful in understanding how microbes replicate. Our instructor was also the head of the water treatment program and had some fascinating insight. If you keep up with the reading and writing, ask questions when necessary, you should do fine.

please give me some suggestions with my microbiology classes which will begin in summer.

in addition, could you please give me some answers to the questions below?

i greatly appreciate anything you say.

1. if compare anatomy and physiology with microbiology, do you think that i need to memorize more when study the microbiolgy (like the famous scientists and their contributions; the long scientific names of microbes)? no... the memorization is similar.

2. with your experience of studying microbiology, have you changed any study method that you used in a&p classes? for micro i relied less on flashcards and more on repetitive reading of the text (each chapter 4 times).

3. is it more difficult to study the microbes because i cannot see them, but i can see the parts of my body when study a&p? i don't think so. i thought micro wasn't too hard.

4. have you known some students who could get a+ on a&p tests only get c+ on the microbiolgy tests? is it possible? i don't know any but i'm quite sure it's possible.

5. do you think a&p is useful when study microbiology? how? no, not really.

thanks again!

sincerely,

grace

1. No, I think it is similar as well

2. I think a lot depends on the teacher and how they test. Im Micro I read and rewrote my notes until I knew them. We had essay , fill in the blank. In A&P I had to know more diagrams and it was scan tron with powerpoints so I just went over them until it was stuck in my mind. I think I used the website to help me study more.

3.No, its not more difficult.

4.Yes, actually. I did know people in Micro that claimed an A in A&P but struggled in micro. Again, I think it all has a lot to do with learning styles and testing methods. Some people love scan tron and others like to write to essays.

5. No. I took Micro first and never regretted it. Each class will go over what you need to know for that section and later on you can see more where they cross paths.

We are required to take medical micro instead of regular micro. A&P II was helpful for immunology in my med micro class. T cells, B cells, antibodies etc.