Should I take full time classes as a pre-nursing student?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I just started working on my nursing pre-reqs at a community college last semester. I took on full time classes and it honestly drove my grades into the ground. Before taking these full time classes, I was out of school for a few years before I got my GED. So I'm thinking maybe this was the cause of the difficulty I had? Anyway... I am enrolled in Psych 201, Biology 121 which will be the second time I took this class, and English 102. Should I enroll in another class so I don't take forever getting my pre-reqs out of the way? Also any advice you guys have to offer would be great. :)

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Get A's in your prereqs. Keep your schedule managable to do your very best.

I took some of the hard classes like Chemistry, Statistics and Microbiology with easier classes like Composition and Nutrition. If you aren't excelling in your science classes, then nursing might not be for you.

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I'm not going to give up. I'll do whatever it takes.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Agree with PP. Learning how to learn is the key. Have you taken advantages of tutoring services available at your school? They can help you develop better study habits. However, not everyone is cut out to become a nurse and your talents may lie in a different direction.

Learning never stops for nurses because of the very rapid pace of development in science and technology.... we have to continually learn new material just to keep our jobs. This can pose a huge problem for anyone with problems in those areas.

FWIW, I have two esteemed nurse colleagues with earned PhDs - who began their college educations with GEDs.

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I would recommend you be a full time student so that you can get accustom to the work load. But by that I do not mean you take a class load that would jeopardize your GPA. You can take one science class with two humanity/language classes until your mind and body have adjusted back to school life then up it to two science classes and a language/humanity class. You can also think about taking a general ed class or two in the summer.

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All I have left for pre reqs is Micro and I'm taking it with easy classes this semester. I'll be full time but even so I'll still be able to focus most all of my attention on Micro. I'm taking Micro, Eng, Psych and Nutrition.

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I'm not going to give up. I'll do whatever it takes.

Great answer! And good luck to you!

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Thank you very much :) and same to you.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I did both during my two years of pre reqs. I would say the sciences are toughest so I would only take one science with a couple of other classes. Some people really excel at sciences, but I am more of an English nerd. Math and science were more difficult for me. Having said that, in the last year of pre reqs I began to "get it" and I got As in both of those subjects (A & P II and Math for Allied Health). That is pretty good for me! You will be fine with a full load if you really give it your all. That's what nursing school takes anyway (from what I've heard, I'll know when I start Tuesday!) so if you can manage a full course load and do well, you will probably be able to handle NS. Although there are people on here who will tell you that some straight A students flunk out of NS. I am sure there are contributing factors and much more to the story than academics. Good luck, you can do it, I know you can.:yes:

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Thanks so much and congratulations! :)

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

I went back to school after a 22 year hiatus, so you can imagine how difficult it was for my brain to kick back into high gear. But, I took chemistry my first semester with 2 easy classes. It got me in the mode and I've been going full time ever since. I managed to enter nursing school with a 4.0 and just started my last year.

You need to learn how YOU learn. Each of us is different. Your GPA is more important than taking an extra year to finish your prereqs. But, if you think you're ready to try again, go ahead. You could always drop a class if you notice early in the semester that it's not working for you.

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During my summer semester I only took 2 classes, A&p I and sociology. I have issues going to school full time and working full time. Thankfully my job is understanding and cut me to two days a week. I'm not taking full time at my school (A&p II, micro and math) but I'm also taking an LNA course. Find what works for you. I've taken full time semesters with one hard course and two or three easy courses, or I've been part time so I can assure an A. After this semester I'll have only 2 more gen Ed courses to take during the summer before I hopefully start NS in the fall :)

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