**STRESSED** how to study for Foundations at UTA on campus

[sydoo]

Me along with everyone in my Foundations class at UTA is drowning in stress and exhaustion! Every chapter is ridiculously long and impossible to read. Our professor hasn't given us much on what the test is like or any information whatsoever.

If you've taken N3632, please help!! I'm so worried about the exam.

Thank you!!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

If you haven't yet taken a test, what information are you using to reach this conclusion? In any student group I've ever been in (or taught), the most popular conversation topic has been "woe is me", closely followed by "the teacher is horrible". It's part of the socialization experience - there's no escaping it.

Education is a singular experience... each person is ultimately evaluated/graded individually. It doesn't matter what the rest of the group thinks or does. Try not to over-react or get too deeply immersed in group-think, including mass anxiety or negativity. If it's like groups I have dealt with... Over time, your classmates will begin to differentiate into sub-groups. There will be the 'successful' students that make high grades & the struggling students who are in a continual state of panic. Most of your classmates will fall somewhere in between. My recommendation? Don't form alignments too soon... you may end up being dragged down by your 'buddies'. Instead, spend some time becoming more familiar those successful students. Chances are, they're not the ones who are loudly complaining about how "hard" everything is.

My recommendation? Focus on achieving positive outcomes. Keep in mind that you're just as smart & talented as all those previous graduates. If they did it, you can too. You've got this.

[crazydoglady89]

I'm not in your program, but have you tried simply asking the professor how they recommend you direct your studies?

Most of them will tell you to read the book of course...but many will say what to pay "special" attention to. My bio professor, for example, says all the information is important, but to make sure to review X question sections in the book.

The professor won't always just come out and tell you. They may appreciate you showing some initiative in asking. The worst is they can say "screw off, read the entire chapter and good luck to you."

I had an overall crap education experience with A&P (it's all online and we had no instruction except to read the textbook). I got really good at reading long chapters (I couldn't keep up and I'm a speed reader) after I read a few guides online on how to get the most from your textbooks. I recommend google searching that as well. Some may disagree with me, but I don't believe you always need to read the entire chapter in the way you think you do.

[sydoo]

Thank you so much! You are so right and this was an eyeopener for me.

[sydoo]

Crazydoglady89, we tried a few times and she says that we just need to read the chapters lolol. But your idea on googling ways to read the textbook is great! I didn't think about that. Thanks!!

[Funkymiss187]

Took the class, easy and straight forward. It's foundations so you need that information to build upon and grow as a student. Your teacher is right, read the book.

I made an outline of each chapter with the topic and the page number . Some test were open book but still timed, so it helped me flip to the correct page quickly and start my search there.

Be be prepared for most of your classes to have a syllabus that says you have to read a ton of chapters on your own. Good luck.

[Mojo jojo500]

Do you have Ms. Washington? I didn't read the textbook often, I just read the topics we were covering in the purple NCLEX book, did practice questions, and read her power points.

[sleepynurseZZZ]

Mrs. Washington teaches foundations for the online students, the campus based program is taught by a different professor. I'm in the campus based foundations class, and can testify that directions are definitely unclear. I made an A on the first exam, but I read nearly all of the chapters (except assessment), rephrased everything into my own notes as much as possible, and completed all of the prep-U's till I reached between level 6-8. It's definitely hard, and I don't see us getting an open book test anytime soon lol! That would be a dream come true! The only suggestion I have is that I've noticed that there is a lot of info in the chapters that we're not covering in the skills lab and I think it might be because that info will be covered in a later semester, so I read tirelessly over ANY info even vaguely covered in lab, but either skim/skip reading for things we don't learn in lab, and instead just read the rationales from the prep-U questions just in case some of that info is covered on the exam or the HESI. So it still gets covered, just not as thoroughly as things we learn in lab. Please let me know if you've found any good suggestions.