Which one is better to take on summer? A&P or Micro?

Devon Rex, ADN, BSN · Jan 7, 2017

Hello Farrah34!

It's never too early to plan your course schedules. In fact, it shows that you are committed to your goals and proactive... which are excellent traits in the nursing profession.

There really isn't a right and wrong answer to your question (as you could go either way and still be successful), but if I were you... I'd take Microbiology after your General Biology. Everything will sound familiar in the beginning and you will be able to build upon it. A&P has a different focus... the human body, its organs, and functions.

Best wishes as you move forward!

BubbyBoogs · Jan 7, 2017

Personally I would take Micro in the summer because I found it be the easiest. However, that is me and not you. A&P has a lot of information that is very important to understand.

gere7404, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2017

Hello Farrah34!
I'd take Microbiology after your General Biology. Everything will sound familiar in the beginning and you will be able to build upon it. A&P has a different focus... the human body, its organs, and functions.

I agree. I talked my A&P professor into letting me take A&P before the prerequisite general biology as I had taken a different bio course at a different college. I ended up taking microbiology before general bio and micro was more or less just an extension of what we were learning in gen bio in more detail. I'd do micro after general bio and before doing the A&P sequence as the two go together.

Farrah 34 · Jan 7, 2017

Thank you

in my school A&P 1 is a pre-req for Micro.

Farrah 34 · Jan 7, 2017

Many people say Micro is more challenging than A&P 2.

I was wondering maybe I should take Micro after A&P1 and postpone A&P2 to my last semester which is going to be the summer semester.

quarterlifemess, ADN, RN · Jan 7, 2017

Many people say Micro is more challenging than A&P 2.
I was wondering maybe I should take Micro after A&P1 and postpone A&P2 to my last semester which is going to be the summer semester.

Micro isn't more difficult than AP II. I took them together last semester and my toughest class was actually Statistics. I earned a 97.7 in Micro because of the overlap in topics with previous biology course and AP II.

If you insist on taking a science in summer, I would suggest you take Micro. AP I would be your first introduction to an upper-level biology course, you don't want to compound that by taking it in a condensed session. Once you get your study skills adjusted for an upper-level bio course, your baseline for 'OMG this is is going to be a very rough semester' will also adjust.

Basically, AP I and II will be mostly new information. Micro does introduce a smaller amount of new information but mostly it just takes concepts you have already learned from Gen Bio, AP I, and AP II and goes into more detail about them.

I don't see a point in taking AP II after Micro, it will make it more difficult then it needs to be. Especially if immunity is covered in AP II at your school. The science department at my school has it set up that immunity is completely covered and tested on in AP II at least two weeks before it is brought up in Micro. They want us to have the basics down before going further in depth.

You seem very anxious about taking science classes. This isn't the first time I've responded to one of your post about it. Maybe you should consider taking your sciences in a full semester. I understand this may postpone your application but it may be better for your anxiety and your grade. I took all my sciences in 15 weeks. I only used 7 weeks for classes that I didn't want to stretch out like English Comp and Life Span Psychology.

Farrah 34 · Jan 7, 2017

Yes, I really am anxious about my science classes maybe it's just because I've been out of school for a long time.

I appreciate your answer.

NeoNatMom · Jan 7, 2017

Hi guys,
I know it's too early to plan on summer courses, but I need to ask your opinion about which route to take.
This semester I'm taking Gen Bio, so I can go for A&P 1 during summer. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to take my first science course on such a short period. There is another option for me: take easy courses on summer and A&P on fall.
There are two Options:
1.
A&P 1 summer semester
A&P 2 fall semester
Micro Spring semester
Or
2.
A&P 1 fall semester
A&P 2 spring semester
Micro during Summer
I'm not sure which plan is more reasonable to take. Help me please.

IMHO, I'd take A&P 1 in summer, then A&P 2, then Micro...

OliveOyl91, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2017

Thank you
in my school A&P 1 is a pre-req for Micro.

This just seems like an odd concept to me. General biology is the prerequisite for both micro and A&P at my school. Is the summer session shorter than the others? I'm on the quarter system and where I'm at summer quarter is only 7 weeks long compared to the 10 weeks in the other three quarters. If your summer session is shorter, I'd recommend taking micro in the summer.

If not, then it's really just a personal preference. However, I highly recommend taking A&P1 and A&P2 consecutively.

gere7404, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2017

IMHO, I'd take A&P 1 in summer, then A&P 2, then Micro...

Yep, given the options I'd start in the summer with A&P 1, especially if you are going to be taking micro so long after taking general bio to give you some time to refresh yourself on the content without being rushed by summer hours.

ShelHuss89 · Jan 8, 2017

I'm about to take Micro for the spring starting Monday. I've completed A&P I and II. The prerequisite was BIO 101 or AP II. By the looks of the textbook. Micro is basic info, not many details just a lot of memorization. I hope my assumption is correct. Good luck.