I've been in school for 7 weeks already and time is just flying by! Everybody said it would be like that, too, so I should be a nurse in no time at all ;) To keep myself steady, I write every assignment in my planner and cross it off as it is done. I only look week to week so I don't get too far ahead or fall behind. I even have a schedule of when I can sleep and when I have to study! I'm working at the hospital overnights every weekend and a weekday evening shift here and there. I refuse to be blindsided by huge assignments or exams that I "forgot" about so organization is key.
As for my very first exam, I did not do as well as I had hoped. My second exam in the same class is tomorrow and I found a few girls in my class to study with and feel a lot more confident than the first time around! This is for A&P and Dream School's standards are set pretty high; you have to get a 75% average on all of the exams/lab practicals in order to pass the class. You can have 100% on all of the quizzes, homework assignments, participation, etc. but have a 74% average on exams and you FAIL. You cannot pass go and you certainly cannot collect $200. On the first exam, I got a 72% so I was depressed for a few days. However I got a 96% on my first lab practical which brought my exam average up to an 80%. Oh happy day!
One thing I absolutely love about all of these classes I am taking is that they are healthcare field related. I'm not learning about parasites that only infect whales and I'm not learning about sociology in random cultures. I'm learning about REAL things that affect humans that may affect how I care for them when I'm a nurse! And when I take math next semester, I won't learn calculus or how to find the area of a triangle, but I will learn how to calculate doses and convert from metric to US.
Lastly, I will just share a study technique that I have found really helps me and that is using Quizlet. I use my professor's PowerPoints as a guideline, then add to my flashcards things from the book that I don't quite understand. Quizlet also has an iPhone app that can help me when I'm on the go. I especially love searching topics and studying what other people have made flashcards for. :) I make flashcards for every class and can share them with my classmates. Making my own flashcards really helps me retain more information. What ways do you study that helps best?
