A&P classes are challenging. It’s a lot of information packed into a relatively short amount of time. Plus, there’s the wildly differing worlds of critical thinking and “blind” memorization coming at you from both sides. It’s important to have a lot of tools at your disposal, as everyone learns differently and it may take time to figure out what works best for you. Here are a few ideas to get you passing, or maybe even from a B to that elusive A.
GENERAL
- Read the dang textbook! Even if your professor gives you a 200-page packet for the semester and tells you you won’t be using it, the textbook is going to give context and help you understand concepts better. When you get stuck, check there before you start doing patchwork Googling. The textbook tells you. It does. (There are free textbooks you can use, too.)
- Look up YouTube videos. 3D animations and real-time drawings can do a lot of good. Also, image search. Some diagrams just suck and you need to find a better one. You don’t need to stick with the black and white copy-of-a-copy-of-a-copy that your professor gave you.
- Talk it out. Pester your friends, family, roommates, and classmates. It’s best if it’s someone who doesn’t know anything about A&P. Try to give them a mini-lecture about what you’ve learned and see how far you can go. Let them ask questions. When you get stuck, you know what you need to revisit.
- See if your college has tutoring or other resources. You don’t have to be a “bad” student or at your wit’s end to seek out tutoring. My tutoring center is walk-in — you can just come in for 5 minutes to ask for clarification on something. We have lab models if you just want to study by yourself. We even make Quizlets! I cannot tell you how much time I spent in the tutoring center, even as an “A” student. (Or am I an “A” student because I spent a lot of time in the tutoring center? Hm!) You’re already paying your college for these services — use them!
- Make study buddies! I see some pretty amazing stuff happen when 2-4 students grab a study room outside of class. Everyone has different ideas, tricks, experiences, resources, and strengths. Bring them together and you can really get the neurons firing. Just stay focused and set concrete goals for the session. (Yes, I know, it’s really intimidating and awkward introducing yourself to your classmates. But the rewards can be great. Give it a try.)
- Remember that good studying takes time. Students come to me and ask what they can do to raise their grades. I give them ideas and they say, “But that will take time!” …yes. Yes, it will. Sometimes there are no shortcuts. Sometimes you need to just get down and dirty and invest the time.
- Don’t be afraid to drop by your professor’s office hours. I’ve had professors tell me that they get jazzed up when students utilize this time because it actually gets lonely otherwise. They’d rather you “bother” them than stay overwhelmed in class. Which brings me to…
- As soon as you start struggling, switch it up. Don’t wait until test 2 or 3 or 4 to look for help. Seriously, DON’T WAIT. The longer the wait, the worse it gets. Tell your professor when you start falling behind and see what you can do about it.
LECTURE
- Take notes by hand if you’re able. Studies show that writing on pen and paper activates your memory in a big way.
- If you are having trouble keeping up with note-taking, ask your professor if you can record the lecture with your phone. There are lots of free voice recording apps out there. Alternately, check if they make Powerpoints, study guides, or other resources available so you can revisit the lecture. This way you can digest more of it in class and take better notes the second time around. For some people, it takes multiple “passes.”
- Are you taking an online class? Put on a lecture for a second time while you are doing dishes, eating dinner, or doing something else mind-numbing. I’ve gotta stress: Do this after you’ve already seen/heard it once.
- If your professor gives you a packet to follow along with in class, re-write all the notes later. It’s easy to glaze over all the information and just look for the fill-in-the-blanks in the moment. Filling out whole sentences is great. For extra awesomeness, put things in your own words once in a while. Again, writing by hand is great for memory.
- Use color! Grab different pens or highlighters to emphasize information that hits you differently. Or switch colors every once in a while to keep your notes looking lively and cue your memory.
- Make concept maps. These are a funky way to get your brain “reaching” and recalling on the spot.
- Think like a professor writing a test. What would make a good short essay? What are some terms that are annoyingly similar that would be a killer multiple choice question? Can you match the components of the organ with their functions? Can you name the 6 types of ____?
LAB
- Look up Latin meanings when you get stuck. For example, “trochlea” means “pulley.” When viewing the humerus, you might, then, be able to use that as a memory cue. Prefixes and suffixes are good to know, too. Epi-, peri-, endo-. Pay attention and look for patterns in language.
- Make flash cards by hand! Yes, it’s time consuming. But worth it. You’ll want to practice your spelling, and this is one way to do it.
- In the margins of your lab objectives, write down little shortcuts to help you identify certain visual markers. It doesn’t have to be poetry. “Extra pointy part,” “Below big notch,” “Dangly thing above corpora quad” are examples. You may feel you know where that thing is today, but tomorrow you may not, and you’ll want those shortcuts instead of looking up a diagram from square one.
- Find fill-in-the-blank diagrams (like these), put them in sheet protectors, and write on the plastic using dry erase or wet erase markers. Erase and practice again.
- Draw the bones, muscles, plexuses, etc. that confuse you the most. Even if you’re not a “good drawer,” recreating a diagram will help it stick better.
- Think up silly mnemonics and anagrams. Afferent is toward the CNS because efferent means G-T-“eff”-O. The penis in cross-section looks like a monkey’s face. Ask your classmates what helps them remember.
TIME MANAGEMENT
- Set a timer and study in small blocks. About 30 minutes is a pretty good amount of time. Then get up, stretch, have a snack, and take a little stroll for about 5 minutes. Then get back at it. Do a couple of these blocks to make up your bigger study sessions.
- Look at your notes once every day. Skim the content you’ve done so far this unit and re-visit the day’s lecture or lab. This doesn’t have to take more than 5 or 10 minutes. This is just to keep the information crunching in your brain.
- A little bit of studying is better than no studying at all. It’s easy to procrastinate. You might feel the threat of studying as a huge, intimidating thing that you just can’t possibly live up to. “I should study for 2 hours!” is on repeat in your mind, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it. Then study for 15 minutes! Set a timer and then go back to Stardew Valley (because I know all too well that depression and anxiety are things). But odds are when you simply sit down to study, the drive will arrive. If not, 15 minutes is better than nothing.
LIFESTYLE STUFF
- Keep yourself fed and hydrated! Studying on an empty stomach is a terrible idea. You’ll be distracted and your brain won’t be working at its best.
- Get as much sleep as you can. If you are having trouble keeping your eyes open, trying to “push through” and study is doing you no good. Pack it up. Sometimes it’s better to just take the nap.
- Repeat after me: “I can’t go. I have to study.” Give yourself a solid day off every couple of weeks, but going out and getting blasted every Saturday night is going to cost you. You can’t go. You have to study.
And… be nice to yourself. Seriously. You’re doing a really hard thing! Give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while! -CNx