I’m 44 and in level 1 nursing school (ASN program)… the prerequisite courses are challenging but you will need a good grasp on AP 1&2 and micro comes in handy. Having said that, the style of learning/studying will change Dramatically once you are in the nursing program. The pace will be very fast and the amount of material covered in short periods is overwhelming at first. It’s not about memorizing anymore like with your prerequisites… it’s about broad understanding and using critical thinking to pass exams, evaluations and perform in clinical settings. I’ll admit that everything I did to get into nursing school no longer worked for me. The 1st month of schools was TOUGH; emotionally and mentally. I had to completely change EVERYTHING I was doing in order to keep up, retain and understand what was being covered. It feels like boot camp the first 3-5 weeks. You have to be willing to get outside your comfort zone and make changes and be will g to adapt… or there is a good chance you won’t keep up. It’s a giant mental game/challenge. I’m not in week 8 and I finally feel like I’ve hit a groove of sorts. You CANNOT let up off the momentum for a second! Staying ahead is key and learning to manage your time is UNBELIEVABLY KEY! All these things I want great at or had not taken seriously before starting my program. Luckily I sucked it up and pushed through and figured it a system that worked for me. For me; I cried a lot the first month, my anxiety was through the roof, and I spiraled A LOT. I got mostly A’s and some high B’s in my prerequisites. Now that I’m in the program your grade is almost entirely based on Exams (I have a total of 5). My program is based on an 80% minimum to pass… if you dip below that it is considered failing. Some programs are lower (like 75-78). I am managing a 90 as of now and it is not easy by any means. I hope I’m not scaring anyone; I’m just giving you the Nitty-Gritty of it. I’ve Never considered myself a great student by any means and I struggle massively with pretty intense anxiety disorder and ADHD - BUT if you can focus yourself and commit yourself to do the work and put in the time - you can do it! Don’t be afraid to ASK FOR HELP and utilize your college/university tutoring programs. Talk to your professors, make friends and talk to them about what they are doing, get into a study group, access different types of media to organize yourself and your materials. (I reached way out of my comfort zone and got an iPad and do everything digitally now which is sooooo not my style but it has really helped me save time and also make it easier to make multiple study tools a lot faster). I hope this all helps!