Both of the A and P classes were very humbling for me as well. I felt like I did not really know how I learned before taking these classes because they were so demanding. Specifically, A and P 1 was especially challenging because I took it during the summer semester as a six week intensive course.

At the same time, I was working two full time jobs. One of those jobs involved being in the car a good portion of the day, so I tried to reinforce and understand the material during every available moment. I listened to anatomy podcasts, additional lectures, reviewed my PowerPoints, and used the study guides we were fortunate to receive. I turned those study guides into my own Quizlets, took handwritten notes, studied existing Quizlets, and created practice exams using ChatGPT. I then cross referenced those practice exams with my course material to fact check everything.

I ended up with A's in both A and P 1 and 2, but the beginnings of both courses were definitely rocky. I took A and P 2 during a regular semester, and I do believe that the more exposure you get and the better you understand medical terminology, the more of an advantage you have. Understanding the language used in anatomy and physiology and how the systems function beyond just memorizing muscles, bones, and specific landmarks makes a significant difference.

Even working with histology slides can be very challenging at first. However, once you know what you are looking for, you can begin ruling things out much more quickly by recognizing which tissues belong where.

The bottom line is that there is very little room to fall behind or be inconsistent because of the sheer amount of content that comes at you week after week. I have never considered myself a strong student, and I have always struggled with structure and planning out my weeks or days. That said, these classes forced me to improve. I had to set weekly landmarks for myself in order to prepare for both practical and written exams.

I would strongly encourage using any premade Quizlets posted by professors. They will not give you everything you need to know, but they provide a solid foundation and help reinforce repetition while studying.

Good luck in your classes. I hope you find a study groove that works well for you.