So much for that idea

[torquill]

Every time I start reading my biology book, my pulse spikes to >120. I tried twice and gave up.

Given how sick, dizzy, and panicky simply studying makes me, I'm not sure I'd even be able to walk in to take the test on Thursday without fainting. If I were calm, even without studying I'm guessing I could pull a C... it's really hard to tell without knowing what the exam is even testing us on. If my heart is jackhammering and I'm trying not to pass out, however, I doubt I could muster much concentration.

No, tests don't usually make me sick with stress -- I test well, and I usually know more than enough material to pass. With all the heavy-duty extracurriculars I've got going, though, my emotional and mental states are not very robust, and the stress of discovering that I was pretty well hosed for the bio test just feeds into all that and makes me panicky. Even if I could pull this off in a good week, I sure as hell can't now.

I'm really angry at my teachers. Is it unreasonable to ask them for some sort of guidance? If they don't assign homework, how about a small quiz or two? Some section outlines? Study guides? Regular papers? Anything? All we have is a syllabus which details the grading process, a lab schedule (which is grossly inaccurate), two exams worth a third of the grade each, and two lab practicals making up the remainder. Oh, and a single paper for the lab section. There is no indication of what we need to be learning in this class, and no way to measure how well we've learned it, until the first three-hour exam. Bang. Am I being unrealistic, or are they?

I contrast this class with chem, where I have a teacher who puts some effort into, well, teaching, and there is no comparison. Mitch isn't the first good teacher I've had, either.

I've had some time to calm down from trying to study, and every time I think about the exam my pulse goes up again. It's gotten to the point where I think I have a choice to make -- and when pitting school vs. my health, the latter wins hands-down. I can retake the class; I can't recover from adrenal exhaustion quite so easily.

So unless by some miracle I feel calm tomorrow night, calm enough to walk into lab at 8 am armed with only a pencil, I'm dropping bio. Next time I take it, I had better get a teacher who tells me up front what they expect and when they expect it.

Comments

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

Definately concentrate on your health first hun. And I think yer teachers are just dumb. Maybe they just want to see how well you handle they're stupidity. If you even margianlly pass one of the tests you pass the class. Neh, I guess that's too much to hope for.

My suggestion for next time... see if you can't screen the teachers first. Ya know, find people who've had the class with them or get to talk to the teacher if you can and see what they have in mind.

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

It's very difficult to screen teachers at a community college, unfortunately -- it is, ironically, lacking much of a community. Besides, when it comes to biology in this area, you gets what you gets... I think these may be the only two bio teachers at Los Medanos, and Scott Matern is always totally full up at DVC. DVC is well-covered by Reviewum (http://www.reviewum.com), but Los Medanos doesn't have so many listings. Sigh.

If all I had to go on was lecture, these teachers are both quite good. It's when you get to the logistics and paperwork that they seemed to fall down. There's no way to find that out until you're already hip-deep, I'm afraid...

I suppose I can take one of them (one at a time!) next semester... but no matter what they do, I'm making sure I cover my ass and teach myself a reasonable amount of the material, so that no matter how nasty the tests are I could pull a B at a moment's notice. A joy that'll be when I'm taking OChem too.

Thanks for the sympathy. :)

[kitabare.livejournal.com]

Hey, look on the brightside... if you have to take the class again, at least this time you know some of it so yer already ahead.