I figured I’d share a few things I’ve learned so far, especially for those heading into their second year. Some of these are things I wish I’d known earlier!
1. Be prepared to switch gears when it comes to studying.
Previously, I would prepare organized class notes ahead of time using the PowerPoints, add anything emphasized during lectures, and create a study guide from those notes. I’d complete the study guide thoroughly, and that was essentially how I prepared for exams. That system worked beautifully for me in 102.
However, once you get into third semester, particularly OB, you may find that your usual study methods simply aren’t realistic anymore.
OB is an amazing class, but the sheer volume of material is A LOT. There were times I had to read through the material or watch the recorded lectures, without taking notes, hoping something would stick in my brain. 😂 There simply wasn’t enough time to organize and document every little detail the way I normally would have liked.
My advice is to be flexible. If you’ve found a study method that works for you, that’s great! But don’t be afraid to adjust it when the workload changes. Sometimes getting through the material and understanding the bigger picture is more valuable than having perfectly organized notes.
As for the Med-Surg portion of third semester, I’ve only just started that class, so I can’t really speak on it yet. Maybe I’ll share an update later!
2. Be aware that instructors may be listed as TBA during registration.
During my first and second semesters, I was able to choose my instructors when registering for classes. Granted, registration was extremely competitive, but at least we knew who we were signing up with.
For third semester, however, all the instructors were listed as TBA. And from what I’ve seen, fourth semester appears to be the same.
I’m not sure why Malcolm X has started doing this, but just be aware!
3. There is an official way to submit compliments or complaints about instructors (or other school-related concerns).
This is something I actually didn’t know existed until this semester!
Of course, you can always communicate directly with your instructor or leave a review on Rate My Professors. However, if you have a praise or concern that you genuinely want documented and addressed, there is an official form you can submit.
From my understanding, these submissions go directly to the assistant dean, so this may be a more meaningful way to formally document an issue.
I’ll leave the link below:
🔗 https://applications.ccc.edu/compliments-and-complaints/
That said, I want to emphasize something that should be common sense.
Please use this responsibly.
Submitting a formal complaint can potentially affect someone’s professional reputation and livelihood. Personally, I would never report an instructor simply because they’re difficult, strict, or because I don’t particularly like them.
The only time I’ve felt the need to submit a formal complaint was when I was genuinely concerned that the quality of instruction was significantly interfering with my ability to succeed in nursing school. For context, nearly everyone I personally spoke with in my class had failed the first exam. The instructor was not following the calendar at all and was not even covering 1/3 of the materials listed the first 3 weeks. Combined with other concerns regarding instruction, I felt that the situation warranted a formal attention.
And remember, the form isn’t just for complaints! If you’ve had an amazing instructor who deserves recognition, that’s worth documenting too.
4. If anonymity is important to you, be careful about how you raise concerns.
This is another thing I wish I’d understood earlier.
If you’re planning to submit a complaint and maintaining your anonymity is extremely important to you, I would be cautious about discussing the issue directly with faculty members or communicating through email.
Even if you’re told that your identity will remain confidential, I wouldn’t automatically assume that anonymity is guaranteed. Because I have seen it fail before.
Just something to keep in mind!
5. Have your classes ready in your shopping cart BEFORE registration opens.
Registration at Malcolm X can be ridiculously competitive, especially when everyone is trying to get into particular sections.
One thing I’d recommend is adding all your desired classes to your shopping cart ahead of time. You can usually do this before registration officially opens.
From what I remember, you can also proceed through several additional steps before reaching the final submission button.
My suggestion? Get as close to that final submission step as the system allows.
That way, when registration opens, you have fewer steps to complete.
6. My experience with ATI: Fundamentals vs. OB and Mental Health
I remember being told by former students that Fundamentals ATI (second semester) is the hardest one, and now that I’ve taken Fundamentals, OB, and Mental Health, I can somewhat agree!
All three were challenging in their own ways, but I’ve completed Practice A and B for all three subjects, and I personally felt that the actual Fundamentals ATI was significantly harder than its practice exams. I didn’t feel quite the same level of difficulty gap with OB and Mental Health. Mental Health wasn’t too bad and personally felt that OB A & B were much harder than the actual exam.
Another thing I HIGHLY recommend, especially for Fundamentals, is doing lots of ATI Dynamic Quizzing questions!
I noticed several questions on my actual Fundamentals ATI that were extremely similar to, if not directly from, the Dynamic Quizzing questions I’d practiced. I genuinely think that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to pass Fundamentals relatively comfortably.
Interestingly, I didn’t notice nearly as much overlap with OB and Mental Health, so your experience may vary.
Anyway, that’s what I have for now!
Third semester has definitely required some adjustments, but I’m glad to be making progress. Just one more semester after this one! 🥹
I’ll probably share more once I’ve gotten further into Med-Surg.
Hopefully, some of this helps those of you getting ready for second year. And if anyone else has tips or experiences to share, feel free to add them!