# Frightened for Microbiology Lab



## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

I start classes again on January 30th. Each semester I am faced with the same bout of depression, and I usually get into the groove of things about 3 weeks in and feel just fine. Labs are always a huge problem for me, though, due to the anxiety of performing around so many people. I always go in thinking everyone around me is already proficient in techniques, and I somehow am not. I don't know...

Anyway, I just read the syllabus for my Micro lab and I felt a huge pit in my stomach. If I survived Organic Chemistry lab, I'm sure I can survive this. What are your experiences with it? I just get worried because there are so many techniques involved with it. Make me feel better!

Thanks.


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## Propaganda (Oct 26, 2010)

I've never taken lab before, (next year though), can you tell what aspects give you a difficult time coping with the lab setting?


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## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

Yes, it is primarily due to the fear of performing around others, in front of a lab professor, and the fear of not being able to comprehend techniques, apparatus setup, etc. I always cope, I just hate the anxiety every time I go to lab. This is also the first semester since freshman year where I will not be around a friend in the lab, meaning I won't have anyone in the room to feel comfortable with.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

The lab itself was great as far as labs go imo, but the write ups were terrible. I was in the class with a friend from high school at first, so it was great because I didn't have to find a stranger to be my partner. She dropped though, and I had that same horrible feeling you do right now. I thankfully, instead of letting my nervousness take over, worked up the nerve to ask two people if I could work with them. I think the guy dropped the course as well, so it ended up being me and the girl. After the initial discomfort, I managed to get over that talking to strangers hump, and it was fine afterwards. 

Point is, if you have partners, try to work over your nervousness and just get asking someone to be your partner over with, before everyone is taken, and things get 10x more awkward.


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## crookedsmile (Dec 29, 2011)

Out of all the labs I've taken, Microbio has been my favorite.  What I usually do is read the lab manual a day ahead and create a "step-by-step" instruction sheet in my notebook so I know exactly what I need to do at lab. Also, the lab instructor HAS to teach proper technique to all of you before the instructor let's you dive in all the specimens and equipment, so if you're not familiar with some stuff in the lab... don't worry, they'll teach you. That's what the instructor is there for! I hope you enjoy your Micro lab, it was really fun for me. The ONLY thing that I didn't enjoy was when we had to have our lab partner swab the back of our throats with a long q-tip.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

crookedsmile said:


> What I usually do is read the lab manual a day ahead and create a "step-by-step" instruction sheet in my notebook so I know exactly what I need to do at lab.


LOL, we were require to do this, but did I ever do it? No. We turned in our lab notebooks only twice during the whole semester, and I would scramble to do all of the write ups the day before (very responsible, I know), and the day of, and even though I half assed my reports, I would still probably not have time to put in a good 1/4 of them. Thankfully me and the TA got along very well, and my writing was absolutely horrendous, so even though my lab write ups sucked, and I was missing labs, I'd only miss a few token points, because she couldn't read my handwriting, and couldn't tell how half-assed the notebooks were XD.


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## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

That makes me feel a bit better, thanks guys. No matter what lab I'm in, I always read the labs and everything before I go. I always wind up doing well, it's just that anticipation and the first few weeks that really, really suck mentally.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

I understand, at least in the end you know you'll do well, and I can tell you from word of mouth, everyone that I know seems to have only good things to say about micro lab (at least in comparison to other labs).


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## Karuni (Jun 26, 2011)

I have the same problem except I'm a freshman, and I'm in my second and third college labs ever. It's so nerve wracking because I had so little lab training in high school (can count the number of times I used a microscope on one hand). My profs this semester are actually super helpful and explain a lot of things, but I still feel that performance anxiety too. I'm so afraid of messing stuff up. I don't have to worry about picking partners though because both profs assign people.


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## gorbulas (Feb 13, 2004)

i felt my lab instructor kind of sucked so I had a hard time comprehending the lab. since we didn't follow the lab manual, its pretty much hard to prepare for the lab. i was at a table where none of us knew what we were doing. we always had to ask the other tables what to do. a lot of times we worked in pairs or as a table.


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## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

Hey, had lab today. It wasn't so bad. My lab instructor is nice, and whoever sits at your bench (two others) are your partners. My partners were really nice and just as clueless as I was.

The only thing that is kind of bothering me, is that when we did streak technique, I had to try 4 times before I actually got the pattern down that was intended; I found it hard to streak while trying to keep the lid over the agar as much as possible. Either way, I'll try to put that behind me and hope that one of my 4 is good. I'm sure others made mistakes, only me and about 4 others actually brought it up to the instructor to ask if it was OK. My partner had to do two. I don't know, just little things like that bother me.....Just anxious that when I go back in, there will be no colonies on my plates or something.


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## foe (Oct 10, 2010)

My microbio class requires me to a project with grade school students. I thought the class and the lab was enough but now he adds another assignment.


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## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

I'm sorry to hear that, that's kind of weird you have to do that. I'm laying in bed right now, dwelling on the lab. Was I too loud? Was I annoying to my partners? Did I make a fool of myself? Did my streaks suck? Did the lab instructor like me? Why do I even give a ****...I hate this ****.


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## Eraserhead (Sep 23, 2006)

I used to like my undergrad labs as they were a good place to talk to people. Now I TA those labs, which is another can of worms altogether.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I'm definitely sharing that fear! In order to finish my degree I need to take four first year labs. Four. So I'll be 27...in a room of 18 year olds. Laugh and feel better.


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## Perfectionist (Mar 19, 2004)

I found most people sucked in microbi, so I definitely can't see you being the only one who had issues with your streaks, if you did. When I did it lots of people had issues with colonies growing. 

Based on my experience, as long as you can keep up with the workload, the socializing won't be an issue. After the first two weeks, 80% of people stopped prepping for labs and if you were one of the few who were, your lost lab partners loved you.


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## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

Perfectionist said:


> I found most people sucked in microbi, so I definitely can't see you being the only one who had issues with your streaks, if you did. When I did it lots of people had issues with colonies growing.
> 
> Based on my experience, as long as you can keep up with the workload, the socializing won't be an issue. After the first two weeks, 80% of people stopped prepping for labs and if you were one of the few who were, your lost lab partners loved you.


That actually makes me feel a lot better! Haha...thanks.


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## Mandy876 (Aug 21, 2013)

*Labs*

I know this is an older post, but I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts here. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone regarding the dread of school labs. Your words basically describe me to a T. The problem is not that I am stupid, it's the self doubt and the comparisons I make of myself to others. I always feel like I am going to look like the "dumb" one in the group because I won't know what I'm doing. The thing is, I usually figure it out, but regardless, I can't escape the constant anxiety of failure in front of a group.


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