I'm in my third semester of clinicals right now. It gets easier, at least it did for me. I hated Fundamentals, it was just a load of psychobabble to me. Also I think my instructor was poor. I have a 4.0 and I'm anal about grades. And I did what they called a summer "residency" program at a hospital this summer, so I don't only have book smarts. Anyway, it's my second career and I'm much older than all the 20-year-olds but I'm OK with it. There are advantages to that.
Here's my advice: keep up. That's one of the most important things. Do what you're supposed to -- read before it's covered in class, don't miss a single class, and study well before each test. Also use all the learning tools offered - the workbook, the website for the book, all of it.
Get a job as a Nurse Tech at a hospital, unless you already have previous healthcare experience. There is a vast body of knowledge there that is not covered in class. But do not work too many hours, you don't want to fail and have to repeat a nursing class (and in my school, you can only do that once). The people I know who failed did so because they worked too much.
Believe what they say about clinicals -- they are watching your professionalism as much as your skill performance. Don't be late, talk on your cell, etc.
If you are weak in math, GET HELP. It's simple stuff, high school, but every single nursing exam has a number of math questions (usually 5-10). You need to know it, anyway, you'll use it every day.
Do a lot of practice NCLEX test questions. Buy a book & CD. Your nursing exams will be like that. It takes practice. It's not like A&P where the one right answer was obvious if you memorized all the material. Most nursing questions start with something like, "what is your highest priority in the following situation...". You have to apply it, not memorize.
Good luck. I am enjoying it immensely. I'm taking Peds right now and so far, it's my favorite.
