question about applying to nursing school with low gpa

[jimbojonesey]

I have a low GPA of 2.2 after I got my bachelors degree in communications.. My major did not require such high standards in grades to pass, I know it was not wise of me for not looking far into the future but this is my reason for a low GPA.

my question is what do I need to do in order to get into nursing school in the northern California area? More specifically, How high of GPA will secure me academically and so I dont have to worry about getting rejected out of every nursing school I apply to after I finish all of my pre-req's. I just started pre-reqs by the way. And when should i begin applying? What school did you go to, or do you recommend?

I figure since a lot of you are already nurses and gone through the academic part of it, can tell me more about it.

[suzanne4, RN]

The competition is quite stiff to get into nursing schools now in CA; you are most definitely going to need to bring up your average considerably.

Why you had the lower average is not a concern to any school, but the fact that it was low.

It is extremely competitive in the northern CA area, you are going to be competing against many that have grade point averages over 3.5. Unless you have significant experience, then it is going to be impossible unless you can score at least a 4.0 on every course that you are going to take as a pre-req.

You also need to be aware of the fact that it is extremely tight to find a new grad position in the Bay Area once that one has finished their program; many are having to leave the area to find a new grad orientation.

Best of luck to you.

[kwong30]

GPA is a big factor, but there are schools that accept students with more than just a high GPA. eg. SFSU looks at the whole package, the last 60 semester/90 quarter units as your calculated GPA; your pre-requisite grades, letters of recommendations, and volunteer/work experience.

The average GPA for students accepted can range from 3.5-4.0 for BSN and/or accelerated MSN programs. These programs are highly competitive, so you'd have to expand your options.

Look into community colleges. They tend to accept students by lottery system or by wait-list. Look into the nursing websites. I read it says you need 2.5 in the Science/English requirements, and you can be placed in the lottery system.

You just started pre-requisites. I'd recommend you work hard to get As in those courses to secure your seat. I think some schools look at how your grades trend. The more recent upward trend, the better. Good luck!

[starmickey03, MSN, RN]

Not in Cali but there is a school in Oklahoma that accepts EVERYONE as long as they meet the requirements. Its called Oklahoma City University (http://www.okcu.edu). They have some type of agreement with the government to decrease the nursing shortage. They have BSN, ABSN, MSN, and doctoral programs. They only turn people away for the doctoral programs. Of course its pricier than community colleges but if youre really discouraged then you should give it a try. I looked at their ABSN program and its around $43,000. Im in the same boat youre in. I have a 3.37 and thats not good enough to get me into any schools in MI, so Ive been applying to schools in Ohio and Indiana instead. If I dont get accepted into any of those programs then Oklahoma will be my LAST resort. But when you want something bad enough you have to do whatever it takes to get it. If I do have to end up going there the only thing I wouldnt like is the lack of diversity I hear the state has especially since Im black and in MI we have people of all the colors of the rainbow here

[nightpearl]

I have a high GPA and believe me, that is not enough to give you an edge. Since I only tried to get in to local ADN programs I can tell you what I have learned.

Most programs will look at your pre-requisite courses first no matter what they base entrance on. If you just started those, try your very best to get A's in all of them, especially in the science courses. If you got by with a 2.2 without really trying, then you should be able to get A's if you really try. Another thing you should consider doing is volunteer work. Don't get discouraged. Many schools are lottery now; as long as you did well in your pre-requisites and you meet all the requirements you have just as much as a chance as someone with a 4.00 GPA. You should contact the schools you are interested in and ask them what their program requires so you can start working on meeting those requirements. You do not want to be scrambling to get that done when you're getting ready to apply. Most schools will not let you apply until you are completely done with all of your pre-requisites. Another thing I want to mention is that since you already have a degree, it will help you in some schools if they go based on a point system. Some schools will give you additional points if you come from a socioeconomically disadvantaged group, have experienced some kind of hard ship, have worked full time while taking your pre-requisite courses, know a different language and so on. However, like I mentioned before, you should contact the schools you would like to go to and ask what they require and then take it from there.

I was told I would be looking at a two year wait because of all the California budget cuts. However, the same semester I applied at three schools, I got accepted into one of them. Try to stay positive and work hard at getting those A's from now on. Whenever I felt discouraged about my chances at getting into a nursing program soon, this quote by Randy Pousch always helped me move forward;

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”

Good luck!