[amjowens]

It's so frustrating to hear of people like yourself SO motivated to be nurses, yet there aren't enough seats open for qualified students!!!! That brings me down just reading about it! I'm so sorry!

I'm in Ohio, and here there are waiting lists (I am half-through with my LPN because I was on a waiting list, and the thought came to me-able to gain experience and earn a relatively nice salary while in RN school...). I was only on a one-year waiting list, and start my RN in Jan. '09, so I'm feeling blessed and thankful. It seems that in CA, though, there are hurdles all over the place due to competition! My cousin graduated from law school in CA, is married and settled, but can't pass the bar exam in the state (has in others) because CA has so many "applicants" and only passes a certain number!

I hope you get an acceptance letter SOON!

[AtomicWoman]

Originally Posted by amjowens

My cousin graduated from law school in CA, is married and settled, but can't pass the bar exam in the state (has in others) because CA has so many "applicants" and only passes a certain number!

Wow, I didn't know this. Those law school graduates must feel ripped-off that they are prevented from "passing" not by their performance on the test but by the fact that so many people apply to take it!

[Hotflashn]

Originally Posted by MedicalNerd

I am sorry to hear that the lotto was not in your favor. I know how you feel. I have applied to 3 schools that are ADN and over the last 2 years (4 semesters) of applying I have not been selected either. It is really hard to accept that you were not a "Lucky" to win the lotto, I haven't been "Lucky" myself.

What programs did you apply to?
I have applied to the CC's here in Sacramento.

I applied to 1 BSN, and 3 ADNs. One was the lottery, and the other two gave me waitlist numbers a year and a half ago. I was in the upper 300s and am now in 100s. I keep reminding myself that I have a slot ... eventually. So that is a nice safety net.

I did consider Sac State, but I looked at their admission criteria and while I did fine with the GPA and entrance exam, I don't really qualify for any (maybe 1!) of the many supplemental points offered. They really give out a lot of social/economic hardship points! It seems that a person who is less advantaged but a lesser student could get in before a better student ... negates merit, IMO. I see the need, yet, found it discouraging all the same, so didn't bother to apply.

Do any of the schools you applied to offer numbers? Or are all lottery? Good luck

[MedicalNerd]

Originally Posted by Hotflashn

I applied to 1 BSN, and 3 ADNs. One was the lottery, and the other two gave me waitlist numbers a year and a half ago. I was in the upper 300s and am now in 100s. I keep reminding myself that I have a slot ... eventually. So that is a nice safety net.

I did consider Sac State, but I looked at their admission criteria and while I did fine with the GPA and entrance exam, I don't really qualify for any (maybe 1!) of the many supplemental points offered. They really give out a lot of social/economic hardship points! It seems that a person who is less advantaged but a lesser student could get in before a better student ... negates merit, IMO. I see the need, yet, found it discouraging all the same, so didn't bother to apply.

Do any of the schools you applied to offer numbers? Or are all lottery? Good luck

Well I applied to 3 ADN programs this round and I still haven't heard from any of them just yet. These schools do not do a waitlist at all. It's either you are in or out! Harsh I know.
I did apply to Yuba City last semester in Oct 07 and was placed on their waitlist. I have 257 people in front of me as of January. They only accept 30ish a semester so I have about another year and a half to go.
The bummer is that this school is 50 miles away from me and with gas prices now at $4.00 I am really going to suffer when it's $5.00 next year and I am driving 100 miles a day!

[Hotflashn]

MedicalNerd, I hear ya on the gas woes! I have $4 bridge toll in some cases, too. Ugh. Have you considered Solano in Fairfield? It is a waitlist school, but the numbers move really fast. It seems to go down by about a 100 for fall and 60 or so for spring. Though, it would put you in commute traffic. Certainly a quality of life issue to consider!

LOL, need that Stafford loan just to get to and from school!

[EricEnfermero]

Originally Posted by LoriS

Wow, I didn't know this. Those law school graduates must feel ripped-off that they are prevented from "passing" not by their performance on the test but by the fact that so many people apply to take it!

Lots and lots of misconceptions about the California bar exam, even among people who have taken it. Just in my brief research into a legal career, I've learned that there is no quota or limit on the number who pass. In fact, the pass rate has varied substantially from one administration to another.

Two factors in CA are thought to drag down the pass rates. One is that CA allows graduates of non-ABA-approved programs to take the bar. There are seventeen of these programs in CA alone. The other consideration is that they allow unlimited retakes, with a candidate's chance of passing tending to decrease after each failed attempt.

[amjowens]

As for the CA info, I'm sharing my news based on the fact that a lot of my family members are attorneys or graduated from law school. Obviously, I'm in nursing, and respect the information shared with me by people in my family who've practiced law for many years/my uncle (my cousin's father) a professor.

California, New York, and Florida are known to be amongst the most difficult states in which to pass the bar. No, there isn't a set number who pass, and what makes one pass and not another is something not even those who passed can tell you, but those states have hoards of students taking the exam, and those exams are known to potential exam-takers to be not as easy to pass as in other states. My cousin passed the bar in other states, first try, but her husband has a business in CA, which limits her geographical options.

And, my point, as a nursing "person", I'm sorry for your struggle to get into CA nursing schools, as I understand how tough it can be out there to compete for limited spots! GOOD LUCK!