Bachelors Degree very low gpa advice

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · May 6, 2014

You are going to need to talk to the schools that you want to apply to and find out what they use to determine their acceptance. If they use pre-reqs, then you need to retake those classes to boost your GPA up. Vast majority of ADN, BSN, and ABSN programs are highly competitive. Most of them have a minimum 3.0 GPA requirement to apply, but their lowest GPA of those accepted is around 3.5.

cb22 · May 6, 2014

Thanks for your reply! So I see programs for the last 60 hours of college coursework require a 3.0 and a C or higher for everything else. 60 hours would take about 2 years to make up.

What I would take from this is to just make up the pre-reqs. Which makes more sense.

Thanks a again. This gives me more clarity.

cb22 · May 6, 2014

pdiconsults, yes, after research I was interested in NP.

I have absolutely no problem in being a RN. I would love to be a RN.

I am just concerned on how to even get into a nursing program.

I realized I wanted to go into nursing the summer before my senior year of college. By that time, it was sort of to late and a waste of money that I didn't have at the time to back track to go to a school to take classes that weren't offered it my school just to get try to get into a program so I decided to finish the degree I started.

I have worked for a year and saved up enough money and got everything together and ready to start. I am just stuck on how to get there. I am reading and researching but everyone situation is different. That's why I want to ask questions relating to me on what's the best thing to do.

So in order to boost my gpa.. I redo the pre-reqs, then take any other pre-reqs and do well on those.

Since I do have very little to none health care experience should I also enroll in a CNA program to get experience ; as well as boost my gpa from that program?

Thanks for your answers! I really appreciate your taking time in reading and responding. Every piece of info is helping me out a great deal.

melissagee · May 6, 2014

If you plan to go back and redo certain classes, I would opt to take them at a community college due to cost because you will get NO grants as a matriculated student. Search for the reputations of the colleges around you. Not all community colleges are created equal. Take courses at the one that is most well known for science and technology programs. I got lucky in that I chose the one closest to me, but it also happened to have its nursing program based on that of Stanford's and its Chem classes certified by the American Chemical Society, as well as other protections to make certain its graduates were considered valid and viable.

I would also be very frank with the admissions counselors once you have these courses under your belt, and you can show them your As in them (hopefully). I would say that I wasn't certain what I had wanted to do as a biology major but that I had gained direction through volunteering (highlight this experience) and that I had taken steps to excel as a nurse.

In my case, I also had some life experience to draw on. I have Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (formerly juvenile diabetes). For many years, I was outraged at the care that I received as a patient, so I went into nursing, hoping that I could give better, more understanding care to my patients, especially those battling Diabetes. My mom also had a laminectomy, where I was her primary care giver and driver for almost two years. Almost my whole family battles or has battled some sort of addiction, (except me - I don't even drink caffeine), so I have been that caregiver as well.

You would be absolutely SHOCKED at how far life experience will get you in nursing. You just have to be willing to be HONEST about why you want to enter the field. Also, be willing to be rejected by 99/100 places, but know that there is definitely one place where they will see you and say, "THAT'S THE PERFECT FIT!" I keep telling myself this as I'm now applying for my first nursing job (it's much the same process).

As far as associates vs. bachelors vs. masters, it all depends on what you want to do and your local job market. There are some places where ASNs have a HORRIBLE time getting hired (S. California and SE PA for instance). It isn't that there are NO jobs in these places for ASNs, it's that there's a glut of new grads, so it's hard to get noticed (see what I said before about honesty).

I also wanted to do research, but I first want to get my feet wet with some patient care (hopefully in diabetes, where I also want to do research). It may help to try to tie everything together. What type of research are you most passionate about? Alzheimers? You could try doing geriatric nursing care for awhile and getting experience with sundowning etc.

In my opinion, highlighting your life experiences also steers you away from the generic cover letters people are so used to seeing. I was sooo impressed with your university/hospital because they're interested in best practice! Well, yes... but... what does becoming an ASN/BSN/MSN nurse or working at a particular hospital really mean TO YOU? Why does it matter so much to you that best practice is utilized in a certain population?

In my case, I battled diabulemia (where women with Type 1 omit insulin to lose weight) for years because a nurse said to me on diagnosis - "Look at you! You were 100 lbs when you came in, and now a week later you're back up to 120!" Wrong thing to say to an 11 year old caucasian girl. I will tell anyone that story, however, because to me, it highlights the exact type of behavior I wanted to ELIMINATE in nursing care of individuals with Type 1 where weight gain in response to rehydration is expected.

So back to you - why do YOU want to go to nursing school? Why in your heart of hearts do you want to work in a particular specialty? These are answers that will make your school and job applications NOT generic and generate attention for you, especially once you improve your grades.

I wish you the best of luck! Keep your chin up.

-M