Bc3 (Butler County Community College) Nursing Program

tmow86 · Feb 3, 2011

I applied to BC3, but I am already accepted and starting school at St. Margaret's starting June 2011. I take all of my pre-req's at BC3 but I don't really know anything about their program other than it's really hard to get into and I am pretty sure that they have a waiting list!

Good luck!

jlipp2013 · Feb 16, 2011

Hi, I just got accepted to the BC3 program for the fall. I am very excited and had heard its really hard to get in. I have heard good and bad things as well but he program worked out best for my schedule and location. I currently attend BC3 and have been doing all my pre-req's through them. I also am scheduled to take the PSB test for UPMC St. Margaret's in about a month. Think I will probably just go to BC3 though b/c it ended up being the program that I thought best fit me. Would love to hear any information about the program as well!

javapearl · Mar 5, 2011

If you have the opportunity, do not go to BC3. I currently attend the college, and the more that I am there, the more negative things I hear, and or have experienced on my own. They have been the only school/college/hospital that I have applied to, that strictly go by your GPA. They line you up in numerical order and count down 70 students. ALL of the other colleges require references, a written essay, a pre-entrance exam, and an interview. BC3 does not care about the type of nurses it is producing. They don't care if you have the personality for it, or if you even have good references. Students boost their GPA by taking an art class and perhaps English, getting an A...a 4.0...and are being accepted. When I asked my advisor about that, she said, "Well it all comes back to bite them in the end." Meaning without the completion of anatomy, chemistry...etc. - that those students end up dropping out of the program. What kind of sense does that make? They are taking the seat of someone else who has a lower GPA, but has completed all the hard classes... and has a better chance of succeeding! So someone, who may be equally or greater qualified, who has completed almost all of the prenursing courses, with a 3.2 GPA, will be overlooked. That is the reason that it is hard to get into. Easy if you are starting out, take 2 easy classes and apply. (I hear that 300 apply, and the top 70 get in.) On a side note: My anatomy teacher said BC3 statistics are that 60% pass anatomy and 40% fail, the first time they take it!

Most college applicants have been plugging away at the prenursing classes, to the point of completion, before applying, so of course their GPA's have nits and bings amoungst them. Pittsburgh area is a distance to travel, but ALL of those schools care about who you are, and what your real intentions are. They have much better clinicals, and I believe a much better nursing experience. The decision is yours. BC3 has been a great stepping stone, to something bigger and better for me. The rest of the college is superior... the nursing program not so much.

Good luck to you and research ALL your options before choosing. If youa re applying to Pittsburgh schools for next year, start now! It is a time consuming job..the tests, the results, getting your transcripts, references, and before you know if a month has passed! Spots fill quickly... think about your essay and start fine tuning it now. All those things will save you time. Each cllege does things differently and in a different order. I had to make a spread sheet to keep organized! Best of wishes!

tmow86 · Mar 6, 2011

I inched my way through the process and I start UPMC St. Margaret School of Nursing in June! The whole process is worth it, and a much better nursing program that BC3. BC3 has been great for my pre-req's but I had no desire to attend there. I never dreamed I would get accepted into a UPMC program...but here I am getting ready to start in June.

phlowtey · Apr 18, 2011

I strongly disagree with javapearl. I am about to finish my first year in the program. I applied for it once and got in...with a 3.4 GPA. Man people who applied with a 4.0 did not get in. There is a lot more taken into account when selecting the 70 students than just GPA. The staff is very knowledgeable and experienced. There are a few Nurse Practitioners and several with Master's Degrees. The clinical locations are varied in facility size and type in order to provide an extensive experience. I will say that it is very difficult and that there is a no nonsense attitude throughout the program. Our first day included a speech during which we were informed that for every one of us there is 3 or 4 people who wanted to be here. Most everyone takes it very serious. LPN's join in the second semester. With them being added we end up with a total registration of about 85 students. The average graduating class is 50. The national average of students who start and finish a program is about 60%. BC3 is right there. Some schools graduate more and some less. The program is accredited and I have 6 friends who have graduated from BC3 in the last ten years that have grown to be well respected in their profession. This college, we are paying to be here. A lot more effort from the students is needed than there was in high school. The pre-reqs are a Biology, English, Algebra, and Chemistry with a lab all within the last five years. I took all four in one semester, got a 3.4 and got in the program. A minimum accumulated GPA of 2.8 is required for application but because of the number of applicants I was told that it is highly unlikely to get in with anything less than a 3.0. I spoke with the Dean of the program about why students who had a 4.0 did not get in when I did she explained that many times they see people who have been out of school for a number of years take a single class each semester to make sure that they earn the 4.0, they get into the program, and then they fail or drop out with the first semester. Just the nursing class for the first semester is like three individual classes; lecture, lab, and clinical. There are different books and material to study for each one. The Dean told me that more often than not the people who are used to one class get overwhelmed and leave the program. There is not an essay or references required, but they do far more than pick the first 70 people with a 4.0. The pictures of more than 20 graduating classes are in the hallways outside the nursing classrooms...evidence of experience and efficacy.

One more thing. A friend of mine who is about to graduate from the program is moving to Arizona immediately afterward. He was one of 200 people who applied for 20 nursing positions at the Mayo clinic out there. He got the job.

tmow86 · Apr 18, 2011

I strongly disagree with javapearl. I am about to finish my first year in the program. I applied for it once and got in...with a 3.4 GPA. Man people who applied with a 4.0 did not get in. There is a lot more taken into account when selecting the 70 students than just GPA. The staff is very knowledgeable and experienced. There are a few Nurse Practitioners and several with Master's Degrees. The clinical locations are varied in facility size and type in order to provide an extensive experience. I will say that it is very difficult and that there is a no nonsense attitude throughout the program. Our first day included a speech during which we were informed that for every one of us there is 3 or 4 people who wanted to be here. Most everyone takes it very serious. LPN's join in the second semester. With them being added we end up with a total registration of about 85 students. The average graduating class is 50. The national average of students who start and finish a program is about 60%. BC3 is right there. Some schools graduate more and some less. The program is accredited and I have 6 friends who have graduated from BC3 in the last ten years that have grown to be well respected in their profession. This college, we are paying to be here. A lot more effort from the students is needed than there was in high school. The pre-reqs are a Biology, English, Algebra, and Chemistry with a lab all within the last five years. I took all four in one semester, got a 3.4 and got in the program. A minimum accumulated GPA of 2.8 is required for application but because of the number of applicants I was told that it is highly unlikely to get in with anything less than a 3.0. I spoke with the Dean of the program about why students who had a 4.0 did not get in when I did she explained that many times they see people who have been out of school for a number of years take a single class each semester to make sure that they earn the 4.0, they get into the program, and then they fail or drop out with the first semester. Just the nursing class for the first semester is like three individual classes; lecture, lab, and clinical. There are different books and material to study for each one. The Dean told me that more often than not the people who are used to one class get overwhelmed and leave the program. There is not an essay or references required, but they do far more than pick the first 70 people with a 4.0. The pictures of more than 20 graduating classes are in the hallways outside the nursing classrooms...evidence of experience and efficacy.
One more thing. A friend of mine who is about to graduate from the program is moving to Arizona immediately afterward. He was one of 200 people who applied for 20 nursing positions at the Mayo clinic out there. He got the job.

and for those "older" nursing students who take ONE class, are also working full time, such as myself. Working full-time and getting an A in school is just as hard to a young student who just basically goes to school. I have taken one or two classes for two years while working full-time and have managed A's and 2 B's.......that is NOT easy to do.

jlipp2013 · Apr 18, 2011

Glad to see the posts and hear good things about BC3. I start in August and by then will have only one more pre-req class to take. I have a 3.7 and had heard the average to get in was a 3.4. They say 2.8 but the reality is there are a lot of applicant's and so its competitive. I was nervous and had doubts I would get in. When I went to the orientation there were a lot of people who had a lot more pre-req classes to take. I could see how it would be difficult if you were taking more than the nursing classes. I would think those are the people that do not do well. I am an 'older' student and its been very demanding and challenging to take these classes. I have heard that about the Anatomy and Physiology and think its like that at any school. I am currently finishing up A & P II and can't wait for the class to be done!

phlowtey · Apr 18, 2011

Tmowry. No offense was meant by my post. I am 30, my wife works full time, and we have two kids, 19 months and 6 months. There are many people in my class who have a much fuller plate than me when it comes to personal life. Most of the people who have family responsibilities and work even part time usually end up quitting their jobs during the first two semesters or dropping out because it is so difficult to do both. I am sure that there is more to the process than what I was told in a passing conversation with the Dean. Our class is very diverse. Their grade requirements make it possible for people who do not still live with their parents to get the degree and still spend time with their family. I am not a straight A student. I fully believe that everyone, without exception, is capable of being a straight A student. The lower grade requirements has allowed me to spend a significant amount of time with my children and help my wife with the home while she is at work and still get a quality education. Also, everyone of the pre-req classes is available as an online course with the exception of the labs for A&P and Chemistry. Those labs are scheduled in the evening so anyone who works full time is capable of taking the classes, even if it is more than one at a time. My son was born the day before I started the pre-reqs in the fall of 2009. At the time the online classes were full for A&P and Chemistry so I took online algebra and English and on campus A&P I and descriptive chemistry...all while working 15-35 hours a week and still earned a 3.4 to get into the program. It all comes down to motivation and a sense of urgency. The national average age for community college students is 29. These are the people may not have gone to college out high school and not that they are starting families there is a new need for a better job. The catalog of classes and the Program schedules are designed with this in mind. There are 8 other students in my clinical group this semester, only two are single and do not have kids. Two of them have four kids. One of those mothers of four is a 36 year old single mother who works as a phlebotomist 15 - 25 hours a week. She had essentially the same schedule as me regarding the pre-reqs. All 4 in one semester, she got a 4.0.

Again, no offense is intended. It just bothered me when I read that where I have chosen to get my education is accused of unfair and negligent methods of choosing students for the program and that "they don't care if you have the personality for it." No interview or admission letter will reveal enough of a person's personality to show if they will be a good nurse or not. Last time I checked it was the patients who decided if a nurse was good or bad.

jlipp2013 · Apr 19, 2011

Another comment I would make is that anyone canget reference letters written and I don't know that they prove that much. The ones I got for UPMC had just numbers you had to circle and a small space at the bottom to add any comments you may have. All the schools had their own advantages and disadvantages

javapearl · Apr 20, 2011

phlowtey... my above reply to this thread, were my opinions, based on my experiences, and my communication with my advisor at BC3. I never accused the school of unfair and negligent methods of choosing it's nursing students for the program.... I stated they didn't care. I also stated they do nothing other than look at your GPA, and it is the truth. - compared to other schools who try to make a serious effort. I have had friends go through the program and none of them know how they got in, other than their grades. (Where you given any special treatment?) No pre-entrance exam...no written essay... no professional references... no interview. BC3, thus knows NOTHING about you, other than a NUMBER...a GPA. It does not take a nurse with a master's degree to look at a number. BC3 would have no other information to base a sound decision on... what are they going to look at... my address... my student id number. really? There is NO OTHER professional or personal information they would have on me, to choose me as a nursing student, or not!!!

I know interviews and references can be swayed.... but knowing the school I am attending, cares about me and my education enough, to get to know me, speaks volumes. I am not just a number. Interviews happen everyday at jobs all across America. If they weren't useful, why are thousands of people wasting their time everyday? I, myself would not hire anyone who I have never met. (have to ask... would you?) I would ask for a professional reference to aid in my decision. Does the person have a strong work ethic.. are they notorious for being late? In a legit reference, and interview a lot could be revealed. It is a chance, like everything else. BC3, in my opinion is taking huge chances and risks, by not getting to know it's pre-nursing students. ALL, they care about your number, your high gpa, so at the end, they look good when you pass the NCLEX. (wonder if it isn't time that the word has got out, and LOCAL employers have caught on?)

There is another thread on allnurses, worth reading. Someone (bizmom?) posted, that upon graduating BC3, they filled out 80 applications, and has yet to be called for an interview. They stated that they think BC3 is a turn off to employers. Again, not to openly offend, but another perspective.

We each are entitled to our own opinions, and at this point we will just have to disagree. I don't care enough to waste anymore time on the matter. I know what I have experienced and nothing is going to change my mind. BC3 is a great place to start a career, just not a nursing careeer. I do beleive that all schools have their own ups and downs, and, in the end it is what each of us chooses to tolerate and / or accept.

I wish you all the best, because ideally, it does not matter where you get your education, as long as YOU are happy and proud of it. It is a free country, and All that matters is what YOU think of the program.... Not what I think of the program.

pryncess2010 · Jul 22, 2011

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting here. I am a single mother returning back to school after 11 years! I am taking some prereq's now and my goal is to apply for next fall's nursing program.

I currently work full time at a normal 8 to 5 job and I have a 4 1/2 year old. I have been doing alot of reading on here. I heard it is hard to get into their program as they go off of a point system but in my case I have a bachelor's degree already and I am changing careers therefore I do not qualify for any financial aid. I am determined to make good grades and not quit once I start something.

Next month I will be taking a full schedule on top of my full time employment and yet being a full time parent.

I believe anyone can do this, if they put their mind to it.

Does anyone know for 3rd semester in the nursing program about how many days or hours you will be in class? I am wanting to make a transition in employment to a hospital but I just need to know if I should look for part time employment. Thanks