Advice for Biology Graduate

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hi,

I graduated in 2011 with a BS in Biology, Minor Chemistry. I am thinking about applying to nursing programs in the near future. I have a cumulative 2.6 GPA and ~3.0 prereq GPA (not too good). Since I already have a large amount of student loans from the past, I am thinking about going the ADN route since it is less expensive and also because I am afraid that my GPA is too low to get into a BSN program at this time. My overall goal is to to become a NP.

I am currently employed as a chemical laboratory analyst and I can easily clear 80k/year with this job, but I have no interest in doing this much longer. I feel like I have already wasted 6 years doing something I hate, I want to do something I am passionate about and that actually makes a difference.

Is nursing school a good idea? Does anyone have any advice for me?

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I have a BS i Biology and I went the ADN route, worked a year and then did my BSN online. Much cheaper that way. I had a 3.34 GPA but the BS will help you get into an ADN program. You should have all your pre-reqs and you have shown that you can complete a program. I got in the first time I tried to get into the local ADN program

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I have a BS i Biology and I went the ADN route, worked a year and then did my BSN online. Much cheaper that way. I had a 3.34 GPA but the BS will help you get into an ADN program. You should have all your pre-reqs and you have shown that you can complete a program. I got in the first time I tried to get into the local ADN program
This is me right now. Actually, I'm halfway there. I have a BS in Biology with a 3.0ish cumulative GPA w/ a 3.8ish prereq GPA and have been accepted to a local ADN program and an ABSN program my first time applying. The local ADN + BSN later (3 years total) would cost $~15k while the ABSN (2 years) costs $~75k. Both programs are highly reputable. You bet I'm choosing the local ADN program. Hopefully, it works out for me like it worked out for you!
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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Check with your intended school to see if they will take credits in science classes that are more than 5 years old. I thought I read here on this very website that there is a time limit on science credits.

While you're researching, check into the future of NPs. There is an upcoming glut that will certainly flatten the salary curve and may make getting a job near impossible.

Due diligence would have saved many an unfortunate potential nurse the heartache of astronomical student debt and no job to pay it back. Student loan debt is not discharged by bankruptcy and can haunt you for the rest of your working life (actually even into the haze of retirement).

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I just got into an ADN program here is SoCal. I earned a BS in Bio in '95 (yeah, 22 years ago). Some programs will have recency requirements for the pre-reqs which may limit your options on where to apply. I was limited to 3 ADN programs because of this. However, there are a couple of accelerated programs where some pre-reqs need to be recent and others not. Make sure you do some research on the different programs to find the right ones for you.

Good luck!

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Thanks for all the info you guys!!! I will be researching all of the possibilities!

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