Anyone dealing with a discouraging advisor?

[SopranoKris]

I'm finally getting the opportunity to pursue my RN/BNS after 18 years. I found out that most of my pre-reqs don't "count" anymore because they're older than 8 years.

I figured, fine...they'll be review classes and I aced them when I took them back in the 90s. Well, after meeting with the nursing advisor on Friday, she was SO discouraging!

I went into the meeting so full of enthusiasm and was so positive and it's like she just wanted to burst my bubble. I'm not trying to be unrealistic about my expectations. I know how competitive it is to get in to nursing school. However, I do have the luxury of not having to work while I'm in school and have no young children at home.

I went from only needing 3 pre-reqs to now needing 8!!! I was so shocked!!! The college wouldn't even accept my Psych 101 class because it was pre-1992. AARRGGHH!!! So now I'm faced with taking 3 classes in the summer and 5 in the fall just to be eligible to apply in January. Otherwise, I'll have to wait another year and won't be able to apply until 2014. I'm just feeling really discouraged right now. I *KNOW* I can take these courses and get A's in them. I did it before and I can do it again. I just hate it when people are so negative & discouraging. She kept saying there was no way I could do 5 classes in the fall and pass all of them, let alone with high enough grades to get into nursing school.

If I'm not working and solely focusing on school, I think it's definitely do-able. Especially since I've already taken these classes before. I wouldn't have to take them at all if it weren't for the 8 year rule. FRUSTRATING!!!

So, I've been mulling 2 different scenarios. Which do you think is best? I've marked all the re-take classes with an asterisk.

Summer 2012

Psychology 101*

Healthly Lifestyles

Anatomy 201*

Fall 2012

Physiology 202*

Microbiology 203*

Microbiology Lab 204*

Human Growth & Development

Pharmacology

Apply to nursing school 2013. Hopefully start nursing school fall 2013.

Or I could spread out the courses over 5 semesters, get my Phlebotomy or CNA and work in the field to gain some extra points on the nursing school application, but can't apply until January 2014.

Decisions, decisions....

Anyone else in the same boat?

[badwolf]

Do it! That semester will be tough, but you can do it. Make it your goal to prove that advisor wrong.

If I were an advisor and had to sit in a little room and talk to college students all day, I would be a Dennie Downed too. :-p

[ProudStudent]

I have been really disappointed withadvising in the past, I can relate to your feelings ofdiscouragement. I was advised that I shouldn't take certain classestogether because she doubted my potential and it really angered me..so I did it anyway and hoped to prove her wrong (not that she evenknows I did) lol!!

If you're not working and you feeldedicated to your coursework, I say go for it! If you're anythinglike me and decide to spread it out a little, you'll end up takingmore classes because they'll change the prerequisites altogether.THAT news was frustrating :) I was ready to apply after just 2 moreprerequisites and then they began requiring a CNA license. That wasan extra 120 hours of class and an extra $1,000.00 in fees that werenot expected!

[winterlights08]

That's disappointing that you need to retake all those classes, but it's definitely managable! A lot of people take two lab sciences at a time, and those are the ones to worry about. I think those advisors are so used to dealing with the younger people starting college for the first time that they don't account for the fact that we adults are (usually) much more driven to succeed. I never even bothered meeting with an advisor and managed to always pick a courseload that was workable for me. I have four kids and like another poster said, my house is also as busy as a trainstation at night (nicely put!) Now I'm all set to graduate and have been accepted to (at least) two nursing programs.

I ended up having to retake one class because it was an AP class from high school (basic psych) and the credits were too old by the time I tried to transfer them. When they found out I had never met with an advisor, their eyes practically bugged out of their heads! The guy at the registration office made me feel like an idiot! He directed me to the testing center and to quote: "I suppose since you've been going here this long you know where the library is?"

Anyway, as everyone else said, you'll be fine..there are many who have loads of obligations and they somehow make it through.

And taking the prereqs will get your momentum going for nursing school! I'm like a train now!