Anyone Get Rejected and later accepted @ Same School?

trendz80 · Mar 19, 2005

Hi There,

I know that you are worried about your GPA as I did not have a great GPA either. I applied to 5 schools and got rejected from 4 of them. I actually got into one program in NYC but I found out that it was not an accredited program. The school was accredited but not the nursing program. So I withdrew. I have applied again to 4 other schools and have been accepted into a hospital based program in Yonkers, NY. I am still waiting on letters from the other schools that are BSN programs. My point is, have a back up plan as I always do. I want to go to an accelerated BSN program right off the bat because I have a degree already which I received 5 years ago. But many of the admissions reps have told me that the longer you have been out of school and you do very well in your pre reqs, they know that you are a more serious student now and you can convey this in your essay. Alot of schools look for a 3.0 but I only have a 2.556 from my undergrad degree and that is only because earlier on when I started school back in 1993, I was a young mother at age 19 and had no one to really help me out with my son and go to school and have time to study and work. I convey this in my essays. I have done really well in all of pre reqs. I have a 3.50 in my pre req courses but some schools add that on to my BA degree. That only brings up my GPA to a 2.78 or something like that. It could be higher but I transferred from another school and my GPA was a 2.11 and when they add it all up, it does not make it near a 3.0. Like I said, I am not giving up and I did get accepted into a program. I am doing the accelerated ADN program in 1 yr to get licensed in Dec. 06 (when I pass my test) and then go to a one year RN-BSN program that is affiliated with this school that I am attending now. This works out for me fine because it takes two yrs for me to do a regular BSN anyway because of my degree already and it takes two years to do an ADN. So this works.

Don't let anyone talk you into giving up. If you want to become a nurse, then you do it. Just do well in your science classes or whatever you are doing now. You will bring up your GPA because it get counted together anyway. Run to your goals and let nothing stop you.

Good Luck and God Bless!!!

I am taking my pre-requisites and I keep having these thoughts about being rejected and do not have any idea what I should do if I am. I am doing well in my classes, but when I first attended college (seven years ago) I partied and such. Now I am serious about my education and know what I want to do (I had no idea the first time around). I have moved to a new state w/ my husband and have started the pre-req's. What is worrying me so much is that from my first go-round in college I am starting out with less than a 1.0 GPA. This is on my record and, to the best of my knowledge, nothing can be done about it. I am so worried that no matter how well I do in the classes I take now, that first-time college experience will come back to haunt me.
To make matters worse, my one relative who usually gives great advice, says that if I don't get in it should be a sign that God has other things planned for my life and this was just not meant to be. I don't want to think that because this is the first time I have ever actually wanted to do something (I was very spoiled) and I gave this a lot of thought and consideration before making the decision.
HELP!!!
KC

collegemamma · Mar 19, 2005

I know how you are feeling right now. Like you, I went to college right out of high school and did not do well. I had my son when I was seventeen years old and I decided that school did not fit into my life at that time . I always planned on going back to college when my son got older. Well, 12 years later I enrolled in college with plans of obtaining my ASN in Nursing and eventually my BSN and after a tough first semester in Fall, 2003 I am proud to say that I have completed most of my pre reqs while maintaining an over 3.0 GPA, just got inducted into a national honor society and to top it all off, I just received 2 acceptance letters to ASN Nursing Programs for Fall, 2005!!!! I am over the moon right now! So to answer your question, yes there is hope you just need to be dedicated and work hard and you can obtain your goals. Good Luck!!!!!

trendz80 · Mar 19, 2005

Congratulations collegmamma. I know you are so happy with your accomplishment. So I see we are in the same boat with having a child and that not fitting in with what we wanted to do at that time. But everything happens when it is supposed to. It may take awhile but our goals will eventually be fulfilled. I am so happy that you got into two programs, now you have a choice. I would really be over the moon if I get accepted into a BSN program. I am studying to take the GRE's because there is this Combined degree program where you get your BSN in one year and the MSN in one year after the BSN. But if I don't get into any of the 3 schools that I have applied to, I already know that I am in an ADN program and still can get my bachelors anyway after that. So I am happy either way. Again, congrats and keep up the good work. I know your son is proud of you!!!! :mad:

I know how you are feeling right now. Like you, I went to college right out of high school and did not do well. I had my son when I was seventeen years old and I decided that school did not fit into my life at that time . I always planned on going back to college when my son got older. Well, 12 years later I enrolled in college with plans of obtaining my ASN in Nursing and eventually my BSN and after a tough first semester in Fall, 2003 I am proud to say that I have completed most of my pre reqs while maintaining an over 3.0 GPA, just got inducted into a national honor society and to top it all off, I just received 2 acceptance letters to ASN Nursing Programs for Fall, 2005!!!! I am over the moon right now! So to answer your question, yes there is hope you just need to be dedicated and work hard and you can obtain your goals. Good Luck!!!!!

collegemamma · Mar 19, 2005

Congratulations collegmamma. I know you are so happy with your accomplishment. So I see we are in the same boat with having a child and that not fitting in with what we wanted to do at that time. But everything happens when it is supposed to. It may take awhile but our goals will eventually be fulfilled. I am so happy that you got into two programs, now you have a choice. I would really be over the moon if I get accepted into a BSN program. I am studying to take the GRE's because there is this Combined degree program where you get your BSN in one year and the MSN in one year after the BSN. But if I don't get into any of the 3 schools that I have applied to, I already know that I am in an ADN program and still can get my bachelors anyway after that. So I am happy either way. Again, congrats and keep up the good work. I know your son is proud of you!!!!

Thanks! Yes, I believe that if you truly know what you want and aspire to reach those goals (no matter how out of reach they may seem) you can accomplish them! The Combined Degree Program your trying to get into sounds great! Best of luck to you! I actually now have 2 sons and they are really proud of me. It is such a good feeling when all of the hard work begins to finally pay off!

Maisie · Mar 19, 2005

I understand some schools will forgive and erase your previous grades. You might want to find out if this is possible. I think it is terrible that schools even look at past performance. I attended school in the early 80s and they are holding these against me. I even had one school that wanted to look at my old ACT test from high school from almost 30 years ago. I explained that I had earned a BA degree and would they please look at my grades from that period, they explained that it did not matter if I had received straight A's in college, they were only interested in the ACT test.Keep praying for your acceptance into the program. Then thank God for making it possible. Don't think or say anything to the contrary.

manna, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2005

A lot of schools have an academic fresh start type program - where if you have been out of school for a certain length of time, they will wipe out your old grades/GPA and allow you to start over. The downside of programs like this, though - is that if you had any courses at that time or since then that you've earned credit for, those are erased as well. It's just exactly what it says - a fresh start. Beginning again with a clean slate. (I did this myself a few years ago).

Good luck! :)

Glimmer · Mar 20, 2005

i know what you are feeling kc...

i graduated in 2001 and my mom basically forced me right into college because my sister never went. i took the first semester somewhat seriously and then has time went on a slacked off more and more. i didnt want to be there and had no idea what i was doing there. it wasnt for me. but... i had to continue to go to keep my mom happy... needless to say my gpa sucked because if it was not a class that just clicked with me i had no desire to work for the grade. :uhoh3:

i was horrified when i pulled up my gpa about a year ago. at that point i knew i needed to take some time off from school and figure out exactly what i wanted to do. last new year's eve i made my resolution... to figure out what i wanted to do when i grew up (it was kinda scary admitting i had to grow up! ) and it was last summer before i really started thinking hard about what it was i was going to do. i narrowed it down to the healthcare field right off the bat. i even toyed with the idea of really getting my life together and maybe heading off to medical school (ha ha ha :rotfl: ) but said that i would never go into nursing.

i remember being little and hurting my knee... i went to an orthopaedic and fell in love with the idea of fixing people and dealing with bones, etc. i was a truly amazing field. when i told my ortho that i wanted to have his job when i grew up (i was 9) he told me that it was a job only a man could do and perhaps i should think of something a little more girl friendly and go into nursing. :angryfire from that point i on i detested the idea of becoming a nurse. i thought about on several occasions, had people tell me that i would make a great nurse, was encouraged to go forward, etc but i would not even entertain the thought... then one day i wrote down everything i would ever want to do and the last thing (but the one thing i realized i had probably always wanted to do) was becoming a nurse.

i looked into the different programs and knew that there was no way a 4 year university would accept me given my previous track record so going straight for my bsn was out of the question. i was already in the system at the community college and luckily they have a adn program.... and then there was a diploma program offered through a local hospital. i have decided to pursue the adn.

i was really upset about my previous school record and how it may impact my decision plus trying to figure out how to undo what i had done. i went and talked with the head of the nursing dept where surprisingly the relayed a very similar story to me about how she started off... and it was not that uncommon for the nursing students she has today. most are not traditional (in that they are right out of high school and have taken college really seriously) and she likes that fact... as she puts it the people in her program now are there because they want to and because they have worked to get there.

after going over everything and reading through every pamphlet she gave me with a fine tooth comb i came across my saving grace. the gpa for the nursing program is only made up of the classes you need for the degree. so the gen ed classes (a&p, micro, psych, etc and then the nursing classes once in the program) are the only gpa that they will look at. thankfully, the couple of classes i had taken that were general ed classes i did pretty well in and have somehow ended up with a 3.0 gpa to start off with this summer.

i am going tomorrow to fill out my nursing application. i am almost certain that i will not get in due to not having a ton of points yet but it does not cost anything to apply nor will it count against me. it actually has (and will) help me. i found out that my hs transcripts were never sent the college so they had no proof of my algebra and chem grades from high school. i got those together so now (hopefully) i will not have to take either one before i get accepted. also, the nursing program i am applying to sends each student a note with the rejection letter... it tells exactly what you were missing to get into the program (more points, gpa, etc).

admission to the program is done on a points system. (the points come from the general ed courses that they recommend you complete before enrollment... but you can take them during the nursing school if accepted) so you have 28 possible points to get... if you have all 28 points you are pretty much accepted to the program (you have to have a 2.0 gpa to apply)... and then it is done off the highest points. gpa only comes in if you are tied for a spot with someone (if they have 3 spots left and every student has 12 points but gpas are 3.6, 3.0, and 2.5 the top two will get in)...

so... the answer your question in a much shorter way. :coollook: if nursing is what you want to do dont let anyone tell you that you cant.... if you get rejected from the school try again... you have changed who you were and are working hard to make yourself better... and you can do it. i would also take a really close look at the admission guidelines to the schools you are looking at... perhaps you will luck into what i have found out about it just being gpa not including all the classes... it may help you out some...

best of luck!

alnee

http://www.livejournal.com/~futurern/

kbclary4 · Mar 21, 2005

Thanks Alnee, your post makes me feel a bit better. I too had a similar experience with my family. I was raised by my grandparents, who are very old fashioned. From the time I was small they have always told me I should either marry a preacher or be a nurse because there will always be a job for me :uhoh3: . Of course you can only hear this so many times before it is the absolute last thing you want to do.

I went to college just to get out of the house and since they were paying for it and spoiled me endlessly, I goofed off. I hardly ever went to class and failed almost everything I took. I just liked living in the dorm. I went straight from there to marriage with a husband to take care of everything.

It took me getting divorced and realizing my grandparents are nearly broke from giving my sister and I every little thing we wanted to actually take care of myself and realize the seriousness of education. I feel awful for taking advantage of them like that and spent 8 months taking care of my granddad who is losing his battle with emphysema before moving with my new husband to a new state. That is when I realized that I don't have to avoid something like the plage just because my family thinks it is a good idea and decided that nursing was for me. I just hope I've already reaped most of what I sowed and it wont come back to haunt me too bad.

KC

elizabells, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2005

Don't give up! Here's what you do: write a kick-*** personal statement, detailing the lessons you've learned in life. They get so many "I just wanna heeeeellllp peeeeeeople" essays. Write something of substance that shows you actually have the capacity to empathize with patients, because you've been through tough stuff. Take some kind of standardized test - the GRE, even if you don't need it, is always good. Get the CD-Rom study guide (I did well with Kaplan) and study your tukus off. Don't elect to send the scores automatically - wait until you see them. If you don't need the test, and you don't do well, you're out some $$$ but otherwise no harm, no foul. If you do well (and if you learn the 'tricks', you should) then you can submit your scores and it's extra points in your favor. Try learning a second language if you can. Get some direct experience in health care, even volunteering is good if it's what you can get. Now's the time to bust your butt to atone for your sins. Can you tell I goofed off in college too and had to make up for it? I went to a notorious party school and did just that. Now I'm headed to Columbia in 72 days. It can be done. You're already ahead of the game because you've LIVED. Never forget that, and keep your head up.

newnurse2005 · Mar 27, 2005

It's too bad that these schools are making it so difficult for those of us who want nothing else but to be good nurses: especially since everyone is complaining about a nursing shortage. Our nursing schools need to reconsider their admission guidelines. Good luck to all of you!! I'm sure you'll all be great nurses. Don't give up, since you have patients who need you!

Trauma Columnist · Mar 27, 2005

I was in the same boat too. When I got out of high school (1977 when the dinosaurs roamed the earth - lol) and went straight into nursing school. After two semesters, I hated it, didn't want to continue. So...I quit and joined the Navy - no notice, didn't finish the semester, got all F's!!! So...fast-forward to 1990 when I'm an adult with kids and I go back to nursing school full-time and voila - here I am about to finish my MSN. It CAN be done - hang in there!