dumb question about GPA...

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Hello everyone...

I have kind of a dumb question (one that I don't really need to know the answer to but was curious about....)....

I have a BS degree and my overall GPA is 3.2. My nursing school multiplies that by 10 for 32 pts as part of the 70 pts I needed to get into nursing school. Then we have 3 pre-req courses worth 8 pts each (for an A, 6 for a B and so on) for 24 pts and 6 pts for having completing specific gen ed classes. (totaling 70)...

Anyway... I was thinking last night.... since I have completed my BS.... do any future courses I take add on to my BS GPA??? or does it start completely over for my ADN degree??? So I would have 2 GPA's???? I'm just curious if anyone knows.... I'm hoping to do a bit better this time around so either way would be good I guess (raising my current GPA or just having an additional higher one)....

Sorry I got so ahead of myself here.... any one know though???

TIA

Your GPA for the BS will stay the same.

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

It will depend on your school. My school will not transfer GPAs from other institutions. They will only give you credit for taking the class. On the other hand, I attended a school that will transfer GPAs. At my school the ONLY grades they care about were the ones that go toward the ADN degree. Therefore, my GPA was calculated for pre-reqs and co-reqs only.

Some schools I have read care about pre-reqs and co-reqs. They factor in OVERALL GPA, so your BS GPA plus any additional courses will be factored in.

Find out if you can retake classes. At some schools I have read you cannot retake classes. I also read that at some schools if you retake classes your two courses are averaged (C+A=B) or you are penalized in admissions points. :trout:

On the other hand, at my school you can retake classes without penalty to improve your GPA and admissions points.

The best thing for you to do is contact the school(s) you are interested in attending and ask them how they factor courses and GPA because schools are not the same. Good luck.

Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.

Yes, you will have two GPA's.

You have the GPA from your BS degree, that will be used for admission purposes, and then they "add on" to your GPA from the pre-req's you will take for the nursing program. This is your "overall" GPA and is for admission purposes only.

Once admitted into the nursing program, the only GPA that is used in calculation at the school where you are CURRENTLY enrolled.

So when you graduate, you'll have the GPA from your Nursing Program, and a GPA from your BS. So yes, you will have two GPAs.

If you apply to graduate school, they may or may not take your BS GPA into consideration (depending on the amount of time that has passed between the two), but may focus on your GPA from Nursing School. However, they do reserve the right to "combine the two" and come up with an "overall GPA on all previously completed coursework" for admission purposes, but ONLY if that is their policy.

I hope that makes sense.

Ask someone at your school. It varies. My old nursing school only took your prereq grades into account for your nursing school GPA, but my current school counts all prior classes, whether you earned a degree or not, and whether they are prereqs or not. However, no matter what this school chooses to use, your GPA for your B.S. will remain the same and you will have two degrees with two different GPAs.

Like someone else stated it varies. However you will have two GPA's. Your GPA might go up or down depending on the formula the school uses to tabulate your score. Usually schools will count the classes from your first degree that are needed to complete degree requirements (i.e. english, history) and add those to the nursing prereqs that you have taken. I hope that helps.

Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.
Ask someone at your school. It varies. My old nursing school only took your prereq grades into account for your nursing school GPA, but my current school counts all prior classes, whether you earned a degree or not, and whether they are prereqs or not. However, no matter what this school chooses to use, your GPA for your B.S. will remain the same and you will have two degrees with two different GPAs.

I've seen some nursing programs that do that, and I think that part of the admissions system is completely "jacked".

They get these high school seniors, that come out of high school, take AP I, AP II, and Chemistry, and even worse, when they only took one at a time, and they have a "4.0" based on 3 measley classes.

That's quite a bit different when you have 120 hours plus and have a 3.2 and took 16 to 18 hours every semester.

Yet, the GPA is calculated the same in both cases, and that really isn't fair. Nursing schools that do this, no wonder their graduation rate is so low because too many people figuring out ways to "win the lottery" and then when they have to take multiple classes, they can't handle the courseload, and that is why they have excessive dropouts, when the slots could go to someone else that is better rounded in how to handle a courseload.

Take it from the girl who has attended seven different colleges; your gpa will continue to be added on. There will not be two seperate gpas. I had a few party hard college years for my first degree and now, even though I have continualy made the dean's list for my bsn, I will never be able to graduate with honors because of those first few years.

Thanks everyone.... I'm going to have to check with my school and see how they do it.... Hopefully they will take my science courses and whatever else is needed and add the nursing courses.... Maybe then I can graduate with honors!!!???!!!??? :D (I've always wanted to do that!!)

Specializes in retail.

Hi, this GPA stuff really is crazy the older you get. the more classes you have the less your 4.0 matters. If the AP I and II and Micro don't count after 5 years, why does ever class you ever took count in yur GPA? not fair and more importantly, not an accurate representaion of what kind of student you are NOW.

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to have an F changed to a W?

I have a previous A.A.S. degree and after I got the degree I took a few extra advanced classes. The next semester I thought it would be fun to take photography. Well it was much more advanced than I realized so I stopped going and bottom line is that I didn't withdraw correctly. that was in 2002.

I didn't realize until this year when I got my transcript to apply to nursing school that I had gotten an F in that class which dropped my GPA from 3.83 to 3.66 - just sickening. I have all A's the last 4 pre-req classes but still barely not even back to a 3.7. I figured out it would take 21 staight A's to regain my 3.83! someone up there is laughing!:)

anyway, i don't think it would effecy my admission, becasue they can see what it is, but I found out that I may have a chance at a scholarship (worth a lot of money) if I have 3.7 or certainly 3.8 and want to see if anyone thinks I have ANY chance of the school helping me by replacing that F with a W, especially since I graduated with highest honors from their school and this was obviously a mistake.

I would take the class over to replace the grade, but there is no time before the application deadline.

Any hope?

thanks

Morgan

Hi, this GPA stuff really is crazy the older you get. the more classes you have the less your 4.0 matters. If the AP I and II and Micro don't count after 5 years, why does ever class you ever took count in yur GPA? not fair and more importantly, not an accurate representaion of what kind of student you are NOW.

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to have an F changed to a W?

I have a previous A.A.S. degree and after I got the degree I took a few extra advanced classes. The next semester I thought it would be fun to take photography. Well it was much more advanced than I realized so I stopped going and bottom line is that I didn't withdraw correctly. that was in 2002.

I didn't realize until this year when I got my transcript to apply to nursing school that I had gotten an F in that class which dropped my GPA from 3.83 to 3.66 - just sickening. I have all A's the last 4 pre-req classes but still barely not even back to a 3.7. I figured out it would take 21 staight A's to regain my 3.83! someone up there is laughing!:)

anyway, i don't think it would effecy my admission, becasue they can see what it is, but I found out that I may have a chance at a scholarship (worth a lot of money) if I have 3.7 or certainly 3.8 and want to see if anyone thinks I have ANY chance of the school helping me by replacing that F with a W, especially since I graduated with highest honors from their school and this was obviously a mistake.

I would take the class over to replace the grade, but there is no time before the application deadline.

Any hope?

thanks

Morgan

The photography class shouldn't count towards your nursing degree since it is not a prerequisite, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Specializes in retail.

hi, like I said I'm not worried as far as admission to the school, but it will effect my ability to get a large scholarship, that's why I am concerned.

I hoped they would not count classes that did not matter but they told me they count every class to calculate the GPA for merit scholarships.

I hope they were wrong but it was an admissions officer.

oh well I probably can't do anything about it but it is not like me to accept anything without a fight, so I will try.

thanks for responding.

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