How am I doing? What should I do?

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Dec 24, 2006

Wow - my initial reaction is that the upcoming semester is going to be a much busier one than you're used to. I wish you the best of luck!

fire_fly · Dec 24, 2006

17 hours is a pretty heavy load & you've got 3 science classes there - do you need to take them all at once? If not, I would eliminate at least one, to bring up your GPA - retake the Chemistry to bring up the GPA. I also wouldn't take anything I didn't need for nursing school, unless you have an interest in it - to lessen the load. Don't feel too bad about the D+ - I had one classmate who got a D+ with one teacher and an A the next semester - the first teacher took pride in the fact that he flunked people and made everything as clear as mud, luckily he retired. The 2nd teacher was great and wanted the class to succeed.

Jules A, MSN · Dec 24, 2006

Hi,

That is a huge load of tough classes coming up. Are you in the nursing program at the University? I'd probably consider going that route since you already have so many of the gen-ed stuff done that you wouldn't need for the ADN. Your grades might give you trouble getting into a CC also depending on what they use as criteria. There is no doubt if someone looks at the different classes you've done well in that you are super bright but at least at my CC the gpa's had to be higher due to the number of students applying for limited positions. Good luck to you, Jules

PsychGrad2BRN · Dec 24, 2006

Hello,

Here is what I would do if I were in your place:

Talk to the nursing program admissions counselor at the university and see what they consider for admissions. Definitely retake Chemistry (which it looks like you are doing already). You might also want to consider retaking Precalculus as well, if the school takes a math/science GPA into account.

Drop Microbiology from your schedule and lighten your course load. If you want to raise your GPA, it is not a good idea to take 3 science courses in one semester when you are not used to that kind of load, and have been getting under 3.0 semester GPAs for most of the time you've been in college.

Something else you might want to look into is transferring to another school. It depends on the competitiveness of the programs in your area.

Good Luck!

nancy86girl · Dec 24, 2006

Yeah.. I was planning to take A & P I, and Microbiology, until I got my bad grade in Chemistry.. So I kinda just stuffed it into my schedule..

Thank you for everyone's suggestions, I was having that little doubt in my mind, but with the attitude of completely focusing on school, I was thinking I could handle it :monkeydance:

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Dec 24, 2006

the good news is, as you progress you begin to integrate what you learn and it begins to really make sense. My grades went up the longer I was in school.

nancy86girl · Dec 24, 2006

the good news is, as you progress you begin to integrate what you learn and it begins to really make sense. My grades went up the longer I was in school.

Yeah, it looks like I'm rushing it a bit.. I guess actually getting into the profession is just an exciting thing to me. I know I should be patient and take my time since the whole nursing profession isn't going to run away. I hope my grades start going up, because with the ones I have now, I have very low confidence I'd get anywhere with it.

DesertRain · Dec 24, 2006

Sometimes I wish there was a process that we could go through to eliminate those ugly grades from our transcripts. Kind of like a court hearing where you would sit in front of the dean with an advisor and your affadavit stating your remorse and supporting statements as to how you are certain you won't see those grades again. Yes, it's daydreaming but sometimes I feel like college/university right out of college isn't for everyone. I feel like there are a select few who can remain focused and still acheive outstanding grades. There are also a large portion of us (myself included) who at 18, 19 etc are still trying to find themselves. I mean they send you off trying set the foundation for your life and you're not even a legally allowed to have a sip of beer. It has been 10 years since I first started college and I am just now only serious about what it is I want to do.

Don't beat yourself up about the past. Unfortunately the grades stick to you like glue but sounds like you have the option to retake them and it probably would be a good idea, seeing an A replace a C will probably give you a big boost of self confidence. Sometimes we have some battling issues that we simply cannot figure out over a semester of Political Science or a boyfriend who we discover isn't really "the one" after a Chemistry Midterm and it is only human to feel miserable and only human that it effects our performance. But my general rule of thumb is--you can acheive anything you want and subsequently where there is a will there is a way.

I have read posts on here that are pretty disheartening "oh you're gpa is that low, why don't you explore other options" or "here is the truth and it may hurt-nursing is not for you if your grades are that bad" well I disagree. You are what you make of yourself and if you are determined to make yourself a brighter, more focused student than you can acheive whatever it is you are applying yourself to.

You can do it!

Good luck and have a wonderful holiday!

DesertRain · Dec 24, 2006

the good news is, as you progress you begin to integrate what you learn and it begins to really make sense. My grades went up the longer I was in school.

Absolutely!

nancy86girl · Dec 24, 2006

Sometimes I wish there was a process that we could go through to eliminate those ugly grades from our transcripts. Kind of like a court hearing where you would sit in front of the dean with an advisor and your affadavit stating your remorse and supporting statements as to how you are certain you won't see those grades again. Yes, it's daydreaming but sometimes I feel like college/university right out of college isn't for everyone. I feel like there are a select few who can remain focused and still acheive outstanding grades. There are also a large portion of us (myself included) who at 18, 19 etc are still trying to find themselves. I mean they send you off trying set the foundation for your life and you're not even a legally allowed to have a sip of beer. It has been 10 years since I first started college and I am just now only serious about what it is I want to do.
Don't beat yourself up about the past. Unfortunately the grades stick to you like glue but sounds like you have the option to retake them and it probably would be a good idea, seeing an A replace a C will probably give you a big boost of self confidence. Sometimes we have some battling issues that we simply cannot figure out over a semester of Political Science or a boyfriend who we discover isn't really "the one" after a Chemistry Midterm and it is only human to feel miserable and only human that it effects our performance. But my general rule of thumb is--you can acheive anything you want and subsequently where there is a will there is a way.
I have read posts on here that are pretty disheartening "oh you're gpa is that low, why don't you explore other options" or "here is the truth and it may hurt-nursing is not for you if your grades are that bad" well I disagree. You are what you make of yourself and if you are determined to make yourself a brighter, more focused student than you can acheive whatever it is you are applying yourself to.
You can do it!
Good luck and have a wonderful holiday!

Thank you so much.. That really did touch me, and has made me feel a lot better. I felt pretty disheartened cause of my grades already and yeah I'll have to stick with them like they'll stick with me. I appreciate your feedback and I hope you have a wonderful holiday also.

cad4296 · Dec 26, 2006

Hello! Fellow Houstonian here! Don't get discouraged yet! First off we're in Houston and there are several BSN and community college programs in the area and even some in Galveston and surrounding areas. Most programs only configure into the GPA what they require for the program and science GPA usually weighs pretty heavily. Also I think alot of people start off with a not so stellar record in college. I wish I could make my first year transcripts disappear! My very first semester in college landed me with a C, D, F and W...after I had just graduated top of my class in high school. I had some unexpected health problems which landed me several hospital stays and subsequently missed half the semester. But of course the colleges don't see that on the transcripts. So what can you do?! But if they look at everything I've done recently nothing under a B. I've also made the dean's list the last couple of semesters, but still could only get my GPA up to a 3.46. I have applied to UT-Houston and am currently awaiting my fate. I'm not very confident either, but all you can do is apply! You will never know if you don't apply. I just recently took 17 credit hours this past semester and it was killer, but I ended up with 4 A's and a B! That was along with working full time and a part time job! So see anything is possible if you set your mind too it. It's not easy, not at all. There will be times when you want to give up or go through a nervous breakdown! Hey I made D's on my first two chemistry tests and cried afterwards, but I refused to give up and worked harder and got a B in the class. If you truly think you can do it, go for it! Only you know what you are capable of. You will have to abandon any sort of life for the next few months and do nothing but study, but it can be done. Never give up. Never lose faith. Keep your eyes on the end goal! Good luck!