Nervous

[Iaincrewdog]

So I guess I will start with a little about myself. I started attending College right out of grade school, thinking I wanted to be a computer scientist. I hated it, and suffered through a year of college before I withdrew, murdering my GPA in the process. I joined the Army shortly after leaving school, and have been theirs since. Through my travels in with Uncle Sam I have had the please of being in some ****** places, and seen some ****** things. Most of which lead me to question myself. Now I am a Guardsman, and going back to school again. I am studying nursing pre-reqs at the moment, and "knock on wood" am not doing to bad. Point of this long sob post I guess is that I have heard horrible things about how hard it is to get into nursing programs, and I am a little apprehensive of the impending application.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

Some of the most doggedly persistently determined people I've ever met come from the Military. Not all of them, but certainly many of them. Get your prerequisite coursework GPA up as high as you can and get good at the basics of reading, writing (I like Strunk & White's The Elements of Style for that), and general sciences. You'll need that stuff for doing well on your entrance exam (usually the TEAS test). Aim for a score that's well above the minimum passing standard, currently usually 62% for the TEAS V test.

The program I'm in wants "just" an overall GPA of 2.5, but a prerequisite GPA of about a 3.0 with a TEAS at or above 62%. They have a formula they use to determine if you qualify for the random selection pool, so these are minimums and you may or may not make the point value of 65 to get in with the minimums.

Get to know the schools you're planning to attend (apply to ALL the schools you qualify for) and get to know their minimum requirements for entry because you'll want to know exactly what you're going to need. Once you know that, aim as high as you can. Sure, meeting minimums is ok but surpassing them by a LOT is better, if only for your own knowledge!

Good luck and happy studying!

[RunBabyRN]

Nursing programs are definitely impacted, so maintaining a top notch GPA is VITAL. Next, research programs in your area with a military/vet preference. That got me into my program! I know here in CA, a few schools do offer this, so I'm sure there are more throughout the country. It's not on their websites, however, so you'll need to actually contact the schools to find out. You still have to meet the minimum requirements, and the "preference" may vary from "you qualify, and you're in" to "if you're tied with another candidate, you'll receive preference." It's good to know which of these the program does.

Like you, I had to do a lot of damage control to my GPA, as I was also young and dumb at one time and my GPA reflected as much. Do what you need to do to ace your classes moving forward. You may be able to retake some of those classes for grade improvements, though the old grades will generally still be calculated into your cumulative GPA. Be sure to look at the repeat policies at the schools to which you're applying, as some have limits as to how many of what kinds of classes may be repeated.

Are you using the post-9/11 GIB or MGIB or are you on your own? Talk to the VA rep at your school if you haven't already been in contact. Depending on your experience, you may also qualify for disability through the VA, and if your rating is 30% or higher, as mine is, you qualify for vocational rehab. Be aware, however, that if your rating is too high in the psych area (PTSD, depression, etc), they won't let you go into nursing. I think 10% of that is the max. With you still being a guardsman, however, you may not be there yet (I was medically discharged prior to any reserve time, so I am not very familiar with that part of things).

I hope that gives you some guidance, at least.