Nursing prerequisite grades

Students Pre-Nursing

Published

I've completed ALL of my non-NUR pre and corequisirtes for the ADN program; however, I made 3 C's in the last two semesters (microbiology, a&p 1 and 2). Now I'm concerned that I won't get into a good program anywhere. Granted, I have taken all these classes in 3 semesters and made mostly A's and B's, but I know how anal the nursing admission process can be. Having C's in 3 major science courses makes me look weak as a potential candidate. Has anyone managed to get accepted into a program with similar grades? Responses appreciated!

AJLalas22

6 Posts

I feel the stress you're in. I'm also in the same predicament. I applied to a few schools and I got accepted to one of them out of the four. I'm still waiting for the responses for the other three. Other than that, did u apply to any other programs/ nursing schools that have other programs besides ADN? Also, depending on your location and the schools you want to transfer to, they'll either average your grades or they'll look at the new grades.

arb29171

21 Posts

Congrats on the acceptance! That gives me hope. Those C's have probably disqualified me from the more competitive programs. Depends on how they interpret my transcripts. I'm applying to 5 different programs this month, including a couple 4 year ones. Fingers crossed.

BBboy

252 Posts

Specializes in PICU, CICU.

Id say any oppurtunity at a 4 year is shot (tough truth). With any grades below a B+ it's tough to get in, having 3 C's in basically the most essential pre req classes is killer. Some programs are points based and you can make up for it elsewhere with experience and/or teas/pax/hesi but when 3/5 or 3/6 classes are that low it's just not gonna happen. Spend some time retaking those classes and getting High grades and reapplying

AJLalas22

6 Posts

Thank you! Quoting on BBboy, he's right. You need to bet your luck on 4 year schools to get in(mostly private). I say private because their admissions are more relaxed than state/community colleges because the majority of students want to save money and not spend too much of it on tuition. Also, depending on the school, u need to do well on the entrance exams they provide. I also retook my three science classes because I had Cs due to a bad break up and it took time for me to recover, but I regained my focus and I retook my classes and I gotten As and Bs on them. Just keep your head focused and I believe you can do it!

Zyprexa_Ho

709 Posts

I would be more worried about being adequately prepared for a nursing program as opposed to being able to get into a program with Cs in the major science courses that inform nursing judgments. You don't even meet the minimum for my CC program.

loriangel14, RN

6,931 Posts

Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

It's not just about gaining admission, you also need to be adequately prepared for the nursing program.

AJLalas22

6 Posts

I agree with both @jsfarri and @loriangel14 in being prepared too. I forgot to mention it as well and I want to thank them both for giving their point. Being accepted is one thing, but being prepared is totally a different aspect. Nursing school is tough; you got to be on your toes, can't be behind in your classes, be punctual, especially for clinicals and sacrifice A LOT. My godbrother is in the nursing program in his school and he's doing a lot of vigorous studying. His gf on the other hand who graduated long time ago also had to go through the same in order to be the nurse she is.

Zooey72

148 Posts

It's not just about gaining admission, you also need to be adequately prepared for the nursing program.

I agree with 90% of this. I got 2 A's and a B+ in my science classes. However, if I was thrown a random test now from A&P1 now with no time to prepare... lets just say I would not get an A. I think the pre-reqs are made to weed people out. I will be starting my nursing classes in the fall, and for the life of me I have no idea why the citric acid cycle is so important for me being a nurse; but I had to know it to get through my classes.

arb29171

21 Posts

I agree that having C's is a big problem when it comes to nursing programs. I messed up trying to complete my prerequisites in a short period of time (two hard sciences in same semester + other classes) while distracting myself with a social life. I've taken 13 classes and earned mostly A's. I know people who have been accepted into RN programs with C's, but those programs were probably less competitive and focused more on TEAS/HESI scores. It's a shame, because I was literally only one to two points away from getting a B in my last two science courses and learned a ton. Also, I'm an experienced CNA (8 years) with nurses in my family so I have a good understanding of what nursing is all about and how much of what you learn is actually applied to the job. Most CC programs and universities require a C or higher, but are really looking for a B or higher. Not sure why these schools don't just raise their admission standards to a B instead; more people would try harder if they knew a C was unacceptable.

AJLalas22

6 Posts

@Zooey72 I agree with what you're saying as well but think of knowing the citric cycle this way, the citric cycle is important is because our body has the aerobic and anaerobic way to make ATP which is our form of energy. If you understand that and also remember most of your info from AnP2 you should be fine in the nursing program. My bestfriend and my godbro both told me to remember my AnP2 notes and review them. Don't know it just to get through it, you need to know it and apply it to your practicums, clinicals and in real life.

arb29171

21 Posts

Wow, really? They must have a lot of applicants, because every CC program I've looked at requires a C or higher. Special consideration is given to those who earn A's and B's in A&P though. If I don't get into a program, I'll just retake a few classes online. My last A&P instructor said many of her online students got A's while those of us that took the class in person only made C's and B's.

PS Response to jsfarri, CNA. Not sure why it posted way down here. :sarcastic:

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