So discouraged

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

I am really bummed and just needed some support from fellow nursing students who will actually understand where I'm coming from!

I got an email today from the BSN program I applied to saying they have had an unusually large number of applicants this year and will take a month longer to get out their letters. Last year I heard they turned away 10 students for every 1 they accepted and this year it's going to be worse!! We are allowed to take classes this spring for acceptance into the June 2010 or January 2011 cohorts and I will be taking my final 5 pre-reqs this spring. Luckily my sciences are all done and only have stats and some social sciences to do.

In the info session I attended, they said that you need a 3.5 to apply. However they know the average accepted GPA is higher but they will turn down someone with a higher GPA but poor essay for someone with a lower GPA and good essay. I have also heard most of the students have previous degrees, which I don't have. In the info session 3/4 of the people there had previous degrees! I currently have a 4.0 and should be able to maintain it until the end.. but I am still freaking out here! I write well and thought I wrote a good essay, but it may not match what they are looking for.

I have applied to only this one school for a few reasons. It is regarded as one of the two top schools in the state and it happens to be the least expensive BSN program as well. It has a new high tech campus and professors who want you to succeed and will help you do just that. The other BSN programs require more pre-reqs, letters of recommendation (which I don't have because I have been a SAHM for years), or CNA... all stuff I don't have. I can get into another private institution, but hoped to save the 15k difference in tuition and there are accreditation issues in the air with that school. The ADN programs around here which are way cheaper, have a 2-3 year wait list.

I'm sorry for the long post (my specialty!) and the vent, I just feel so down and worried right now. To top it off I have a 17 *paragraph* Art Appreciation paper due on Saturday (plus 2 other papers) and I am really burnt out. :sniff:

~SD

Dont let that get you down!! You have a 4.0 gpa that has got to help you out!! Does this school use a point system to get you in? Your GPA will help you out a ton! and if you do not get in this semester you can always reapply next semester!

Focus on what you can control right now, not what you cant!

and keep us posted!!!!

Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

No points that I know of. Just GPA and the essay. The essay of course is marked subjectively and weighted heavily (how much, I don't know). This application period is for summer and the following spring, so it would be next year that I would be applying for next time (sigh). At least I would be in the priority applications that way! lol

Thanks for the suggestion, its good advice! I am doing just that. I'm focusing on my pre-reqs and keeping my GPA up there. I tried to not even think about my application but was hit with this new email. I will definitely let everyone know how it goes. I am super excited and nervous and all of it rolled into a nervous wreck!

Just keep swimming...swimming...swimming....

i have been turned down by 4 schools for one microscopic reason or the other.

school 1: i got a C instead of a C+ in pharmacology, REJECTED

school 2: i had a GPA of 3.6 instead of 3.8, REJECTED

school 3: i don't have a computer course...too late to take it now, we have selected all our nursing student, REJECTED

school 4: they were too "sexy" to give me a reason even though i had all my pre reqs. u guessed it, REJECTED

i should be feeling down and probably rethinking which career path is best for me. on the contrary, i'm even more hungry for it. the more "no" i receive, the closer my "yes" is.

let giving up be the last thing on ur mind. continue to try and try and try.

what u need to do right now is to focus on that paper and make sure u do well.

Good luck to u

Good luck!

I was in the exact same situation you were in. I applied to a top ranked nursing school in my state. My gpa was a little bit below the average (3.5 instead of 3.7), my letters of rec were from a manager at a non health related field and my CNA instructor (they were supposed to be from professors who can speak of my academic potential), and I applied for regular instead of early admission. I talked to the advisor and she said that decision was based on 1/3 GPA, 1/3 letters of rec, and 1/3 essays. So my chances were not that great compared to other students I knew...

But I ended up getting in, surprising several classmates from my pre-req courses.

I really believe that it was my essays. I know you already wrote your essay but if you talked about post BSN plans like becoming an NP etc, your passion for nursing over other health care professions, and leadership potential etc... then I'm sure youd have a good chance. PLUS you have a 4.0 GPA, that's AMAZING...

GOOD LUCK!

I can start off by saying, don't let it discourage you. What you can't change will only make you stronger. Who knows, maybe there is another (better) path you are suppose to go down. I'm currently in the same situation (although I'm shooting for a simply ADN, not BSN) I've applied at several school in my area (some i'm not even interested it) I've been denied for multiple reasons:

1. "You did poorly in this class (which was a class i took 3+ years ago and it was not even a pre-req, they were a private school so they can do what they want)

2. "Although your TEAS test school is above our required score, we are unable to accept you."

3. And the best which every school uses, : "We've received way more applicants than spaces available and you name was not drawn (lottery)"

It does get you down but you must keep on keeping on. 4.0 GPS with all pre-req courses completed, shhhhh, i would say your golden, just re-apply and even apply to other schools.

Good Luck.

Andrew

Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

@christiina - Thank you and congratulations on your acceptance! I love blowing people away because they had such low expectations of me! I went back and reread my essay and it sounds just like me, I really don't see much I could change. But you know how it is, its so much easier writing an essay when you have an idea of what they actually *want*. It was a three part paper asking a) to describe a scenario that challenged your core values and how you responded b) what is nursing as a profession and why you would make a good one c) give an example of how you used critical thinking skills to resolve an issue.

For a) I talked about how I was married to a jail guard that was essentially prejudice against the inmates (the whole group of guards looked down their noses at them) and how I just accepted his viewpoint without question. But, after learning more about the inmates themselves (from working in the jail records dept) I changed my opinion. They weren't bad people, they had jobs and families and they should be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of who they were or how they got there. I also said how I left that situation and now enjoy meeting new people without 'being polluted by prejudice'. b) I did the 'what is nursing' blurb and then said how having sick family members myself has made me empathetic towards not only the patient but their family members as well. I also tried to emphasize my leadership qualities but didn't have much on 'this is my calling' or where I want to go in the field. c) I told them about an accident I came upon and how I handled it, taking control until Paramedics arrived. I did do this, but did not mention I was 16 at the time - I was thinking they would dismiss it because they would want something more recent. At the end of c) I said my only regret was not being able to do more to tend to the physical injuries of those men.

The essay reads well and I'm happy about the writing itself, I just hope the content is what they are looking for. It all had to fit onto one page too, so that made me very selective on what I could write. Thank you too for the comment on my GPA, when I started my pre-re I had no idea I would do so well, its a nice feeling. Good luck on your classes!!!

@ Andrew26 - That so sucks...especially not even getting an answer! I am doing just what you said, 'keep on keeping on'. Even though I won't find out until March about acceptance I have made a list of the other schools in the area I can apply to and have it put away in case I need it. I'm not going to worry about it now, but will definitely pull it out if I get denied. Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate you responding.

Sorry for the long posts, I tend to go on... and on... and on.... lol. I'm actually procrastinating writing an English Abstract for a paper I wrote, ugh. Better go so I can keep up that GPA... its worse maintenance than a garden! lol

~SD :redpinkhe

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