Terrible under grad GPA

[Memedi]

Hello everyone,

I am currently taking pre nursing classes and would a general idea of which schools do i have the best chance at.

To start I have a 2.1 gpa from my undergrad in a hybrid bio, chem and anthro program. I graduated in 2007 and decided to return to school this semester. I am currently taking pre nursing classes. I am interested in applying at Lehman, BMCC and New Rochelle. I am doing well in my classes this semester and many of my chem and bio courses are 7 or more years old. However, I will be taking both a&p and micro for the first time.

I took Chem and bio aimed at bio and chem majors but my chem grades were C's, would you recommend I take them over or how would schools weight those courses? I heard somewhere they may give a C in those course a bit more weight because they are higher levels, but i am not so sure.

If i were to keep the gpa that i will have and subsequent course above a 3.9 and had a high score on the HESC1 would I have a shot at getting in any of these schools? And are there any other schools you could recommend? I am willing to go any school in the tri state (NY, NJ, Conn) area. May be willing to try PA, Del, DC, Md, and VA.

thanks in advance!

[ThatBigGuy]

Generally, the pre-reqs and entrance exam are weighted most, followed by your general GPA and various other things. I'm not familiar with the specific schools you mention, but that's generally how most schools operate. Double check with your specific schools just to make sure.

I wouldn't retake any previous classes unless they are part of the pre-reqs you need. Focus on getting as close to a 4.0 as possible in those pre-reqs, and ace your HESC1 test. That will give you the best bang for your buck. That will give the school a very recent indication of maturity and success that nursing schools look for.

Then work on an excellent admission essay that gives a brief history of your past mediocre educational efforts, and an update on how far you've come in terms of your life and commitment to improving yourself. Use the same template when talking to advisers or during your admission interview.

Nursing schools love non-traditional students who have overcome a less than stellar previous college experience by showing initiative in getting excellent grades in their pre-reqs.

To make a long explanation short, if you excel in your pre-reqs and entrance exams, you'll be in a fine position to be accepted into most schools in spite of your previous bad grades.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

You're definitely going to want to get no lower than an A in your pre-requisites to make sure you set yourself apart from your old GPA. That will definitely probably be a good card to have when you apply.

The only thing I really see your old GPA causing a problem with is if the program goes off of cumulative GPA, or cumulative + pre-requisite GPA. No matter how stellar your new GPA is, that 2.1 can drag it down significantly.

[caliotter3]

You might want to speak to nursing advisors at the programs you are considering. Otherwise, it is safe to assume the closer you are to achieving a 4.0 GPA this time around, the better your chances at being admitted to any program. Good luck.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

It is not uncommon for math & science courses to have an "expiration date"... so you may have to retake them if they are older than 5 years or so. If this is the case, you will have a very good argument for discounting those previous bad grades & basing GPA on the newer course.

Best of luck to you