How hard is it really to get a 4.0 in Nursing school

[BenTram]

I've switched from being a chemistry major to a chemistry minor and am now actively pursuing a BSN at UTA. I have 3/4 of the pre-reqs completed, currently hold a 4.0 and have a long term goal of becoming a CRNA in the far off future. However, I have heard many horror stories of Nursing students entering with a 4.0 and graduating with below a 3.0..All I know is that all of the CRNA programs within my state, Texas, ask for a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have told me the average GPA of their accepted participants is a 3.8. My question is this. For a student with a high drive to excel, is it usually impossible to hold high A's within Nursing school? Are my expectations too high? Thank you.

[Jasmijn]

Depends on the school. I know people at other schools that have done it or come close. At LA County College of Nursing, it can't be done. I talked with one of our instructors after graduating about this -- she told me, in all seriousness, "but nobody ever gets higher than a 3.5 in any nursing school!" and I couldn't get her to believe that people in other schools do.

We all came in with at least near-4.0 on prerequisites (had to, to get the points to be admitted) but only 3 in our graduating class finished with a GPA of over 3.0.

It does actually make a difference to some jobs: we found that some do ask for transcripts as part of the application process, and some New Grad programs (like Cedars) require at least a 3.5. And of course going on to BSN or MSN programs, that's an issue too.

So if this is an overall concern to you, see if you can find out what the high/average GPA of previous classes was in the school you're considering. And keep that in mind as you progress.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

Engineering school I had a 3.0. Overall GPA 3.8. Nursing school (BSN) 3.8. If I made a 4.0 my goal, I could have, but I had too many other priorities while in nursing school.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

I graduated as valedictorian... My final GPA was 3.9. DAMN YOU A-'s!!!!!! *sobs*

I will say that nursing school taught me early to let go a little of my TYPE A need to succeed. Sometimes you have to just realize you really did do your best and that will have to do. :)

[SerenePeach]

Out of my bsn class of approximately 100 people, there were five of us that graduated with a 4.0. It was tough but certainly doable.

[BaltimoreHon, BSN, RN]

Getting A's in my BA/Sociology curriculum was a piece of cake. Getting straight A's in my ADN/nursing curriculum almost drove me insane! It was the most challenging thing I ever did but I graduated really feeling like I accomplished something remarkable!

[edmia, BSN, RN]

I think it absolutely depends on the school. My nursing school required >94% for an A, so even though I had a 92 in one class, it counted as a B+ and my gpa dropped to 3.89 at the end of school. Post nursing school I have a 4.0 easily as an A is the normal >90%. Thank you for some sanity!In any case, if you are single, have no kids and no other job to deal with, then push for the 4.0. If you have a life outside of nursing school, have a more realistic goal like gpa > 3.7.

[cardiacqueen]

Nope, it's not impossible! I kept a perfect 4.0 until halfway through my junior year. I ended up getting 2 A-'s, it was heartbreaking for a perfectionist like me because they were both right on the borderline, but as you know there is NO ROUNDING OR EXTRA CREDIT in nursing school! I'm graduating this week with a 3.98 - with the same honors I would have graduated with if I had 4.0 :). Work hard but don't stress if you break that perfect 4.0! A high GPA is a high GPA :).

[Kimberlyace]

@BenTram

Set your goals high and die trying! I want to compliment you, that CRNA is an AMAZING goal. My dad went back to school and dominated his CRNA program - at 40! If you push yourself hard for a 4.0 in nursing school, it still will not touch the intensity of a CRNA school. Thats not to scare you- but I watched my dad go through the program during my teenager years. He taught me to go after your dreams, no matter what challenges you have. But note, his program only took 500 applications, ALL with 3.8-4.0+ GPAs, and they only took 28 of them. Know your odds, but find your momentum and do not give up!

In regards to the grading average of nursing school, I feel it absolutely depends on the school. I first achieved my ADN and am pursuing a RN-BSN program. My schooling for my ADN felt like an impossible wall to achieve an A. We had a passing rate of 60% (or less) in all of our medsurg classes. However, my Cs on my transcripts does not reflect the fact that in my graduating class, starting at 185, only 76 graduated. It was survival of the fittest. I'm not happy about what these grades will do for my future ambitions of continuing school. But I survived! I heard most people that do a full 4year track often have a much higher GPA. I might like to included, 4yr-track programs most likely have more adequate educators facilitating the program than my crappy ADN program did.

Good luck!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

A 4.0 does give you a sense of accomplishment and bragging rights. It can get you noticed in this cutthroat job market. However, it doesn't give you any special privileges in the real world after you graduate (i.e., a 4.0 alone won't guarantee you a job offer, nor does it guarantee success in your career).

The "C=RN" mentality may have been fine for grads in 2004 but it doesn't fly nowadays with this job market. Nor does it fly if you want to go to graduate school to be a CRNA, MSN, NP, whatever. So definitely strive to do the best that you can in school. Aim for that 4.0, but if you don't get the 4.0, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not that crucial for success as a nurse.

I just realized I posted in this thread last year :) Oh well.

[lala90]

It is not impossible to graduate from a BSN program with a 4.0, but it is very challenging. I started nursing school with a 3.5 GPA from my first 2 years of college (put forth a very average amount of effort), made all A's in my BSN program for 5 semesters, and graduated magna cum laude with a nursing GPA of 4.0/cumulative GPA of 3.74. I matured, and made nursing school my priority - I did really well my first semester, pulled out my calculator and suddenly realized I could get all A's that semester if I got a certain grade on my finals - and I did. Then, I got the fever….nothing less than the best was acceptable. There are a lot of factors that go into the final product. I was single, had no children, no debt while in school. My main motivator in my BSN program was to be a competitive candidate for graduate school for either NP or CRNA. I am hopefully one step closer to that goal, and I am awaiting to hear if I will be accepted to a CRNA school for which I interviewed. I am a strong believer that you really have to do your own in-depth studying and analysis of material to really understand it. Those students who rely on class and their professor to present them what they need to know do not do well at ALL. For me, I didn't think I truly understood it until I understood it perfectly and could teach it to someone else. THe importance of the 4.0 depends on your future goals. I have worked with some excellent nurses who graduated with very average or even below-average GPA's. The GPA doesn't necessarily affect the quality of your work on the job, but it does affect your knowledge level and opportunities for advancement. Good luck.

[heatherisbetter, BSN]

My school requires everyone to pass all tests with a 90% or above or they fail out of the program... basically we all get 4.0s here. Its hard but my class of 50 seems to be doing well

[adnrnstudent, ASN, RN]

Grades, like nursing education today, is an absolute joke and mean nothing.

One teacher where I went to school has a class with an average grades of B and C's while another teacher of same class had most of her students with A's.

I can write a test and make a 4.0 student get their 1st F.

Grades MEAN NOTHING.

I will take a confident C nurse over a paper writing pro A nurse any day of the week.