About Nursing School

Jules A, MSN · Jan 21, 2008

Hi,

No worries, you are not the first person who didn't do great in high school or their first go round at college! Just make sure your pre-reqs are done to the best of your ability because very often they will dictate whether or not you even get into a nursing program. FWIW I was a very disinerested college student right out of high school but have done great 20 years later. Good luck, Jules

NurseJeanB · Jan 21, 2008

Hello, Back in 2003-2004 I decided to go back to school and finish up prerequisites for Nursing. I knew nursing was what I always wanted. I was not the best student in high school as well, but I decided to go back to the community college and get those prereqs. knocked out. I was in my mid thirties and my son was 10 and I was very determined to get A's. I was much more disciplined and ambitious and I was able to get A's. When I applied to nursing schools no one asked for my high school transcripts. They just wanted my community college gpa. I was able to get into both nursing schools that I had applied to. If I can do it. You can too. Those extra years of maturity really make a difference. I am finding that many of my fellow nursing students are in their 30-40's. I wish you the best of luck. Follow that dream!!!

nurz2be · Jan 22, 2008

Hi, I am just concerned that maybe I wont be taken as seriously when I go to talk with the admissions office about enrolling when they see my transcripts from high school. I just really worry that my past mistakes will put up a road block between me and my dream.

As a 34 yo who had NO schooling since high school, 17 years, they did NOT look at my high school transcript. They asked for a copy of my diploma. Nothing more. At least at my school, they don't look at high school transcripts if you have been out of school for more than 5 years. Check with your school to be sure. I had B's and C's in high school, I had better things to do than study, LOL. I have all A's now. I work hard and am more focused as an older, non-traditional student. Actually, older students are becoming more the norm than you might think. You CAN DO THIS!...... GOOD LUCK

Momofboys · Jan 22, 2008

Thank you for all of your replies and encouragement. I am really excited to get started.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2008

hi, momofboys, and welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

do not worry about your high school transcript. the major issue will be that you graduated. you start to build your gpa (grade point average) which will be a most important issue as you start to take your pre-requisite courses. so, basically, you are starting with a clean slate. what you do with it is totally up to you.

studying is a skill. there are many different methods of studying. sometimes it takes some trial and error to discover what works best and most efficiently for each of us. i've been in and out of school most of my adult life. finally, at my age, i think i've finally discovered what study methods work best for me. the price one pays, however, is the occassional bad grade. there is a difference between learning something and making a good grade on a test. tests are subjective and totally at the whim of the person who writes them.

there are websites and tutorials on how to study which you should check out. they are listed on post #15 of this thread on allnurses: https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/study-strategies-254733.html - study strategies (on the nursing student assistance forum). please take the time to check them out. i'm sure they will be helpful to you.

krenee · Jan 22, 2008

Another one chiming in here . . . not only did I do badly in high school, but I did horribly in college right after, and yes, those bad grades did follow me! BUT since going back to college as a much more mature individual, I have gotten all As and I am on my second semester of nursing school. In many ways this is the absolute best time to do it, as we have the maturity that we lacked back then. (And no, I'm not saying ALL 18 year olds lack maturity).

Definitely go for it, your hs grades should definitely not hurt you.

Kelly

Nursegirl1010 · Jan 22, 2008

It's not going to matter what you did in high school. My daughter didn't graduate from high school and is now a RN with a bachelors degree. She became pregnant in high school and just one day up and quit. A few years later she decided that she really needed to do something with her life to help support her child. Nursing was the answer. I myself graduated from high school 30 years ago and decided to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a nurse after working 25 years in an accounting office. I just graduated this past May. Your grades on your prerequisites will determine if you will get into a nursing program. You Can Do It! Study, Study, Study. In the end it will be well worth it. I wish you luck :)

catzy5 · Jan 22, 2008

Hi, I am starting to apply to start taking my prerequisites to prepare for nursing program at my local college. I am a bit nervous, I have been out of school for eleven years. I did not do real well in high school, so I know that I will have to work even harder to prepare myself. I guess what I am saying is that I am not the same person anymore that I was back in high school. I know that I will work harder, and dedicate my time to fulfilling my dream of becoming a Rn. I have known that this is what I want to do for ten years now. I am just concerned that maybe I wont be taken as seriously when I go to talk with the admissions office about enrolling when they see my transcripts from high school. I just really worry that my past mistakes will put up a road block between me and my dream. I definatley know that I can do this, it is just a matter of getting the chance to prove it. I am so excited about this, even though I know it will be a long hard road, especially since I have to raise my three boys while trying to find time to study. I have always had such a interest in all things medical and in caring for others. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you for reading this.

One of the benifits of starting as an older student, I don't think much weight goes into the highschool transcripts. Shop around for schools, nearly all CC will accept you not considering highschool at all, they will want a copy of transcripts but nothing is weighted on them at all. I barely graduated highschool was in the bottom of the class if anything lol. I don't even know never even went to my graduation. I am starting the nursing program today with a 4.0 college GPA. highschool means nothing in the real world! Others like us just need a goal and a desire to successeed, some find this sooner then others LOL.

good luck.

suzy253, RN · Jan 22, 2008

I was 30 years out of high school with no college before I applied to nursing school 4 years ago. I was determined to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. Right after HS I was accepted at 3 nursing schools but I made really bad decisions along the way but I graduated almost 2 years ago and never regretted it! Good luck to you.

Jules A, MSN · Jan 22, 2008

It's not going to matter what you did in high school. My daughter didn't graduate from high school and is now a RN with a bachelors degree. She became pregnant in high school and just one day up and quit. A few years later she decided that she really needed to do something with her life to help support her child. Nursing was the answer. I myself graduated from high school 30 years ago and decided to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a nurse after working 25 years in an accounting office. I just graduated this past May. Your grades on your prerequisites will determine if you will get into a nursing program. You Can Do It! Study, Study, Study. In the end it will be well worth it. I wish you luck :)

What a great story and kudos to you both!

Testa Rosa, RN · Jan 28, 2008

Mom of Boys:

If I did it, you can too. Your high school does not matter at all as long as you have a GED or diploma. I started back at college four years ago with three kids--my youngest was a newborn. At first, all I could manage was a class a semester. It helped that my local community college had a great on-site day care. I also took a lot of night classes so DH could watch the kids.

My two eldest children were diagnosed with dyslexia, and it's as if a light went on when I learned more about their learning problems. Turns out my apples don't fall far from their mommy tree. I've always suspect I had the same problems, but have figured out how to deal as an adult....and honestly am a harder worker because of my learning differences.

So, give yourself some time to ease into the school thing as developing good study skills can take some time. You will find you will be a better student than you ever were in high school. I Finally made into nursing school (and should be studying for a pharm test but am procrastinating on all nurses instead....a fine example of bad study skills going on right here)

Many blessings on your journey

Berto