Academic fresh start as an option?

gasmaster · Jan 3, 2008

I would say contact the CRNA programs u are interested in and ask their advice. They are pretty cool about helping out with all kinds of problems and will be better able to give u insight. It may be that they won't really care about really old stuff. Good luck!

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 3, 2008

What exactly is "Academic Fresh Start?" Is that some sort of formal program? Would the school you are applying to be aware that the acedemic record you were presenting was not complete?

I agree that it's best to talk directly with the schools you are interest in ... but as a general rule, anything deceptive is generally not a good idea.

armynse · Jan 3, 2008

An "academic fresh start" or "academic amnesty" as it is called at other universities will not help you. The fresh start that you refer to will only adjust your GPA at the school that awards it. In other words, all grades earned will remain on your transcripts for all other schools to see.

You are not the only student to ever earn really bad grades. Sounds like you've turned things around while earning your ADN. Continue to build on your successes...you will have to work hard, get As, while earning your BSN. There are many schools that will factor-in the last 60 credit hours earned for your BSN. Do well earning those last 60 hours and there is no reason why you won't be competitive for CRNA school. How are your science grades? If not up to par, start working on improving them as well.

I see that you are a non-traditional student. Most programs will take that into consideration. Not to worry, it is highly unlikely that your past academic sins will be held against you. Good luck...

TxNurseRN · Jan 3, 2008

I copied this from the Texas Tech University catalog. As I stated earlier, I am not trying to do anything deceptive, I just want to find the best way to repair old damage. I realze that this will only apply to Texas public programs. That leaves only 1 of 5 in Texas (5 schools: 1 public, 3 private, 1 Army). Looks like I have my work cut out for me

Academic Fresh Start (Back to Top)

The applicant who elects to participate in this program must do so at the time of application and must otherwise meet current freshman or transfer admissions requirements. State residents may apply for admission to Texas public universities without consideration being given to academic work completed 10 or more years prior to the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll. An applicant who is admitted under this plan may not receive any credit for courses taken 10 or more years prior to enrollment.

If a student who enrolls under this program completes a prescribed course of study, earns a baccalaureate degree, and applies for admission to a postgraduate or professional program offered by a public institution of higher education, the admitting institution will consider only the grade point average of the applicant established by the course work completed after the student enrolled under this plan (along with other criteria the institution normally uses to evaluate applicants for admission).

Any input is still appreciated!

Thanks

Laurie

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 3, 2008

I don't see any reason NOT to do it. You would not be able to count your old credits toward a new degree, but it sounds to me as if you don't have any/many old credits that you would want to use.

If you might be staying in Texas, it sounds like a good solution for you. I'd talk to a representative from the school about to be sure you understand everything, though, before signing up for it.

armynse · Jan 3, 2008

This sounds like a legitimate way to restart your academic career. However, are you sure that you want to limit yourself to only one grad program?? Before you enter into any such agreement, I would talk to program directors or representatives of different anesthesia programs(in and out of state). Depending on the number of credits that you already have, you may not need to start all over again.

I was faced with your delimma many moons ago, but when I realized that academic amnesty would only be recognized at the school that offered it (in Louisiana) I decided to work my way out of the mess I had created. Laurie, when I finally decided to "do the right thing" I had an overall GPA of 1.777. Since then I have earned 2 B.S. degrees. I will matriculate in anesthesia school in June and I was accepted with an overall 3.541 GPA.

I encourage you to look at all of your options before you "wipe your slate clean."

TxNurseRN · Jan 3, 2008

Thank you all for your informed replies. I may actually be able to answer my own question. I just called UTHSC at Houston (my preferred school- proximity to my home and cost). I was told that the only GPA considered for admissions is the BSN gpa. She stated that in order to be considered a marketable applicant I should present a 3.25 min GPA in my BSN and score well on the GRE or MAT. Okay, I can work with that. I also asked about advanced certifications. She stated that they only looked at the other scores. She was very short with me and acted very disinterested in answering my questions, so I am not sure that I really trust her advice. I really fail to believe that two applicants with relative GPAs and GRE scores would still be considered equal if one had graduate work and a CCRN cert to back her up and the other did not.

Are there any UT Houston students or applicants who can shed some light?

I guess the good news is that I will start my RN-BSN at that same school in the spring. I hope that will give me both the opportunity to network myself and to show the right people that I am willing to work hard and that I am capable of succeeding.

Thanks for any further input. I will take all the advice I can get

Laurie

cathys01 · Jan 5, 2008

Directly from the UT CRNA website, the requirement for GPA for admission to UT's program is:

A baccalaureate degree in nursing earned from an accredited program, with a grade point average of at least a 3.0 for the last 60 hours