Accelerated BSN and low GPA?

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2015

First off. Forget the excuses. Here is the thing..IF you become a nurse you can't give substandard care just because you are in a "rural" setting. Make sense? Same in college. You are expected to perform at a high level NO MATTER WHAT. Grades absolutely matter. You may get accepted and you may not. You apply and from now on you get good grades no matter what else is going on.

bostonbaby · Oct 10, 2015

The reason I was depressed and not doing as well in a rural setting was because I wasn't out in the community doing something purposeful, not because I don't like rural settings and would give substandard care in them. If I were nursing in a rural that would be different, because I'd be doing something meaningful to me. It's not the rural setting itself. Being at that college, there were very reduced opportunities for nursing experience or involvement caring for members of the community at large which was bad for my psyche. At my new school, I do PCA once a week, I'm involved in my SNA, etc.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 12, 2015

I think that PP's point was that OP needs to 'own' the situation rather than come up with excuses. GPA requirements are a hard target. Schools do not make allowances for life circumstances or poor decisions. When talking to admissions committees, I strongly advise OP to focus on 'lessons learned' rather than attempting to mitigate a poor academic history.

Accelerated program admissions usually have a 'cumulative' GPA requirement because they want to identify applicants that not only have the intellectual horsepower to manage nursing coursework, but also ones that have demonstrated a consistent degree of motivation. Applicants with spotty academic histories may be better off with a traditional (slower paced) program.

Best of luck to you.

bostonbaby · Oct 12, 2015

@HouTx, thanks, I'll make sure to focus on lessons learned because I certainly did learn my lesson. I didn't mean to make excuses, I just want them to know that I can do so much better than I did and I'm working really hard and proving it.

nalie2, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 12, 2015

In my experience, no, they won't really care if you're doing better. There are many other students who have done great their entire college career. I totally bombed at my first college 1.2 GPA (19 units) and excelled at my second college 3.7 (70 units). My cumulative GPA was a lot lower than the nursing programs I applied to desired. I didn't get into those programs, but luckily I had a backup plan and so far that's working out.

For one of the previous schools I applied to I was allowed to explain my circumstances at my first school. It didn't matter to them. I thought they would see I started off crappy, but devoted myself afterward. Nope, and it's understandable. Why wouldn't they accept people that did great to begin with? So now my advice to you is to be honest with yourself. Look at nursing programs in your area and look at their applicant pool statistics if available. Look at the cumulative GPA, TEAS, and other grade cutoffs. I'm in California and applied to BSN (not accelerated) programs with a 3.25 cumulative GPA, 3.75 science GPA, and 86 TEAS. It wasn't good enough here, but hopefully your numbers will be good enough in your area for the program you desire. Good luck to you.

bostonbaby · Oct 12, 2015

Darn :/ well I have all As in prereqs for one of my schools, all A's except for 1 B- minus for the 2 others but it just sucks that when it comes to my cumulative it's not gonna matter, I can't change the past. I have to have other options, I just don't know if I should go ADN and then do RN-BSN, or if I should do traditional.

cracklingkraken, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2015

Darn :/ well I have all As in prereqs for one of my schools, all A's except for 1 B- minus for the 2 others but it just sucks that when it comes to my cumulative it's not gonna matter, I can't change the past. I have to have other options, I just don't know if I should go ADN and then do RN-BSN, or if I should do traditional.

I would research the hiring requirements at hospitals (if you want to work in a hospital), as some are requiring new grads to have BSNs.

But ADN programs tend to be more cost efficient and quicker than a traditional BSN. Plus, some facilities will pay tuition for your ADN-BSN program.

bostonbaby · Oct 12, 2015

It's all just so discouraging:/

nalie2, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 12, 2015

Just because I didn't get in doesn't mean you won't. Look at the school's admission requirements. It seems like your prereq grades are great. Look for schools that weigh that GPA heavily. The schools out here weigh the cumulative GPA very heavily and is a big reason why I didn't get in.

I am taking the ADN route because I wasn't accepted into the BSN program. I understand your situation and am empathetic because I was/am in a similar position. Don't give up. We just have to find another way and luckily for us there are options. I believe I was sort of blessed by being denied BSN admission because now I can live at home to complete the ADN program at a community college and pay for it from my savings instead of getting loans to complete the BSN at a higher tuition four year school and move away. Hopefully after an ADN I can get job as an RN and work toward the RN-BSN. I also heard many hospitals offer to help pay tuition for their employees to complete the RN-BSN program.

I'm sure this isn't the news you wanted to hear, but just know there are options for you. Don't give up.