ADN--should i just give up?

shippoRN · Dec 12, 2006

I've always wanted to be a nurse. And right now, I'm a freshman in my first semester at a community college. I took AP I, Sociology, Psychology, & Math my first semster.
Well the only course I'm passing is Psych. I have to retake Math and AP 1 b/c I dropped them midterm through the semester. Now, it looks like I wold have to take AP1 this next semester, AP2 over the summer, Micro in Fall of 07, Nursing Concepts 1 in Spring of 07, Nursing Concepts II in Fall of 08, Nursing Concepts III in Spring of 09, and IV in Fall and Spring of 10...
If I'm looking at this correctly, that's 4 years at a community college... what do i do.. should I just give up completly??

You should go speak to an advisor in the nursing program if you haven't already, maybe they can give you a few pointers. Also, you should look at why you weren't doing so well in A+P and math that you had to drop them mid semester. I know its easier said than done, and its fustrating, but its do-able. If nursing is what you want, then do what ever it takes, no matter how long it takes.

Good Luck.

evbella · Dec 12, 2006

You may want to just try and lighten your class load a bit. A&P can be pretty intense and in my school I'll say 85% failed or dropped it.

Math can also take up alot of time, I remember my Algebra professor telling us to figure 3 hours of study time per 1 hour of class- and it did take me that much time.

So my best advise is to keep your class load lighter with the more difficult classes.

Good luck!

lisabeth · Dec 12, 2006

I would NEVER give up if it is your dream. The harder you have to work at it, the more you will appriciate it when you are finally there. You have plenty of time. Dont worry about 4 years. Keep pushing on, one semester at a time, and it wouldnt hurt to lighten the load, as one of the posters said.

Good luck to you.

BeccaznRN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

Did you have anything (such as an illness in the family) that kept you from passing, or were you trying to work too many hours? If nothing like that happened to you, then I would definitely look at why, out of four classes, you only passed one. Nursing school is not easy, and it will take a large commitment in order to complete the course load and graduate. Already you are looking at it and saying "four years is a long time, should I give up?" Many, many nursing students have had to wait four or more years to achieve their dreams of being nurses (thanks in part to long wait lists).

If you want to be a nurse, hang in there. Make a commitment to do better this next semester and keep moving forward, no matter how long it takes. I would also HIGHLY suggest using whatever help your school offers, such as tutors and writing centers.

Best of luck to you!

nurse4theplanet, RN · Dec 12, 2006

I would definitely lighten your load, especially if you are fresh out of highschool or entering/returning to college after a long time out of an academic environment. As you get into the swing of things, get your study habits fine tuned, and feel less strained then I would gradually increase my load.

I took A&P I with a lab, Micro with a lab, Nursing I with clinicals twice a week, and Pharmacology all in the same semester and I literally had no life, little time for eating and sleeping etc. in between class time, clinical time, care plans and study time to maintain my grades. I got wiser the second semester and knocked off quite a bit on my schedule. I know you want to get things done as fast as possible, get that degree and get out into the workforce! Believe me! I felt the same way, but sometimes its better to take things slow especially if you are having trouble keeping your grades up. Its very important you master and retain the information because you will DEFINITELY be applying it each day.

And the whole four years at a CC thing...the '2 year ADN' is quite misleading. Please visit the nursing student forums and just browse through the threads. Most CC students, myself included, spend 3+ years working on their ADN when you count pre-req's, waiting time for acceptance into a program, and/or lifestyle constraints (having to work full time and raise children, etc.)

Don't drop out. It is completely doable! Just take it one step at a time and don't try and do too much at one time. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Good luck!

catzy5 · Dec 12, 2006

I've always wanted to be a nurse. And right now, I'm a freshman in my first semester at a community college. I took AP I, Sociology, Psychology, & Math my first semster.
Well the only course I'm passing is Psych. I have to retake Math and AP 1 b/c I dropped them midterm through the semester. Now, it looks like I wold have to take AP1 this next semester, AP2 over the summer, Micro in Fall of 07, Nursing Concepts 1 in Spring of 07, Nursing Concepts II in Fall of 08, Nursing Concepts III in Spring of 09, and IV in Fall and Spring of 10...
If I'm looking at this correctly, that's 4 years at a community college... what do i do.. should I just give up completly??

my advise,

Drop the time line, stop looking at the big picture and look at each semester as its own. I don't know whats going on in your non school life but it sounds like the load you took was a bit much for your situation. Slow down take it one class at a time especially your first time out as a freshman. Take one class at a time get the math and sciences out of the way slowly.

Belive me I would like to have been done school by now but there is no way I could take a bigger load then I do I have been pecking away at this since 04 and not nearly close to completion.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

I agree about lightening the load and dropping the time line.

If all you're passing is pysch. there's no need to worry about the future stuff because you have to concentrate on the present and getting through the basics.

Good luck.

stpauligirl · Dec 12, 2006

my advise,
Drop the time line, stop looking at the big picture and look at each semester as its own. I don't know whats going on in your non school life but it sounds like the load you took was a bit much for your situation. Slow down take it one class at a time especially your first time out as a freshman. Take one class at a time get the math and sciences out of the way slowly.
Belive me I would like to have been done school by now but there is no way I could take a bigger load then I do I have been pecking away at this since 04 and not nearly close to completion.

I am slooowly reaching the end of prerequisites, I am down to my last 2 and have finished all my sciences......there came a point where I aksed myself; "What's one more semester if I have COMPETITIVE grades in the end?" I would hate to get lower grades because I hurried things too much....you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot. I found a pace that works for me at the moment and take it one semester at a time.....otherwise I would not just lose my sanity completely but also a good chance to get into nursing school :cool:

RNfromMN, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2006

If I'm looking at this correctly, that's 4 years at a community college... what do i do.. should I just give up completly??

No! No giving up! This isn't exactly something to brag about, but I failed Chemistry twice, had to take Micro twice because I dropped it the first time before they could fail me...by the time I graduate in May, I'll probably have spent four years at my community college.

goingformydream · Dec 12, 2006

My college strongly recommends Biology and Basic Chemistry before taking AP1 and 2. So unless you have recently completed these classes, I would start there. Yes.. it will add more time, but in the long run it just might be worth it (less time on the wait list)

Why did you drop AP1? was it hard for you, did you fall behind, was it too much work with your classes. For me Biology was hard... but after I had the foundation down and the "language" (I had no idea what a cell really was) then AP1 and 2 were doable... (for me they were not hard, just timeconsuming)

Soooo.. ask yourself why you had to drop.

Forget the timeline.. that will drive you crazy.. I started my journey 2 years ago.. and let me tell you, it flew by!

DaughterofRuth · Dec 12, 2006

I agree with what everyone else has said here - don't give up, toss the timeline (hard for me too!), figure out what went wrong, and go with a ligher more manageable schedule if necessary! You CAN do this if you WANT to bad enough. Speaking as someone who's facing down C's this semester in Micro and Psych and has to break it to my unsupportive DH that I will need to retake them ... if I can do a do over then so can you!