Advice on entering Accelerated BSN

[jazzytee]

Hello Everyone!!

I started school in 2009 with hopes on going on to become a PA. I Majored in biology, graduated Winter of 2015 with BS in Biology. Just finished my prereqs for advanced nursing degree(summer2017)

Problem is

-My great grandmother(she raised me) passed away during my school semester and I didnt get to "officially" withdraw out of 6 classes and it demolished my GPA from a 3.3 to a 2.6 for graduating. My grades were definitely not high enough for PA school. By the time i finished my pre-reqs (summer2017)it was bumped up to a 2.8. So I considered BSN(needing to get my foot in the door as well as my classes expiring after 10yrs) However my prereqs are all A's and B's grades.

Do you think the admission committee will take into effect the "WNs" and the death in my family? because this isnt my "true" gpa. And I feel shamed by this gpa bc it will hinder my acceptance. I didnt do that bad in my classes, i just went through a rough patch.

I would really hate to have to go the traditional route and take courses I already have completed. I would really like to get into Advanced BN program. If i enter my story into my personal statement do you think they will bypass my GPA hiccup? Should I start volunteering at hospitals to give myself a greater chance? Or am I just stuck with applying via traditional route?

What should I do?

[Tajin]

I think your best bet is to check with the dean of your old uni if they have grade forgiveness. I know some colleges do that if you experienced a serious medical condition. They would essentially wipe your record clean so maybe they can do it for just that one semester? Also, you can look into 'medical withdrawal' too.

[jazzytee]

I think your best bet is to check with the dean of your old uni if they have grade forgiveness. I know some colleges do that if you experienced a serious medical condition. They would essentially wipe your record clean so maybe they can do it for just that one semester? Also, you can look into 'medical withdrawal' too.

Thanks for your response! Because I already graduated with the degree there is no forgiveness (wish I knew this before)

[neogirl]

Depends on the school, some probably will not even look at your application without a 3.0 GPA. Some may be willing to look at a lower GPA but you would need to be competitive in other areas of your application. They may say that they will accept a 2.5 but if they have 100 other people with a 3.0 and above your chances may be slim. I would say the most important thing is to get in the good graces of the college admissions team at wherever you want to apply and see what they say.