Advice!! Graduating soon with non nursing degree interested in ABSN

[inspired1873]

Hey everyone! I'm currently in my last semester of college, I'll be graduating in May. I'll be graduating with a degree in legal studies and I'm currently working as a paralegal intern. It turns out my internship has shown me that this isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life at all. I am seriously considering on going to nursing school but have a few questions. I'll have to take all my pre-reqs once I graduate and I'm wondering if taking them at a community college will put me at a disadvantage when applying? I'd really love to be able to get into the accelerated programs at Hopkins, Yale, or Chapel Hill and I'm not sure if they look at things like that. Also, I'll be graduating with a 3.3 GPA; would I even stand a chance at applying to any of these schools? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.. This is all extremely new to me. Thanks!

[lmattera]

A lot of people who go for ABSN programs have been out of school for quite some time, so I believe a majority of them take their prereqs at community college. I don't think that it will put you at a disadvantage at all, unless you do poorly (which I know you won't!!).

[zoe92]

I agree with the previous poster, many take pre reqs at community college. I do recommend getting A's in every pre req and possibly volunteering in a health care setting, like at a hospital or nursing home. This will look great on your résumé as someone who does not have a bachelors degree in something health related. good luck!

[elkpark]

I don't know about the other programs, but Yale does not offer an ABSN program, only a direct-entry MSN which is 3 years in length.

[aleong29]

Taking courses at a community college won't put you at a disadvantage at all. A lot, if not all the absn students probably had to fulfill several prereqs at a community college. I attended 6 community colleges and I got accepted into a competitive absn program in CA. GPA does matter, and does play a huge role. The average GPA for my school is around 3.8-3.9 and sciences being 4.0. Try to get it up as much as you can. Remember that there are also other factors besides GPA that will get you in. Get some experience by volunteering, and/or complete a CNA or EMT course. For me, I did as much as I could in the time frame I had, which wasn't much, but every bit matters. Good luck!