Advice for a low GPA student.

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

Hello everyone,

I've been on allnurses forums for quite some time now going through several posts on nursing program admissions. Quite frankly, like everyone else; I am not so confident with my future in nursing and I was hoping to receive proper realistic advisement. I am currently senior in a CUNY (City University of New York) with this:

Current GPA: 2.1

Switched Major: Sociology

I have two more semesters to go to finish up my Sociology degree. I was planning on finishing my degree and taking pre-reqs afterwards for an accelerated BS nursing program. Or even any kind of nursing program. (Betting on high GPA on core courses)

It may not look convincing but, I came to the realization of becoming a nurse quite late in the game like many others. My GPA is incredibly shameful and I definitely understand it's not something you would want in your program if you saw it firsthand. Life happens, financial issues; I had to work to support my family and distractions that swayed me from having proper grades. I don't want to use that as my main excuse because everyone else in this world goes through tough times.

My life is more stable now and my understanding of my priorities are better. Basically, I want to become a nurse to help save people's lives and I'm desperately trying to climb out of this hole that I dug myself into. I've made plenty of mistakes... I'm willing to do anything to become a nurse.

What's the best route to take due to my current situation?

Thank you everyone!

I am willing to give it everything I got. I just wanted to know the best pathway to take and to know if there's any possible hope it'll happen..

Thank you..

So finish my degree >> As on all my Pre-reqs>> apply ?

Is that the best path?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Most ABSN programs require a MINIMUM of 3.0 on first bachelors degree. The absolute lowest I have seen was Univ. of Wyoming which has a minimum of 2.5 GPA. And remember..these are MINIMUMS to apply. You can talk with the school, but be prepared to not get into an ABSN. They don't care that "life happens" because "life happens" to everyone. I completed an ABSN program in 2007 and my GPA was 3.4 getting in and that was one of the lower ones. They need to know you are capable of handling 20+ hours a semester of hard classes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Retake what classes you can, to raise your GPA.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If after finishing your soc degree and doing your best on nursing prereqs, you are unable to find a suitable ADN or BSN program to admit you, consider stepping back and becoming an LPN. If you look at that route, try to get into a community college LPN program. Some of the required courses will also be good for transfer into the ADN program. Do your best to get As, obtain an associate's degree along with completion of the LPN requirements, then, on down the road, reapply to RN programs. By then, along with some paid LPN employment, you should look a lot better to admissions committees and you will be able to continue your efforts. Just another possibility to consider. Best wishes and good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You are in NYC? Yes I would definitely recommend finishing your bachelor's and going for an accelerated BSN. In NYC it's going to become incredibly harder to get a job with an associates in nursing as most hospitals are moving to achieve Magnet status and will only want BSN graduates. I think LPN as suggested might be a better, easier option to get your foot in the door considering all the competition there is in NYC.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PACU.

Ok, so I'll give my insight on this. I was/am in a similar situation as you and I was just accepted to a non-expensive, accredited nursing program that is not at a for-profit university with a more than subpar academic record. The program I entered placed a lot of emphasis on things besides the GPA. I believe GPA is a determining factor, but they try to look at the whole person. In my essay, I was heart-felt, honest and DID NOT try to sugarcoat things. I was asked in for an interview and I ROCKED it. They brought up more than once that they appreciated my honestly, etc and three days later, I received an acceptance letter from the school.

I was very, very involved in the process. I always called for status updates, etc and they really got to know me even before I got in for the interview. I didn't sugarcoat ANYTHING about what happened in my past academic history (undiagnosed Crohn's disease, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and simply put, I was not ready for college at 18). I was able to admit my failures, come up with a plan to succeed and show them that I was serious business and implementing those changes.

It is possible! Keep your head up :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

There are some community colleges that offer LPN, btw. That may be an advantage to somebody going on for more school. (As opposed to do it a trade school or votech.)

Or, it might hold down the cost, since you can be a part time student and just pay for the course you need. Right now, if I went the cc LPN degree route, I have all coursework completed except LPN. I'd only have to take three courses: Practical Nursing I, II, and III, in three semesters. 9 + 9 + 12 credits at $120 /credit = $3600 plus books and any applicable fees and uniform costs if I am a resident of that county. But a votech 1-year program will set me back $12,000 or so.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi there! My name is Pierce I was once in your shoes. I actually graduated with my first undergrad with a 2.8, which is still bad. Worked in my field for five years and decided I did not like its future. I went back and took all the pre reqs Chem, Biology, AP1 and AP2 and Micro and nutrition these are the core pre req classes to get into an ABSN. What I am getting at is that when I took my pre reqs I did very well not the greatest but ended with a 3.79 gpa basically all A's except in a soc classes, oh the irony. Look at progrAms that focus mainly on the core classes rather your initial degrees gpa. Definitely complete your bachelors then go after an accelerated program, I did and so can you! It will be a lot of work but nothing worth having comes easy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I graduated this past spring with my ADN. A few of my classmates had low GPA and decided to take some of their pre-requisites over for a better grade. Entrance to our nursing program was based on points from GPA, the entrance exam, and working in the health care field. I had been an MA with a certificate prior to applying for nursing school and was granted points toward admission with my work experience. If nursing is what your passion is and is what you want to do I encourage you to keep pursuing your dream. It's not an easy program to get through but with planning, support from loved ones, and staying on track it can be done.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I also attend a CUNY school. I've actually attend two of them. Believe me when I say each school is a little different when it comes to programs. I'm currently in an ADN program, because my school does not offer a direct BSN route without being an RN first. In terms of GPA, some schools require a minimum of 2.5 or 3.0 just to apply to the program. Just do your best to ace your remaining classes and hope for the best :) Best of luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

Kate...here is the problem. ABSNs have MINIMUMS for first degree GPAs. It doesn't matter if they don't put "emphasis" on it. It is what it is. If school says to apply for the ABSN you must have at least a 3.0 on your first degree and you earned a 2.2 you cannot be accepted. It doesn't matter if you have a 4.0 on "nursing prereqs". I have worked admissions at a University. You can tell them all day you are "serious" it doesn't matter. The minima GPA is not a "suggestion".

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you all for taking your time and posting. I just wanted a little insight before I make a grand leap of faith. It's a very scary thing to attempt with such a low chance but, I'll stick through it and try my best. I'll continue my education and do what I can to boost up my GPA and obtain a degree. Then, I'll go on to take my pre-reqs and definitely get good grades on all the classes.

Would anyone know any Second Degree Nursing Programs that might be available for my current dilemma in NYC?

Would anyone also know any nursing programs that I would most likely be eligible in NYC? ADN or BSN.

I am really grateful for everyone and their encouraging posts... It means a lot.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment