advice on trying to get into nursing with a low gpa

benegesserit · Nov 3, 2008

You can do it! And don't feel bad - there are a lot of us in the same boat.

I'm also in Northern California. My first experience with college left me with a very low GPA. I was just accepted to a highly competitive program.

Many programs don't actually look at your whole GPA - they look only at the grades from your prerequisites, or, in the case of CSU Sacramento, the last 30 units plus any prerequisites outside those 30 units (which in many cases will be mostly prerequisites). So the best thing you can do is take your prerequisites seriously and get as high a grade as you can in them.

If you took any of the prerequisite classes during your previous degree (for example, English) and didn't get a good grade, retaking those classes may help. You may want to check the policies of the schools you're applying to first to see if retaking the class will help.

Even if your prerequisite grades aren't perfect, a lot of the Northern California schools are lottery-based or waitlist, and anyone who meets the minimum standards on the prerequisites gets equal chance. Now, you're talking 600+ applicants for 50 spots, but there's still a chance, and people do get in eventually.

Specifically how high your GPA needs to be, I can't say. It's going to vary by program, and how much weight they place on overall GPA vs. total prerequisite GPA vs. science GPA. Lottery or GPA-based schools will accept students with 2.0 or 3.0 (depending on the school) GPAs on prerequisites, but getting much higher (3.7+) will greatly increase your options.

California schools require the TEAS test (standardized nursing school entry test). For some programs, getting a high grade on this test will help your chances, so prepare for it adequately.

For some programs, getting paid or volunteer healthcare experience will help your chances (as well as helping you determine if this is really what you want to do!). CSU programs generally give points for foreign language fluency, so language classes could help if you haven't already met that requirement.

Most schools require that you complete certain prerequisites before applying. The exact ones necessary vary from school to school, but the community colleges generally require you have all the science prereqs completed at the time of application, while the CSUs let you have one or two science classes in progress during the semester your apply.

It is definitely doable to recover from a poor GPA!

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 3, 2008

I graduated with a 2.72 and have decided I can't get less than an A in all of my classes- my area isn't lottery based but merit based, so I'm competing with people who have great undergraduate GPAs AND who are doing really well in prerequisites.

Volunteer, get to know your professors, network to get great recommendations, and if you apply to schools that require personal statements, spend a lot of energy working on a really great one.

Good luck! It sucks to feel like past mistakes are weighing you down, but for me it gave me the drive to do really well on the prerequisites.

kalley · Nov 3, 2008

I don't know about California schools, but my school will look at the school of most recent attendance exclusively if you have more than 12 credits with them. Prior to going back this semester I had a 2.7 due to a couple of Incompletes. Luckily, I took 13 credits this semester and have a 4.0 so far. Hopefully it will be enough to get me in since our school is totally GPA based.

BellasMommyOBRN · Nov 3, 2008

i know quite a few bsn programs that look only at the last 60 credits. don't sweat about the past :)

Sharingan · Nov 3, 2008

All you can do now is to try to get as many A's as possible for the prereq classes. Most schools I know do separate calculation for prereq GPA. So, you could theoretically have a 4.0 prereq GPA and 2-somthing overall GPA. In that case, they'll know that you are able to handle science classes. As long as you have an upward trend in your transcript, you should be okay. Also, apply to as many programs as you can, that way you increase your chances of getting in somewhere. Study for TEAS and do the best you can. Many schools use the lottery system and have waiting lists, so get your complete application in asap. It may take longer than you'd like but if nursing is what you want to do, be persistant. It will pay off.

DaddyO · Nov 3, 2008

Getting "A's" would be great.....

be definitely try not to get anything under a B+ in the Prerequs. You can always explain the lower GPA later...in an interview or letter.

Also, befriend a Prof or two and ask if they can write something on your behalf when applying. Three of my Profs said they would write letters for students getting a B+ or better.

Good Luck !

jimbojonesey · Nov 3, 2008

I don't really see myself getting all A's in all the science prerequisites.

Realistically, I see myself getting an A in anatomy (hopefully when I take it), and B's here and there. This is after I come to the realization that Science doesn't come easy to me.

I challenged myself when I took up General College Chemistry and Human anatomy this semester. I just wanted to get all the science prereq's done and over with. But it was too much of a workload for me and I had to drop one of them, and so I decided to drop Anatomy.

I see myself getting an A in chemistry (but it is the only class I'm taking this whole semester).

Basically, when I finish all these prereq's, I'm thinking that my GPA will be at about 2.8.

And at this rate, finishing all my prerequisite classes may take a year or two before. After including applying for nursing school, and the possibility that I may have to be put on a waitlist for another 2 years, I will approximately become a registered nurse when I am 31-34 years old (I'm 27 right now).

Thank you all for the honest straightforward advice, and also the encouraging advice too. It helps. Since a lot of you, have already or are also familiar with this process (of getting into Nursing) I was hoping that I can get a correction/affirmation of my current outlook on my academic situation. Should I stay positive that I can make it through this? Or should I face reality, and go into a different/easier career path?

ORTech2RN · Nov 4, 2008

From one Communication major to another...I was in your shoes a year and a half ago. I graduated with a whopping 2.6...hardly the standard for getting into nursing. I busted my tail in all of the nursing prereq's ..straight A's to be exact. You could check into an academic bankruptcy program...some schools will allow you to drop lower grades. Also, as mentioned on here, some schools will only consider the GPA of the core classes needed for nursing. Another consideration, if you apply to a program that requires a letter, you could state your case.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2008

"Should I stay positive that I can make it through this? Or should I face reality, and go into a different/easier career path?"

Stay positive- but everyone should have a plan b, you know? Have you thought about doing an LPN program and then bridging to an RN? My plan b is to get EMT certification and then reapply- some of the schools I'm applying to mention that they look highly upon healthcare experience. Would you consider relocating? It might mean getting in to school sooner, because there are a lot of areas that don't do lottery wait-lists.

Don't underestimate how you'll do on science classes- despite not so great grades in undergrad, you've probably picked up a lot of studying and learning techniques that you might not be conscious of. I cried when I got my first A in Chemistry. I didn't think I was smart enough, but really committing gets you a lot farther than you'd think. Do study groups, use your school's tutoring resources, if your book has a website with quizzes those are really helpful too. Look at this as your opportunity to prove to yourself and the world that you can excel at school when you put your mind to it.

Good luck!

smellyacres, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2008

Don't look at it as trying to boost you GPA up from 2.2 to 2.8 to so on. Think of it as starting new, as most schools only really make decisions based on the prerequisite courses. If it isn't a prereq, most schools will not take it into account when calculating you GPA.

benegesserit · Nov 4, 2008

Don't look at it as trying to boost you GPA up from 2.2 to 2.8 to so on. Think of it as starting new, as most schools only really make decisions based on the prerequisite courses. If it isn't a prereq, most schools will not take it into account when calculating you GPA.

Exactly.

Some colleges look at total GPA. You may not be able to get into these programs. but others only look at prerequisite and/or recent coursework, and you stand as good a chance as anyone else for those.

As for whether the time and effort is worth it - that's really your choice, but I can promise that you will not be the oldest one in your class by a long shot!