Affirmative action for single mothers?

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Like most places, the competition to get into nursing programs is huge where I live. I met a woman in one of my classes who told me she has been accepted at the community college, and the U of --. Problem is, the wait list here for the CC is up to 3 years. She told me how she got into the U of --. She said to me, you have to have something special about yourself. I asked her, what do you mean? So she said "I got in because I'm a single mother." So I said to her, "I bet you have a really good GPA. I know the average GPA for those accepted is 3.7. Maybe you are underestimating how much you impressed the interviewers." She looks at me and rolls her eyes and says "My GPA isn't near that. They let me in because I'm a single mother." How do you know that I asked. She says "the professors both told me that I was being admitted expressly because I'm a single mother which makes life harder for me."

Excuse me? I have to admit this pisses me off! I used both the pill and a condom when I was out there to be careful...and she gets in because she's a single, never married mother? I can see if she got in on her own merits, then they chose to give her a full waiver on tuition to compensate for the difficulty of being a single mother. That sounds reasonable to me. But to admit her because of this?! Oh, and she's now pregnant again with #3. She's 22 years old. Never married. I am not trying to make judgments on those who have never been married and are single mothers. I just don't think you should get admitted to a nursing program because of it! Am I in left field here? What do you all think.

Many universities look at more than just your GPA. Background, including perseverance in the face of many obstacles, being the first in your family to go to college, economic hardships, etc., are weighted along with GPA. It's a holistic approach to accepting people into their schools, not one just based on numbers. Her being a mom might fit into a much larger picture that the university appreciated, and there might be more to her than you know. Also, if she says her GPA is "not that good" and didn't give you numbers, it still might be pretty high. I'm in classes with pre-meds all day who tell me they have horrid GPA's, only to find out its a 3.7 or something.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
no i don't think you're in left field. if that's truly the reason she got in (assuming she doesn't have her facts wrong or isn't yanking your chain), i'd be a little peezed too, for the same reasons.

you know, she could be yanking your chain. some people are weird like that. maybe trying to make herself feel better about her situation. "see, i didn't do everything by the book, and am still getting what i want". i have an ex-husband who lives his life like that, while i keep 'doing the right thing', and it gets me nowhere :angryfire . do i get any affirmative action for being married to a @#$% who left me for another woman, and refuses to cooperate in any way? i'm a single mother too!! :chuckle but i digress...

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Like most places, the competition to get into nursing programs is huge where I live. I met a woman in one of my classes who told me she has been accepted at the community college, and the U of --. Problem is, the wait list here for the CC is up to 3 years. She told me how she got into the U of --. She said to me, you have to have something special about yourself. I asked her, what do you mean? So she said "I got in because I'm a single mother." So I said to her, "I bet you have a really good GPA. I know the average GPA for those accepted is 3.7. Maybe you are underestimating how much you impressed the interviewers." She looks at me and rolls her eyes and says "My GPA isn't near that. They let me in because I'm a single mother." How do you know that I asked. She says "the professors both told me that I was being admitted expressly because I'm a single mother which makes life harder for me."

Excuse me? I have to admit this pisses me off! I used both the pill and a condom when I was out there to be careful...and she gets in because she's a single, never married mother? I can see if she got in on her own merits, then they chose to give her a full waiver on tuition to compensate for the difficulty of being a single mother. That sounds reasonable to me. But to admit her because of this?! Oh, and she's now pregnant again with #3. She's 22 years old. Never married. I am not trying to make judgments on those who have never been married and are single mothers. I just don't think you should get admitted to a nursing program because of it! Am I in left field here? What do you all think.

OMG, I could give you a looooong list why I feel disadvantaged and need to be admitted immediately :roll

Ok here are a few examples:

1. abused as a child

2. foreigner, BTW I want everything written in my native language and I want YOU to speak to me in my native language , too :chuckle

3. Husband is decendant of immigrants

5. I had a kid at 38

4. I am an Army wife

6. I can't afford a German car

7. I have a mentally challenged dog to care for (for real!!!!)

Needless to say I am not a fan of affirmative action, period! It's just an excuse for people to stay lazy...I've worked with people who got the job that way and they were a pain in the rear end and not pulling their load! Has their been some legislation to make away with it Yet? I'm not updated on the issue 'cause I'm too busy working to get decent grades LOL

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
omg, i could give you a looooong list why i feel disadvantaged and need to be admitted immediately :roll

ok here are a few examples:

1. abused as a child

2. foreigner, btw i want everything written in my native language and i want you to speak to me in my native language , too :chuckle

3. husband is decendant of immigrants

5. i had a kid at 38

4. i am an army wife

6. i can't afford a german car

7. i have a mentally challenged dog to care for (for real!!!!)

needless to say i am not a fan of affirmative action, period! it's just an excuse for people to stay lazy...i've worked with people who got the job that way and they were a pain in the rear end and not pulling their load!

you go girl!!!!

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you go girl!!!!

you keep going too!!!!!!

and may i add i need to be admitted immediately cause my shoe size is a 10

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Specializes in Telemetry Med/Surg.

If that's the case, I should be admitted for being a war veteran or just a veteran. That's not fair though. I believe all AA should be halted.

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If that's the case, I should be admitted for being a war veteran or just a veteran. That's not fair though. I believe all AA should be halted.

Agree with you, initially it was a good idea to get things jumpstarted but I believe it's now outdated.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

i don't mean to be judgemental either (but since you are, i will be too). but i can't possibly see her getting through this, especially if she admitted her grades are nowhere near the required gpa for acceptance. forget about her home situation (caring for 3 kids on her own), that's not even the issue here. she may have the best support system in the world to helpp her through it (regarding child care). but she's going to need to stay in the nursing program on her own merits. and the national council is not going to give a rats a$$ how many kids and lack of fathers she has (if she even makes it to nclex, which is highly unlikely, imo).

i can understand why this is bothering you, but try to take it with a grain of salt. and by all means, keep us posted.

you may be right about her being unable to successfully complete the program and pass nclex. which begs the question: why admit a student who is unlikely to succeed? why allow her to fill a seat, even if it is only for a year or two, when a more qualified candidate could fill it and be well on his/her way toward graduation by the time this person drops out?

i attended a very competitive bsn program at a state university. candidates with a gpa of less than 3.3 in their pre-requesites were not considered, unless they fit into one of 2 categories: minority or male. those candidates automatically had 0.5 added to their gpa for the purposes of admission to the nursing program. i once asked the program director if minority men got a full point added. i was serious. she declined to answer my question. the director refused to provide statistics, but anecdotally, an awful lot of the students who had their gpa "enhanced" washed out of the program after a semester or two. it was a terrible waste of limited resources, in my opinion.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Who knows, it is possible that she could be yanking my chain. I really doubt it though. She seemed so sincere when she was telling me I need to be 'special' in some way to get in. She is also clueless from my observation of her interactions w/people. Who knows.

I do think she probably could get through the nursing program. She did all those pre-reqs in one semester. A&P 1 and 2, Chem, algebra, and some other class. She has child care daily at no charge with her mother, and she doesn't work. She rants that the fathers don't pay child support though.

My gripe is that I think it is unfair to admit her when there are so many other applicants with higher academic qualifications. I also don't buy the psych professor's argument. I think it is shocking that nursing professors take it upon themselves to decide to admit her because of being a single mother and call it a 'need for diversity'. I think they have a responsibility to admit the best qualified, using AA according to the policy of the university. I don't believe being a single mother of 3 is a covered minority and I think it's a slap in the face to those who made better grades. I believe her single mother-hood status should be irrelavent regarding admission. It should only be an issue with financial aid, and she should be given more because she needs more financial aid.

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She got in because she was able to sell herself. It's a good skill to have and will serve her well if she graduates and starts interviewing for jobs. The faculty was obviously impressed by her and I see no reason for that to offend anyone else.

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i don't mean to be judgemental either (but since you are, i will be too). but i can't possibly see her getting through this, especially if she admitted her grades are nowhere near the required gpa for acceptance. forget about her home situation (caring for 3 kids on her own), that's not even the issue here. she may have the best support system in the world to helpp her through it (regarding child care). but she's going to need to stay in the nursing program on her own merits. and the national council is not going to give a rats a$$ how many kids and lack of fathers she has (if she even makes it to nclex, which is highly unlikely, imo).

i can understand why this is bothering you, but try to take it with a grain of salt. and by all means, keep us posted.

you may be right about her being unable to successfully complete the program and pass nclex. which begs the question: why admit a student who is unlikely to succeed? why allow her to fill a seat, even if it is only for a year or two, when a more qualified candidate could fill it and be well on his/her way toward graduation by the time this person drops out?

i attended a very competitive bsn program at a state university. candidates with a gpa of less than 3.3 in their pre-requesites were not considered, unless they fit into one of 2 categories: minority or male. those candidates automatically had 0.5 added to their gpa for the purposes of admission to the nursing program. i once asked the program director if minority men got a full point added. i was serious. she declined to answer my question. the director refused to provide statistics, but anecdotally, an awful lot of the students who had their gpa "enhanced" washed out of the program after a semester or two. it was a terrible waste of limited resources, in my opinion.

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You may be right about her being unable to successfully complete the program and pass NCLEX. Which begs the question: Why admit a student who is unlikely to succeed? Why allow her to fill a seat, even if it is only for a year or two, when a more qualified candidate could fill it and be well on his/her way toward graduation by the time this person drops out?

I attended a very competitive BSN program at a state university. Candidates with a GPA of less than 3.3 in their pre-requesites were NOT considered, UNLESS they fit into one of 2 categories: minority or male. Those candidates AUTOMATICALLY had 0.5 ADDED to their GPA for the purposes of admission to the nursing program. I once asked the program director if minority men got a full point added. I was serious. She declined to answer my question. The director refused to provide statistics, but anecdotally, an awful lot of the students who had their GPA "enhanced" washed out of the program after a semester or two. It was a terrible waste of limited resources, in my opinion.

Where in your school would I fit in, I am a "transplant" from Europe and don't fall into the category, male or minority?

I also noticed just now that something went wrong with this post....

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