Am I crazy?

lisabeth · Nov 2, 2006

There is NO way I would ever attempt that. If you are wanting to get as many out of the way as possible, I would take one of your science classes, Psychology and maybe the computer class. Pharmacology is extremely difficult, and taking two lab sciences together is pretty difficult also. You know your limitations better than anyone else, but there is so much info in A&P to learn and Microbiology is a very difficlt class from what everyone says. That is the only one I havent taken, but I will take that in the Spring while I wait to hear if I get in or not. I dont know what gpa your school requires, but in most, the gpa is the main deciding point.

Best of luck to you. :)

I have been out of high school for over 16 years now and have a few college credits but mostly in the humanities. The last science class I took was my sophomore year in highschool, way back when parachute pants were the rage! ROFL! Anyway, I would like to go to nursing school and the semester of prereq's at my school are as follows:
Microbiology
A&P
Computers for Nurses
General Psychology
Pharmacology
But to be accepted to the nursing program I have to have Intro to Chemistry as well. Is it insane to try to do all of these classes plus chem in one semester? I think it is a total of 18 credit hours.
The thing is, I know it will take awhile to get accepted with the waiting lists and all, but it appears I can't even get put on the waiting list until I take all of these courses, right? So if I do it in 2 semesters instead of 1 that makes the waiting even longer. And what if I finish these and then it's still awhile before I get accepted? What does one do in the meantime?
Thanks in advance!
Summer

ChargeNurseAmy74 · Nov 2, 2006

i have been out of high school for over 16 years now and have a few college credits but mostly in the humanities. the last science class i took was my sophomore year in highschool, way back when parachute pants were the rage! rofl! anyway, i would like to go to nursing school and the semester of prereq's at my school are as follows:
microbiology
a&p
computers for nurses
general psychology
pharmacology
but to be accepted to the nursing program i have to have intro to chemistry as well. is it insane to try to do all of these classes plus chem in one semester? i think it is a total of 18 credit hours.
the thing is, i know it will take awhile to get accepted with the waiting lists and all, but it appears i can't even get put on the waiting list until i take all of these courses, right? so if i do it in 2 semesters instead of 1 that makes the waiting even longer. and what if i finish these and then it's still awhile before i get accepted? what does one do in the meantime?
thanks in advance!
summer

18 credits in 1 semester seems outrageous! do you have a husband/children? i like only taking 10 to 12 units at a time, or the load gets too hard. at my school 12 units is considers full time, so 18 units would be like omg..overload lol. i wish you luck. does your school only accept prerequisite verification once a year? and if they do, what month? my school only once a year, and the verification is due sept.1-oct.10.

well anyways, i hope it all works out for you, it just seems that 18 units is more than a handful...

wishing you well..

nurse2bamy:heartbeat

goddess_of_summer · Nov 2, 2006

Thanks for the quick response! So are you saying I can still apply even though I haven't taken all of the prereqs? I know this probably varies from school to school, but I assumed I had to finish all of the classes before I could even turn in my application.

There is NO way I would ever attempt that. If you are wanting to get as many out of the way as possible, I would take one of your science classes, Psychology and maybe the computer class. Pharmacology is extremely difficult, and taking two lab sciences together is pretty difficult also. You know your limitations better than anyone else, but there is so much info in A&P to learn and Microbiology is a very difficlt class from what everyone says. That is the only one I havent taken, but I will take that in the Spring while I wait to hear if I get in or not. I dont know what gpa your school requires, but in most, the gpa is the main deciding point.
Best of luck to you. :)

stpauligirl · Nov 2, 2006

I have been out of high school for over 16 years now and have a few college credits but mostly in the humanities. The last science class I took was my sophomore year in highschool, way back when parachute pants were the rage! ROFL! Anyway, I would like to go to nursing school and the semester of prereq's at my school are as follows:
Microbiology
A&P
Computers for Nurses
General Psychology
Pharmacology
But to be accepted to the nursing program I have to have Intro to Chemistry as well. Is it insane to try to do all of these classes plus chem in one semester? I think it is a total of 18 credit hours.
The thing is, I know it will take awhile to get accepted with the waiting lists and all, but it appears I can't even get put on the waiting list until I take all of these courses, right? So if I do it in 2 semesters instead of 1 that makes the waiting even longer. And what if I finish these and then it's still awhile before I get accepted? What does one do in the meantime?
Thanks in advance!
Summer

Now this is only my personal opinion.....but if you plan to make an A in all of those classes it may be a good idea not to take them all at once. As far as I know A's are pretty much needed in all of those to be competitive. GPA is EVERYTHING at least here in our part of the prenursing world.

But then again you may just have special powers and can pull it off, I know I don't and wouldn't try that many classes at once.

Please talk to your nursing director/ degree counselor before signing up and good luck.

arciedee · Nov 2, 2006

Well, I wouldn't say crazy, but perhaps, overzealous

Could it be done? Sure, but you're probably going to be one unhappy puppy. I agree with TexasAngel regarding starting off with a science, and maybe the psych and computers. Or maybe even chem, a&p (usually this is a two semester sequence... is that the case at your school?), psych, and computers. That would be ambitious enough.

I know you want to get into nursing school ASAP, but as some wise people once said "It's a marathon, not a sprint," i.e. pace yourself. You don't want to burn yourself out at the very beginning, nor do you want to put yourself in a position of having to drop or repeat classes because you bit off more than you could chew. Start small, get your study skills mastered, and then add on.

Also, check with the school to find out what their application requirements are. Some programs will take applications if the student is still working on pre-reqs (usually an admittance would be conditional on successful completion of the outstanding courses). And if you DO end up with a lag time between finishing the pre-reqs and the start of clinicals you could always complete any other co-reqs that the program has or if you are thinking of going on to a BSN program (I'm assuming you're currently looking at an ADN program, but correct me if I'm wrong), you could start chipping away at pre-reqs for the BSN. You could even just take some classes that interest you to keep your study skills fresh. Or just enjoy the free time! Volunteer at a hospital or whatever.

Good luck to you!

goddess_of_summer · Nov 2, 2006

i am starting to see that, yes, this is probably way too many credits. but thanks for not saying, "yup, you are crazy!" :lol2:

yes, i have a husband and one child, and this is part of the problem...my dh won't/can't move so that i can go to nursing school, so my son and i will live with my mom while i do this and see my husband only during the summer and christmas. so i am trying to get this done as quickly as possible. i don't want to spend 3 or 4 years like this. maybe i am not thinking realistically though.

anyway, thanks so much for your quick reply!

18 credits in 1 semester seems outrageous! do you have a husband/children? i like only taking 10 to 12 units at a time, or the load gets too hard. at my school 12 units is considers full time, so 18 units would be like omg..overload lol. i wish you luck. does your school only accept prerequisite verification once a year? and if they do, what month? my school only once a year, and the verification is due sept.1-oct.10.
well anyways, i hope it all works out for you, it just seems that 18 units is more than a handful...

wishing you well..

nurse2bamy:heartbeat

goddess_of_summer · Nov 2, 2006

Thanks so much! I am definitely starting to see this is not such a good idea! And will be talking to a degree counselor before I sign up! Thanks!

Now this is only my personal opinion.....but if you plan to make an A in all of those classes it may be a good idea not to take them all at once. As far as I know A's are pretty much needed in all of those to be competitive. GPA is EVERYTHING at least here in our part of the prenursing world.
But then again you may just have special powers and can pull it off, I know I don't and wouldn't try that many classes at once.
Please talk to your nursing director/ degree counselor before signing up and good luck.

AZmom · Nov 2, 2006

Have you considered distance learning? Most colleges now offer online courses, meaning you wouldn't necessarily have to move away from your husband while taking prereqs.

goddess_of_summer · Nov 2, 2006

Thank you so much for your advice!! I am so glad I asked this question here.

I probably will end up taking Chem, A&P, Psych, and the computer class. The computer class is only 5 weeks and I imagine it will be very simple because I am no stranger to computers. :)

Well, I wouldn't say crazy, but perhaps, overzealous
Could it be done? Sure, but you're probably going to be one unhappy puppy. I agree with TexasAngel regarding starting off with a science, and maybe the psych and computers. Or maybe even chem, a&p (usually this is a two semester sequence... is that the case at your school?), psych, and computers. That would be ambitious enough.
I know you want to get into nursing school ASAP, but as some wise people once said "It's a marathon, not a sprint," i.e. pace yourself. You don't want to burn yourself out at the very beginning, nor do you want to put yourself in a position of having to drop or repeat classes because you bit off more than you could chew. Start small, get your study skills mastered, and then add on.
Also, check with the school to find out what their application requirements are. Some programs will take applications if the student is still working on pre-reqs (usually an admittance would be conditional on successful completion of the outstanding courses). And if you DO end up with a lag time between finishing the pre-reqs and the start of clinicals you could always complete any other co-reqs that the program has or if you are thinking of going on to a BSN program (I'm assuming you're currently looking at an ADN program, but correct me if I'm wrong), you could start chipping away at pre-reqs for the BSN. You could even just take some classes that interest you to keep your study skills fresh. Or just enjoy the free time! Volunteer at a hospital or whatever.
Good luck to you!

ChargeNurseAmy74 · Nov 2, 2006

thanks so much! i am definitely starting to see this is not such a good idea! and will be talking to a degree counselor before i sign up! thanks!

no goddess_of_summer, you have to finish all your prerequisites and submit a verification & apply to the nursing program. it's good to hear you want to work so hard for school tho..but in the long run i think that too much will cause you to fail, then all you've worked for is gone, or delayed greatly! take care, good luck!

nurse2bamy:heartbeat

goddess_of_summer · Nov 2, 2006

I've considered this, but I am a much better hands on learner than I am distance learner. Especially with classes that include labs... But thanks for the suggestion!

Have you considered distance learning? Most colleges now offer online courses, meaning you wouldn't necessarily have to move away from your husband while taking prereqs.