Aspiring Nurse, need some help!

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Hey, my name is Jeff. I'm new to this site but I am in desperate need of help. I'm 19 years old and attending my second year of community college. I am trying to earn my bachelors degree as a nurse, but my GPA is horrible. I am at a 2.2 right now and would love to transfer out for fall 2018. The good part is I have a very good background. I am a volunteer firefighter, a head lifeguard (supervisor of lifeguards), I manage my fathers restaurant, I am also a children's ski/snowboard instructor at a ski mountain in the Poconos. I volunteer with a mildly autistic 14 year old once a week as well. In a week, I will be starting a volunteer job at Winthrop-NYU Hospital in the Pediatrics Emergency Department. I am close with the head of anesthesiologist at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx so he will be writing one of my recommendation letters. I have over 15 nursing schools I am willing to apply to. I am just afraid because the GPA minimum on most are 2.75-3.2. Please let me know what I should do. I could stay in community college again and raise my grades, or I was thinking becoming an LPN and then go back to school later. I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks again.

Jeff

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Wow, Jeff. Impressive background. Welcome to AN.com!

My credentials show the route I went and it's been a great ride spanning nearly 40 years.

Whatever you decide to do, the very best to you!

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GPA usually counts for 50% towards admission requirements... then 25 % will be interview and 25 % testing.

You need to consult with your academic advisor. I would go for an ASN with the community college.

Best wishes.

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I figured that would be an option too, but does my background help at all? or is the GPA ruining the chances.

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That's awesome. I'm happy to be part of a group that has so much knowledge in the medical field of nursing. Seems like the route you took really paid off. Might have to follow in the same foot steps. Thank you!

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
That's awesome. I'm happy to be part of a group that has so much knowledge in the medical field of nursing. Seems like the route you took really paid off. Might have to follow in the same foot steps. Thank you!

Glad to have an obviously ambitious young man as yourself on AN.com. Yeah, I took it slow and easy and you're welcome!

BTW, Jeff- if you use the Quote button at the bottom of a post to which you want to respond, you can then type in your response. That way, we know to who you are replying.

Once again, good luck!

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I figured that would be an option too, but does my background help at all? or is the GPA ruining the chances.

Your background is impressive, it most certainly will help. As far as getting into nursing school.. how much it weighs, is up to the powers that be. All you can do now is apply. You should go for your ASN.

Best wishes, let us know how it's going.

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Unfortunately, many schools with a minimum GPA cut-off won't even look at applications that don't meet the criteria, although it depends on the admissions process at the specific school. If you can get past that hurdle, hopefully your other qualifications (which are impressive) will be sufficient.

The reason why GPA is so important in nursing school admissions is because admissions committees want to select applicants they believe can successfully complete the program. Are you currently in nursing school at your CC, or are you completing pre-reqs? Pre-reqs are difficult, but nursing programs are generally even more demanding. Many nursing programs have even stricter grading parameters than other programs (for instance, 95-100 is an A, 92-94 is an A-, 89-92 is a B+). If you're maintaining a 2.2 now, prospective programs may be concerned that you wouldn't be able to pass all of their classes. They may even believe (true or not) that your plentiful extracurriculars are keeping you from getting your schoolwork done.

Admissions committees tend to be more forgiving of terrible GPAs if they occurred in the distant past (i.e. the 35-year-old who got poor grades at age 22 but is now getting As in his/her pre-reqs). However, your GPA is presumably very recent. In your essays, you'll need to address how you're working to make your GPA better. On your transcripts, you need to provide evidence that your grades are improving every semester (instead of staying in the 2.2 range).

Nursing is not all about grades, and good grades in nursing school don't necessarily make for a great nurse; I'm sure you'd bring a lot of great experiences to the table as a nurse. However, you can't become a nurse unless you're able to pass your nursing classes and take the NCLEX.

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