Can I start over with my grades?

Nurses General Nursing

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Okay, so basically I have attended almost a year of college with mostly pre-reqs. Last semester (last year) I took online classes while I worked 55 hours a week and let's just say I failed out of them. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career so I wasn't nearly as motivated as I should have been. I also didn't do well in two of my classes I took in a prior semester (they were so boring I felt like I was going to die!). I needed direction, however, now I am confident I want to be a Pediatric Nurse. I also owe the school $5,200 from that last semester and they won't release my transcripts unless I figure out a plan of payment. I procrastinated and missed the FAFSA deadline. It was very irresponsible on my part. Last year I was not responsible at all! I am now 22 and thinking about my career and my life plans. Basically, I want to be able to qualify for a program that offers tuition assistance through a hospital. They will pay for your schooling (Max $26,000) if you have a 3.25 GPA and get into this competitive scholars program and work for them for 2 years. I am ashamed of my transcripts and my grades and it's very difficult to get in to this program. I am a very capable A/B student. Can I start over fresh and re-take everything at a different school? Do I have to show another school my old transcripts? Can I pretend I haven't went to school yet and start over? Will they see my past grades if I retake everything? Any help would be appreciated. I am worried I wouldn't be able to raise my GPA with what I have, but I really need help with paying for school.

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I think in theory you could, as long as you don't want to use any of those classes ever again. (Did you take COM101 or anything like that? You'd have to take it again....) Not sure about the nursing schools avail to you, but mine goes by TEAS test only + the grade in one class (BIO-180). So if that's the case for you as well, you might just have to do really well on the admissions test and BIO-180, and your other grades would not matter.

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The only way I know to "do-over" your GPA or grades is to retake the classes you failed or did poorly in. You may want to consider submitting your FAFSA for the next term and retaking your classes through a community college (cheaper), then apply to the nursing program you're talking about.

I also suggest meeting with an advisor regarding your goal in nursing. I put that off until I had taken multiple courses I had deemed pre-req's in my mind only to find out I'd wasted time and money on some of them. Meet with them and set up a plan for you to acheive your goal.

Good luck...

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

In Canada it is illegal to not report any post secondary education you have taken... not sure if it is the same where you live. I do know that you can cancel out your first mark by retaking a course. Both marks show up on your transcript but only the highest one is taken into account.

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Specializes in None yet.

I am pretty sure if you owe outstanding money to a school you can not qualify for financial aid like grants and scholarships given through filing a FAFSA. I am not sure about hospital tuition assistance but I would look into that. You can always re take the courses to improve your grades but I would be more worried about owing a school money. I once owed a community college $80 for a lost library book and could not get my grant at another school the next fall until I paid it!

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I am pretty sure if you owe outstanding money to a school you can not qualify for financial aid like grants and scholarships given through filing a FAFSA. I am not sure about hospital tuition assistance but I would look into that. You can always re take the courses to improve your grades but I would be more worried about owing a school money. I once owed a community college $80 for a lost library book and could not get my grant at another school the next fall until I paid it!

you can owe a school and still get FA, but if you go too long w/out going to school and default on your loan then you cannot go to school on FA.

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First thing you need to do is repay those outstanding loans.

Only then can you think of redoing your schooling.

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Specializes in FNP.

Do you mean could you lie and omit that school on your application? I suppose, but I think they would catch on to you b/c of the financial aid. That is all in a database that they will access when you apply for this scholarship. Now, will financial aid touch base with admissions? That I don't know. Generally speaking, no you don't get a do over, and those grades are with you forever. Almost 30 years ago, I got a "C" in my freshman calc class. When I applied to grad school 2 years ago I had to write a letter explaining it. If I didn't have a good enough excuse, they may not have taken me. My excuse was that the final exam was the day after my 18th birthday, which at the time was the legal drinking age in that state. Iwas hung over and dry heaving throught the exam. Nothing to be proud of, but I guess someone on the committee had been there/done that b/c they took me,lol. My point is, college grades are usually FOREVER. If you intend to be an honest applicant, I think your only hope is to pay your debt, retake those classes, get As in them and everthing else. I don't think it is mathmatically possible to make the GPA requirement without 4.0 in a significant number of credit hours though. Some mistakes we pay for for a lifetime.

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I think you need to pay owned money first

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Specializes in School Nursing.

You certainly got yourself in a bind. You failed out of classes and owe your school a pretty hefty sum.

You can't just omit this transcript from your education. Some states/schools offer 'Academic Fresh Start' but that is usually after a fair amount of time has passed since you took the classes (10 years in Texas). You're best bet right now is to visit a councilor at your school and find out your options.

You will not be able to transfer to other schools or take more classes until you pay the bill... but in the meantime, talk to a councilor.

Also- don't focus on nursing until you fix the grades on the classes you have already taken (I'm assuming they were 'basics').

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Most applications say things like, "List all previous coursework" or some such phrase. They also require you to sign a statement saying that everything you have written is the truth as far as you know it. They don't want you to omit anything -- which would defeat the whole purpose of looking at your previous performance. If you are ever caught lying, the penalties would be severe.

Whatever you do, tell the truth to whatever you are asked. Do not lie.

You may have to grow up and take responsibility for the numerous bad choices you have made over the past few years. Some states and schools offer something called "foregiveness." Maybe you can find such a program and start over with a clean slate ... but if not, you're just going to have to pay for your mistakes and move forward with whatever options are available to you.

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The only way you have of starting over from scratch and not getting caught at it is to stay away from financial aid.

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