Chattanooga state rn fall 2016 hopefuls?

beholderseye · Jul 27, 2015

Just got accepted to the program which starts this fall 2015. I was going through what you are this time last year so let me know if you have any questions

aja878 · Jul 27, 2015

@beholderseye Thank you so much! I'm sure there will be lots of questions for you. Do you mind starting out sharing your experience with pre-reqs? I am currently finishing up mine. I have chem, micro and statistics left. Congrats on getting into the program. It must be a very exciting time for you. I am looking forward to any input and advice that you are willing to share.

dnw09 · Jul 28, 2015

I just took the TEAS exam today. I'm finishing up nutrition and general psych right now. In the fall I'll be taking A&P2 and lifespan psych. Then in the spring, I'll take micro. I'm really nervous about my nursing points though. I don't think I'm going to be as high as I need to be. I did okay on the TEAS and my composite score was a 90.25.

aja878 · Jul 28, 2015

@ dnw09 Welcome and congrats on your TEAS score. Why are you nervous about your nursing points? Based on your TEAS score, it sounds like you are more than capable. I still have not taken my TEAS yet because I am not sure what to expect. If you did well in your general psych course then lifespan will be a breeze. I made a B in my gen psych class but I must say I did not study as much as I should have. I took Lifespan this summer and finished the class a month early and I have an A. How was Nutrition for you?

dnw09 · Jul 28, 2015

I got a 90.5 on reading and a 90 on math for the TEAS. I may retake it, but a friend of mine in a nursing program in Huntsville said that my TEAS score was great, and that she wouldn't retake it. I'm meeting with the advisor on Friday because I'm a nervous wreck. lol. Anyways, I'm nervous because my nursing GPA isn't very high. My overall GPA is currently a 3.58, but the only credits I had that transferred into the RN program were comp 1 (which I took at UTC in 2007, and made a C) and statistics. I've taken all of my classes online since starting back, and I've done fairly well until A&PI. I did the lab/lecture online combo (not the RODP version) and got a C. I'm pretty sure the entire class technically failed, and she just had to curve everyone. Heck, only one person passed our final. I don't recommend taking that online, at all. I'm currently looking at 1 A, 1 B, and 2 C's. I expect to have an A in gen psych when she gets around to grading our last few modules. So that will put me at 2 A's. Then nutrition has been a total pain. My professor is unorganized and all of our modules in e-learn are scattered everywhere, and she's completely rude. Not to mention her grading is crazy. For example, we have 9 quizzes, 9 discussion questions, 2 activities, midterm, and final. There are only 500 total points available for the semester, and 400 of those come from the midterm and final. So all of the other coursework only counts 100 points. Meaning that since I made a C on the midterm, unless I somehow pull off a B or better on the final, I'll end up with a C in the course as well. So basically I'm freaking out that my nursing GPA is going to be low when I apply in the spring. I'm not sure how I'm going to do in A&PII, but I'm taking it on campus in the fall. So unless I have some miracle, I highly doubt I will have enough nursing points to get in for fall 2016. I estimate that I will be around 84.2-85.5. I'm of course hoping for higher, but who knows...

I've tried calculating my nursing points now and what I expect to have in the spring, but who knows if I'm even doing it right. lol.I'm going to the information session on the 11th as well, so maybe I'll know what to expect a bit better. I just really don't want to have to spend all of 2016 retaking classes.

dnw09 · Jul 28, 2015

Also, for the TEAS exam, just buy the yellow ati manual from wherever you can find it cheap, and study the reading and math sections. That's all I did. It comes with 2 practice tests and it really helped me to study for it.

aja878 · Jul 29, 2015

@dnw09 I agree with your friend. I think your TEAS score is awesome. I would not take it over. It sounds like from what I've heard that if your estimate of your nursing points are correct, you may be able to get into the night program depending on the overall scores for the applicants that year. One thing you could do to increase your points is to lower your course load to focus on one area or re-take a course that you received a C in. In no way am I an expert or trying to advise you. This is just what I would do. As far as your Nutrition course, your professor did not have the initials A.G. or T.M., did they? I am asking because I plan on taking courses online this fall and the professors have these initials. I would like to avoid any obstacle that I can on this journey.

dnw09 · Jul 29, 2015

Yes, my professor is TM. They only take night program applicants in odd years, and I can't do the night program anyway. I have two small kids and my mil wouldn't want to watch them that late. So I'm kind of hosed I guess.

dnw09 · Jul 29, 2015

I can't really lower my course load any more. I'm only taking two classes. I would have a better grade in nutrition if my other assignments were weighted differently. However, if I score higher on my final, she replaces the midterm grade with the final exam grade. So I'm hoping I can just study really well and pull it up. Nutrition is not that hard, she just makes it more complicated than it has to be.

aja878 · Jul 29, 2015

I just about fell over when I saw, "Yes, my professor is TM." I have heard nothing but the worst about them and I had a gut feeling when you were talking about that class. It is one of the very reasons I wanted to start this group so that we can share our experiences to help each other have the best chance at getting in. So, that being said I am switching professors ASAP. I totally understand that you can not lessen your course load. It sounds like we have similar situations. I have little ones as well and it all can be so overwhelming. I started out with two online classes each semester. I wanted to pace myself and it was really all I could do in my situation. Then, I had the opportunity to go on campus. I have a little more support now then I did when I started out (knock on wood) so I am now able to do a little more. So I totally get it but things are still not all roses. Something tells me that you are very smart and determined. I am still in awe of your TEAS score lol. Keep me updated. If there is any info that I find that is of value to making this process as painless as possible, I will definitely post it.

dnw09 · Jul 29, 2015

Since I started back I've taken 9 classes (I switched my major in the middle) and I made all A's except for my B in statistics and C in A&P1. I just went back and reread my syllabus for nutrition and it says if your final exam grade is higher than your midterm, she will replace it with your final exam grade. So, technically, if she does follow the syllabus, if I make an A on my final then I can make an A overall in the class. if I can pull this off it will put me at 86.50 nursing points if I make what I expect to make in the fall. There's still hope! haha! Seriously, change your professor asap! I just don't make bad grades, so getting the C last semester really hit me hard, and if I get another one due to weird grading policies, I'm going to be devastated. Have you ever had a class where 80% of your grade came from midterm and final exams? Even math classes only use 65% for those.