I am one of those middle-aged students who just applied for the Nursing Program at my local college. I was very careful to pick a college that based their selection process on merit. However, the local college I attend was forced by the Chancellor of the California Community College system to change the selection criteria for the Nursing program. Some of you know this new process as the lottery system. This happened well into the process of working on my Prereqs. Due to money considerations, it was immpossible for me to change colleges. I feared at the time that this new process would hurt me, because I have never been one of those who has benefited from chance drawings. My name was not picked during this so-called lottery. You see, under the old guidelines the top 7% went straight into the program. I made the the top 5%, however my academic achievement under the new system means nothing. I was forced to compete for a spot with all applicants who scored above 70%.
Now please understand that I am well aware that some have many responsibilities outside of school. I am no different. I have someone who I care about very much who is an epileptic. She has never been under control. I have had many nights that I have spent in the ER rather than sleeping or studying. I have paid the price many times over to be where I am now. But I am getting close to fifty. And at this point, I am very emotionally tired. I really do fear that if I do not get in by the next semester, that I will not be able to finish my dream. I am very angry and dissapointed that this has happened to me. In fact, my longtime study partner was accepted and I cannot even talk to her because it upsets me knowing that she will be moving on without me. I do wish her the best but it is just too painful. But the thing that bothers me the most is that I am being told by this new process that my academic achievement means nothing.
I have to admit, that even though I am a man I broke down and cried.
I believe there is room for all types of selection processes in our state. But this new model is nothing but socialism. It rewards the many but penalizes those who achieve the most and some of us pay the ultimate cost. Please be aware that the Chancellor is trying to force this program on every single community college in the state.
I just do not know where I am going to go from here.
Finally, I realized that I had to quit spending time and energy complaining and trying to fight it by challenging test questions, etc., and spend more of my energy figuring out how to beat the teachers at the their own game.
So I started to study NCLEX guides in addition to the books, lecture and everything else to try to fill in the gaps, and it helped me a lot. I also figured out that I should always get notes from the previous class since, inevitably, teachers would forget to tell us things they told other classes but, nevertheless, would show up on test questions.
In hindsight, I realized that if I had done all of this a lot sooner, instead of worrying about how unfair it all was, I would have been much better off.
That was absolutely excellent advice that sounds like a well-seasoned nursing student who has been through it all.
That is exactly how I got through some of my LVN classes as well as A&P and micro for my RN.
Start challenging test questions and start questioning whether or not the material was covered in class.
If you're expecting nursing school to be fair, it just isn't. The unfairness is not going to stop here. You are going to see many unfair things as you go through the program. They are the gatekeepers and they can pretty much do what they want.
So very true.
If there is one thing I've learned from LVN school that carried me into prep for EC's CPNE, it's the simple fact that you need to learn how to play their game in order to survive.
Many many posts on this board will proclaim how unfair nursing school is whether it be clinical rotations or clinical exams.
I get tired of people who, once they've passed, will talk about how fair and reasonable their programs were, and dismiss anyone who says otherwise as a bitter failed student.
I played the game and passed but will always be quick to say how very unfair it can be with instructors or examiners having a "Gatekeeper" power complex.
Start challenging test questions and start questioning whether or not the material was covered in class.
It works.
Perhaps I wasn't clear but, I was actually saying that challenging test questions was a waste of time.
I think I got the teachers to give in on maybe two out of 50 test questions I challenged the whole time I was in school. The rest they didn't give on at all, even if I could prove that they didn't give us the material in class or in the books.
So, that's when I started studying the NCLEX guides, since they obviously weren't going to teach us everything we needed to know. That's actually what helped me the most ... and getting notes from other classes.
Don't give up hope, my school's waiting list is 2-3 years. You need a 2.5 to apply, you get your number and wait. I didn't think I would start until January 2008. Our school received a grant from a hospital organization and the through the state of California. The criteria for acceptance to this program is having a GPA over 3.5. The kicker is that your english grades had to be A's. All those people that only had a 2.5 are still waiting. 48 of us applied and they took the 12 highest. I just finished my first semester. Don't give up, I have a friend that is 62 that is finishing up the program.
Don't give up hope. I do think the most difficult part for me is that my study partner didn't get in. He had been sick the semester before and took an incomplete in english. So he wasn't eligible. He is still waiting in the long line.
I posted a new thread about a new partnership between LA valley College and Valley Presbyterian hospital, if you're near the San Fernando Valley this merits looking into, there was a full page ad in the LA Times this week. good luck to all of you who are waiting!
And the rest of you are right. The milk is spillt, it is spoiled, it is time to move on. I will let someone else clean up the mess. I am done talking about this.
Believe me Tim, I agree with you totally. There is no question that you are totally right about this. You have every right to feel the way you do. I am on your side, but Focker has a point in one sense.
If you're expecting nursing school to be fair, it just isn't. The unfairness is not going to stop here. You are going to see many unfair things as you go through the program. They are the gatekeepers and they can pretty much do what they want.
Probably the most unfair thing I dealt with was the teachers testing us on material they never gave us. It drove me absolutely crazy.
Finally, I realized that I had to quit spending time and energy complaining and trying to fight it by challenging test questions, etc., and spend more of my energy figuring out how to beat the teachers at the their own game.
So I started to study NCLEX guides in addition to the books, lecture and everything else to try to fill in the gaps, and it helped me a lot. I also figured out that I should always get notes from the previous class since, inevitably, teachers would forget to tell us things they told other classes but, nevertheless, would show up on test questions.
In hindsight, I realized that if I had done all of this a lot sooner, instead of worrying about how unfair it all was, I would have been much better off.
Again, I am not dismissing your arguments or how you feel. I totally sympathize with what's happened to you here. But, sometimes it's just better to accept the unfairness of the situation, especially if you can't change it, and deal with it the best that you can.
If I may make a suggestion here: the best thing you can do right now is start studying with the free time you have because you won't have much free time once school starts. If you can, get the syllabus for the program either from the school itself or your friend who's starting now.
You mentioned you're having some trouble talking with your friend right now because they're starting before you are but ... if you can set aside your personal feelings ... you might realize that having a friend in the class before you can also be a tremendous advantage.
I had a friend who started before me, and she was a lifesaver. She always told me what to expect from different teachers, how to study, what kinds of test questions to expect ... all kinds of pointers ... which helped me tremendously because she had already been through it. She also gave me notes from her classes which was enormously helpful.
I guess what I'm saying is: try to take advantage of an otherwise bad situation. You now have an opportunity to get a head start and that can give you an enormous advantage down the line.
Specializes in Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.
I have to admit, that even though I am a man I broke down and cried.
I believe there is room for all types of selection processes in our state. But this new model is nothing but socialism. It rewards the many but penalizes those who achieve the most and some of us pay the ultimate cost. Please be aware that the Chancellor is trying to force this program on every single community college in the state.
I just do not know where I am going to go from here.
Hi Tim. I didn't have the time to read the whole entire thread, but in Chicago, all the community colleges have the same idiotic lottery. It IS absurd, and even the college advisors thought so. This is why I chose a direct-entry MSN program over an ASN (or I would have gotten the ASN and then done a transfer RN-MSN program).
It's OK to cry. But you cannot change something that is not under your control. I'm 37, and simply do not have the time or energy to bank my future on some silly lottery program over which I have absolutely NO control.
So I just chose to apply elsewhere. I can't change all 11 city colleges.
Anytime you put a honors student on equal basis with someone who has just squeaked by with a 75% in competition for a place in a nursing school, that is to someone like me a very big deal.
Its statements like this that really irritate me. Are you going to tell people when you do get into NS that if they "squeaked" by, that they don't belong there? Do you think that perhaps they are just not very good at doing the traditional "bookwork" type of learning and might excel in a more clinical enviroment? Also do you think even if they did just squeak by that they are not going to still have to pass all there classes? I have read numerous threads on this board of people saying a variety of different reasons why they were not able to get all A's, does this not make them worthy of being a nurse because they didnt do well in math? This "superior than thou" attitude is what divides the nursing field. And you are right I am not the type of person that sugarcoats things, but thats not to say that I am not nice when the situation calls for it. I just feel that you get more accomplished when you are upfront about it rather than beat around the bush. Good luck with getting in, I really do mean that.
I'm sorry to hear this. I can't imagine the pain you must feel. I too have put my ALL into my nursing education, and I think if I were not be able to move on for some reason it would kill me. I've never heard of a lottery system before, but it sounds pretty crappy. You must feel absolutely helpless. Hang in there.
I just started my 2nd semester ADN and IMHO the lottery system sets students up for failure. It took me 3 trys to get accepted and I have a 3.8 GPA (not that it matters with the lottery system).
Our class started out with 75 students (4 were repeats who had failed 1st). We lost 14 students (1 repeater failed again) and now our 2nd semester class has 61 students. 1 failed the math calculation test x2. 3 dropped along the way for unknown reasons, and the rest had D's all semester and failed to earn enought points (75.5%) to progress. The program is hard and marginal students are at a disadvantage.
Its statements like this that really irritate me. Are you going to tell people when you do get into NS that if they "squeaked" by, that they don't belong there? Do you think that perhaps they are just not very good at doing the traditional "bookwork" type of learning and might excel in a more clinical enviroment? Also do you think even if they did just squeak by that they are not going to still have to pass all there classes? I have read numerous threads on this board of people saying a variety of different reasons why they were not able to get all A's, does this not make them worthy of being a nurse because they didnt do well in math? This "superior than thou" attitude is what divides the nursing field. And you are right I am not the type of person that sugarcoats things, but thats not to say that I am not nice when the situation calls for it. I just feel that you get more accomplished when you are upfront about it rather than beat around the bush. Good luck with getting in, I really do mean that.
So a person with a 150 IQ is equal to someone that has a IQ of 100?
RN34TX
1,383 Posts
That was absolutely excellent advice that sounds like a well-seasoned nursing student who has been through it all.
That is exactly how I got through some of my LVN classes as well as A&P and micro for my RN.
Start challenging test questions and start questioning whether or not the material was covered in class.
It works.