CSULB deadline questions. Please help!

DarkBluePhoenix · May 7, 2011

Hey everyone!
I have a few questions and very little time, so i'm hoping someone can help me out by answering a few of them regarding deadlines for the CSULB basic nursing bsn.
My decision to go into nursing is fairly recent, so in order to apply this November (and be in school by fall2012) i'm going to have to take all my classes in the summer and fall. Thankfully, despite the limited space in Long Beach City College's pre-nursing courses, i was able to get into the summer session anatomy class that is a pre-req for physiology, which i will be taking fall semester. However, this fall i will also, in addition to physio, have to take chemistry and micro, so it'll be 15 units with those three classes alone.
Be careful taking this many science courses in one semester, especially if you have kids or work fulltime or something. Also, these classes that are major points for getting into CSULB, so it is important that you get all A's or at minimum one B because its competitive!
I have already taken psych, but still need sociology. However, on ASSIST it says that psych and socio are 'support courses.' Does this mean that they will not be factored into my GPA, and thus i don't need to have them finished by the time i apply? Can i finish them in Spring semester and still get in.
They are support courses needed at later years in the program. I think you need them done before your last year of nursing school. So they will be pre reqs then, but if you have them done then you have nothing to worry about. Admission does NOT depend on these courses.
BTW, CSULB looks science pre req GPA and GE GPA (math, english, speech, critical thinking) your overall, they don't look at
Also, when it says you can't have any courses in progress when you apply, i assume that it means when you apply to the nursing program, not the school (in november), is that correct? Are you applying to the SCHOOL in november to enter the SCHOOL (not the program) in fall 2012? as long as you have your basic 4 (look at CSULB transfer admission, not the program) and you have, i think, over 60 transferable units, then you should be eligble for the school. AS FOR THE PROGRAM: you can only have 1 course in progress, but due to the crappy CA budget and the competitiveness, I would NOT RECOMMEND any courses in progress when you apply to the program
The reason i'm asking is because if Socio does have to be finished by the time i apply to the nursing program (january, i think) then that will be 18 units total, which is the max that my CC allows. However, i read in another thread that you can replace grades in your GPA by taking another class in the same area (oral, crit. thinking, etc.), and this makes me want to take another speech course and replace my current B with an A. And if i take another speech course, it'll be 21 units total (which my school allows under special circumstances.)
I am not understanding the limitations on 18 units/24 units.
SOCIOLOGY IS NOT CONTINGENT for admisstion to the PROGRAM, as I stated before, as long as you have it done before your 2nd or 3rd year, you will be fine. They do not take the grade into account either, so if its done and its a C, then its a C, and they don't care cause they look at other courses, and NOT OVERALL GPA.
As for replacing grades, I believe, don't quote me, lol, but I believe that replacing a grade in the EXACT SAME COURSE YOU TOOK reflects badly. IF you were to replace a math grade, lets say you took algebra and got a C, and you want to up your math grade. Well you can take a different course,(in the same category "math") ie. statistics and say you get an A, then they will look at the A.
But if you take speech 101 and get a C, then take it again and get an A, it either reflects badly OR they will take the average of the two grades.
If i do take another speech, it will bring my GE gpa to a 4.0, and i'm sure i can get A's in all my science courses.
Again, don't assume you will get all A's in your science courses...be careful. If you cant handle it, drop one or two of them before the drop date so you don't get a W.
I am really serious about this because its a double-edge sword,
one hand you want to get done faster so you double or triple up, on the other hand you NEED, yes I said NEED all A's to EVEN BE CONSIDERED.
So is a give or take
So if anyone can help me with these deadlines, or have some advice for me, it would be greatly appreciated. I'll be at the information meeting next wednesday and hopefully i can clear some things up there.
The CSULB school website as well as the CSULB School of Nursing will tell you all deadlines. Since you are looking into applying to enter fall 2012 (like me!) they probably won't have the information posted up until late summer or even winter. So all you can do is sit and wait until they post up the information for the next two application cycles
PS: I wrote this in a rush because i have to get to class, but i hope it made enough sense!

It makes sense lol

I know how you feel, I am a transfer as well and I am applying to CSULB in (school in october, as well as CSULA and CSUSB) and teh program, I am applying for Janurary to get into fall 2012.

But I will warn you...with the budget crisis, CA may cut the CSU's anywhere from .5 billion (if we are lucky) to 2 billion this year. Which sucks for us transfers. That means, they will accept less people into the program and less transfers into the school.

Look under CA nursing programs and look up the recent CSULB fall 2011 thread and look at the last few pages on to how, out of 90 spots, they only take the top 25 transfers. So even a 4.0 wont save you (read the thread and you will see a few 4.0 people were rejected)

So be really careful, they may limit transfers again to CSULB.

So if I were you, you really need to apply to more than one school, because if this budget problem gets worse, your looking at not getting in, even with rushing through you courses!

DONT PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET!!!! lol

Anymore advice/tips/ information PM me or leave me a visitor message and Ill help ya

Good luck

lucyc66 · May 14, 2011

Yes! Thanks for answering. I actually read your reply on Tuesday but haven't had time to reply.

The lady who gave the presentation explained everything about the support courses, so i'm clear on that.

Unfortunately, though they have done it in the past, they will no longer be accepting grade replacements. The reason i asked was because i had taken public speaking and gotten a B, so i was thinking i'd take a DIFFERENT speech course and replace my grade. They used to let students do this, but now they will only look at the class you completed first. So even if i took another speech class and got an A, they would only look at my B.

As for limiting transfers, the lady assured us that they fill the 90 spots based solely on your score out of 10. She said that the possibility of giving preference to csulb students has been discussed, but as of now, it is not a factor.

Let's hope this continues because i know i'm going to need all the help i can get. Can't wait til i take the TEAS so i can have an approximate number to see how competitive i am!

Again, thanks for replying, and best of luck!

CluelessNursingGuy · May 14, 2011

BeachBedHead gave great input!

Most people have sociology and psychology done before entering the nursing program, but it won't affect your chances if you decide to take them later on.

Is the whole grade replacement policy new? Just this semester, I heard they still do that, so I'm assuming this change was recent.

Do you happen to be a LBCC student? I wanted to take summer classes there, but they are already full. When a classroom size of 35 students has a waitlist of over 100+ students, you get a real sense of how many people want do nursing as well as the gravity of California's budget cuts. Anyway you're lucky to have secured a spot, especially if you're going to have Dr. G as your anatomy teacher. I heard he's great! Anyway good luck!

DarkBluePhoenix · May 14, 2011

Yes! Thanks for answering. I actually read your reply on Tuesday but haven't had time to reply.
The lady who gave the presentation explained everything about the support courses, so i'm clear on that.
Unfortunately, though they have done it in the past, they will no longer be accepting grade replacements. The reason i asked was because i had taken public speaking and gotten a B, so i was thinking i'd take a DIFFERENT speech course and replace my grade. They used to let students do this, but now they will only look at the class you completed first. So even if i took another speech class and got an A, they would only look at my B.
As for limiting transfers, the lady assured us that they fill the 90 spots based solely on your score out of 10. She said that the possibility of giving preference to csulb students has been discussed, but as of now, it is not a factor.
Let's hope this continues because i know i'm going to need all the help i can get. Can't wait til i take the TEAS so i can have an approximate number to see how competitive i am!
Again, thanks for replying, and best of luck!

Grade replacement? Even taking an entirely different course? Hmm thats going to screw me over.because I took trig which they won't take, got a B:heartbeat and then took pre calculus and got a C which they take. I was going to say screw it and take stats this fall. Well I don't know who you spoke to but I don't think the grade replacements a little fishy. When you fillout the application you list the course equivalenceof the pre reqs. so say I take stats and get an A. when the application needs to be filled out, under the math section I write I took stats and here's my grade. the proof is one the transcripts. if its true.I.guess I'm screwed

lucyc66 · May 17, 2011

@CluelessNursingGuy

I'm pretty sure the lady said the policy on replacing grades (with a DIFFERENT course)is new.

And i am an LBCC student! And if i hadn't already been here for two years, i probably wouldn't have gotten a spot either. There were only three spots left when i registered (and i had a relatively early registration appointment). I heard most teachers take more students than they should though, i have a friend who is a nursing student at LBCC, and she got into a class where she was number 80 on the waitlist! go figure.

I hope Dr. G is as great as everyone says he is, summer courses can be frustrating enough as it is.

lucyc66 · May 17, 2011

Grade replacement? Even taking an entirely different course? Hmm thats going to screw me over.because I took trig which they won't take, got a B:heartbeat and then took pre calculus and got a C which they take. I was going to say screw it and take stats this fall. Well I don't know who you spoke to but I don't think the grade replacements a little fishy. When you fillout the application you list the course equivalenceof the pre reqs. so say I take stats and get an A. when the application needs to be filled out, under the math section I write I took stats and here's my grade. the proof is one the transcripts. if its true.I.guess I'm screwed

This was the one bit of information that i really neaded clarification on, so i am certain that that is the new policy. You can always call and ask i guess. There was some misunderstanding over what they do with replacing grades for the same course, but maybe you can take precalc again and they might average them out.

CluelessNursingGuy · May 17, 2011

@ucyc66- How does that work? Do they randomly pick people from the waitlist? It's hard to believe they would take 80 students from a waitlist.

lucyc66 · May 19, 2011

@ucyc66- How does that work? Do they randomly pick people from the waitlist? It's hard to believe they would take 80 students from a waitlist.

No, they have to take them in chronological order. What happens is a lot of students from the waitlist don't show up (because their number is so high they know they don't stand a chance, so they don't even try). What happened with my friend is that she waited outside the classroom after the teacher had kicked all the people who there was no room for out, and someone ended up dropping the first day, so she got to take that person's place. It was a long shot, but i imagine the teacher took in a lot of waitlisted students in order for her to be next in line.