Do I have a chance in becoming a nurse with a low gpa?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 13, 2016

Are you referring to University of Texas at Arlington when you mention UTA? If so, their admissions are competitive because many more people apply than can be accepted into the nursing programs.

If you are willing to commute, Tarleton State's BSN program would admit you with your current GPA. A former coworker lived in Arlington, but commuted to Stephenville to attend Tarleton because she was accepted with a 2.8 GPA.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 17, 2016

Moved to the Pre-Nursing forum for more replies.

kattiiiie · May 17, 2016

I got in to my nursing school with a 3.2 on the nose. You never know what can happen! I wish you the best of luck though!

ZoraNeale · May 18, 2016

I would not retake classes I earned a B in, but that is just me. Your GPA isn't bad, but it may not be competitive enough for the programs in your area. I would apply anyway and see what happens. My school lets anyone in who meets the 2.5 GPA requirement and I live in Kentucky. There are schools out there - you just have to find them.

Take a chance and apply to every school you qualify for based on GPA and pre-requisite completion. The worst they can say is no.

WanderingWilder, ASN · May 19, 2016

I got into nursing school with a 3.4 at my current school but my previous gpa at my last school was 1.9. There are schools that look at more then gpa.

SD123CA · May 25, 2016

Hi!

Some schools give you a list of classes that you can take to count towards a prerequisite. This is usually true for say a critical thinking course, if your school gives u a list of options and you took one of those already and got a B on it I would say take another class from the list and get an A. Hope this makes sense. Also schools don't just look at gpa if you have volunteer experience then that can actually help you. You can also help improve your overall gpa by taking classes that aren't as difficult, but still interest you in say the summer.

Neil B. Ball · May 25, 2016

Hey Hopefuldreamer, I'm sorry about your circumstances. Personally, I'm soon to be enrolling at nursing school, and my concerns are similar to yours. I can empathize with you. Things sound quite rough from your description, and while I don't have the knowledge to contribute academically like the others here, this is what I'd like to say:

I think you should work at developing some positive behaviours to counteract the stress and pressure of your circumstances. I've never known myself to be an optimist, but I'd like to recommend these to you because of how helpful I've found them.

- Keep properly hydrated

- Try to cook most of your own meals

- Wash your face regularly

- Drink some coffee or tea regularly

- Talk to at least one person you care about, daily

- Set aside time to reach at least 7 hours of sleep nightly

- Stretch out for a couple minutes, daily

- Listen to some quiet music

- Stay clean: shower and brush your teeth daily

- Look for opportunities to help others

- Exercise lightly, consider jogging for 20 minutes

- Find and begin to read a book that interests you

- Set aside time to read a book you enjoy

- Take a nap, aiming for 30-40 minutes

- Keep organized with an agenda or planner

- Write and personalize a list of positive behaviours similar to this one

- Print a hardcopy of a list similar to this one, and post it somewhere visible

- When you feel like crying, read through your list until choosing an activity

Stress and pressure, especially related to school, tend to destabilize positive behaviours like these, but they're all worth any of the time and effort you put into them.

Hopefully this helps. :)

oldsockventriloquist · May 25, 2016

Hello to all the future nurses and current nurses! I hope y'all are having a great day. I have been down these days. I'm currently at a cc and I'm about to get an A.A degree, a basic one. I just finished 60 hours and my gpa is a 3.2... I've been really depressed about this. My transcript is filled with Bs and few As. I got high Bs in my A&P 1 and 2 classes ( 88-89) but at my CC there is no B+ or B - just a B. I wanted to transfer to UTA to take the pre nursing courses and I still have to take micro and not sure if I should take it at UTA or the CC In the summer. Since I have so many credits it's hard to bring up my gpa what should I do? Should I retake classes I got a B in and make an A? I feel very desperate, I'm usually postive and determined but I've been crying these days because I can't help but feel I'm not good enough. I keep hearing that they want people with 3.7 gpa and up. What is my chance in getting in UTAs nursing program or any other nursing program? I just need some advice please. Thank you

If you are interested in a particular school, I would call them (UTA) up and see if you have any advice or have a counselor that can give you some feedback with your situation. And let me say one thing and this is the most important part of this comment, do not listen to what other people say, unless they are with the school of nursing or know about the admissions process through firsthand experiences or very close secondhand. For the students in your class that state that you need a 3.7 to get in, I would really check on what the range is for accepted students, as well as the average GPA, from the admissions office. Most of the information I was given from fellow students before applying to nursing school was wrong and I mean really, really wrong. Also, figure out what else they consider apart from grades and see if you can stand out in that respect. If UTA has an information session, I would certainly go to it. I also agree with what's stated above, and I would apply to more than one school. But, I wouldn't give up on a school based on rumors. Good luck!