Do non related courses count in GPA when applying for a nursing program?

missnurse01, MSN, RN · Oct 15, 2012

I was originally majoring in Mechanical engineering and now want to switch into nursing. The classes i have taken so far for credit are calculus 1, general chemistry 1, english 1 and 2, economics and chicano studies. For personal reasons I ended up dropping calculus one time and retaking it for a B. I dropped chemistry 2 times and retook it for a B. I got a B for English 1 and a C for English 2. For econ and chicano studies I got a B. Right now I'm in calculus 2 , general chemistry 2, and physics. I was going through some though times and was dropping classes over and over. It had nothing to do with me being lazzy. Now i want be a nurse and would like to know how this will affect my chances of getting into a nursing program. The only class that counts as a pre requisite for the school I'm applying for is English 1. All the other classes are not under the pre requisite courses. The math they require is statistic and the chemistry they require is Chemistry 11 which from what I heard is some sort of intro to chemistry and i assume its way easier than general Chem 1. What I want to know is if those classes will be calculated in my GPA? And if I take statistic and chem 11 and get A's it won't matter that I got a B in calculus 1and chemistry 1 which are both classes i had to retake. In conclusion I want to know if these classes that I originally took to satisfy transfer requirements for Mechanical Engineering hurt my chances of getting into a nursing program? I also want to know if it matters if i drop my current class schedule which is cal 2, chem 2 , and physics. I dont plan on pursuing a degree in engineering anymore

wow lots of questions! I'll take a crack at it...

first off you should call the program you are looking at applying to. They generally either can tell you how they do admissions, or have a little seminar you can go to regarding entry to the nursing program that goes over all the info.

The thing is, in general, you can't take things off your transcript. So even if they are only looking at specific classes to calculate points or whatever to enter the program, they will have your whole transcript in front of you. They may reconsider you if you have poor grades (A's and B's are usually fine unless you are in an area where there are hundreds of people applying to school-then only a 4.0 will get you in), or if you have a lot of withdrawls. I am assuming by saying that you dropped either means that there is no record of the class on your transcript or they are W's. If you get an interview you may have to explain why these occurred.

Often the school's website will have detailed info on how they select their students for the nursing program. If it is not there, you are gonna have to call them to see if they bother with any other class that is not a listed prereq to the program, or if they look at your overall gpa.

good luck!

Saysfaa · Oct 15, 2012

What Iwant to know is if those classes will be calculated in my GPA? All classes that are not dropped before the date to drop without a W on therecord are calculated into your overall GPA - some schools use that rather thana short list of classes, some check that your overall GPA meets a certainminimum and then disregard itand consider only our gpa in a short list ofclasses. "W" are averaged into GPAs as zeros. Some schools will replace the grade if you retake the class, some will count both grades. Just because your current school replaces it doesn't mean a future school will.

Will theBs in Calc I and Chem I matter if I take Stats and Inro Chem and will the M. E.classes hurt chances of getting into a nursing program?

I don'tknow. Around here probably not... some people with some Bs even in the classes on the short list (those specific to the nursing program) still get in and Bs in classes not required bythe program would not hurt (actually, they wouldn't even be seen by theadmissions committee at some schools); some areas of the country or someschools are insanely competitive and any B will hurt.

If acomputer organizes the gpa info, it probably won't notice that they are tougherclasses. If you get an admissions committee who think rather than check boxes,they will know the Calc and Chem are tough classes and the B is much lesslikely to hurt

Does it matter if I drop my current classes?

If it is after the date to drop without a W, then yes. How much it matters varies. If you can show a turn-around from now on, it might not matter very much (depends on the school and how much weight they give to this aspect) ... you will have a little breathing room between now and when you apply to the nursing program.

Some schools are pretty understanding of tough times, most are less understanding of dropping because you discovered you didn't need the class. It is still better to drop than to fail but you probably want to buckle down in your current classes and pass them if you possibly can even if you don't need these classes. You don't need these classes but you do need the better records. Or drop one so you can do better in the others.

wgc2345678 · Oct 15, 2012

Each school is different. For example, my school calculates an admission score for each student, and they set a "cut off" score. If you're above that score,you get in (also based upon slots available). They calculate this score based ONLY on the courses required for the nursing program, TEAS scores, and SAT. If you have a W in any of those particular courses it does lower your score. If the class is not on the list of prerequisites required for nursing, it has no significance at all. Some schools, however, look at your overall GPA and other things, so those classes would effect you. The moral of the story is...find out what your school does. Also, think about applying to several schools to avoid the narrow requirements. Good Luck!

moisesflores8a · Oct 15, 2012

What school is that?

wgc2345678 · Oct 17, 2012

What school is that?

Georgia Highlands College