Do you really drop a letter grade?

My first thought is that you were working yourself up to be worried for no reason- but after considering your question - it's really a matter of the actual program you are admitted into and how much time you are going to dedicate yourself to the school work. Just because you are a B student now - doen't mean you'll be a C student in nursing school. You will only be a C student in nursing school if you let yourself be a C student in nursing school -- It's up to you - not your past grades. Take a deep breath, relax. You can do it!

Thank you! I don't start until Sept. of 07, but I am making myself sick with worry that I won't be able to get the "critical thinking part" thereby failing tests and flunk out!! A current student in the program I will be attending told me that you need to maintain a 75 to stay in and people were crying in the hallways after the last exam just hoping to get in the 60s so that they would be able to stay in the program. Thanks again!

I didn't drop a letter grade! Don't let anyone/anything psych you out.

I did. I was 4.0 all through prereqs. I'd never gotten a B until I got into the nursing program, then I got teo.

Is it true that you really drop a letter grade once you are in nursing school?

There's a reason why you are told that. They aren't just making it up. Part of it is that all the A students completely go to pieces when they get their first B and they can't understand why they study SO HARD and still only got a B. So let me ask you this, if people who are used to achieving A's are still working their tails off and getting B's, what do you think will happen to a B average student?

The other part of it, and this is the part you should spend some time thinking about, is that plenty of people flunk out of nursing school.

1. Sometimes they flunk out because they think they can work 32 hours a week AND go to school.

2. Sometimes they flunk out because they think they can party all weekend instead of study all weekend and pass the class.

3. Sometimes they flunk out because they think they can sleep in two days a week instead of attending lecture, and still pass the class.

4. But sometimes they flunk out in spite of doing their very, very best, in spite of giving it all they got, in spite of saying at the beginning of nursing school "I'm committed to being a nurse and no one is going to stop me."

Which says to me that perserverance alone is not enough to get you through nursing school. You do need a certain amount of brains to do it and if you don't have the brains to do it, it won't matter how badly you want to be a nurse. I have been accused of being "uncaring" for this attitude (right, Trauma?) but then you tell me the replacement conclusion you draw from scenario 4. above.

~don't shoot the messenger

First semester of the nursing program I didn't drop my grade, but after that....yes, now I get "B"s (I use to get "A"s) and have learned to accept it. The grading scale is different for nursing students at my school also 83-B, 92-A......So, I have missed an "A" by 1-2 points several times since 1st semester. oohhhh and we are NEVER given extra credit at all period, not even one question! If you're a "B" student you could probably keep a "B", but not many (if any?) at my school can keep an "A".

There are about 6 students in my class that are already failed because of what others have told them. I think if you read the chapters, attend all lectures, record the class, and understand the materials you should have no problem. English is not my first language and so far I have a 94 average. If I can do it, anyone can.

My grades got better in nursing school. I went from a 3.6 gpa student to a 4.0 student in nursing school. This wasn't because I was in an easy program, HECK NO! It was just that I was more interested in the topics than I was with the pre-reqs and it was exciting to learn things I'd need to know for the rest of my career. Also, I had better study habits with organized study groups and my teachers were EXCELLENT, but difficult. Good teachers make all the difference!

Good luck, and just remember, study hard and you'll be just fine.

Do not listen to what others say. Do not psych yourself out already. I actually was a C student before I started the nursing program. My first 3 semesters I got a B and just missed an A by 1/2-1 point each semester. My last 2 semesters I did get Cs. Our program had a different grading scale as well. A 76 was a D and failing. Just remember a C still = RN. I know there were straight A students in my program who also failed out because when they got their first B they could not handle it. Nursing school is stressful enough without adding more pressure to yourself. Just do your best and know that noone is going to ask you what your grades were as long as you can take care of them thats all they care about. Good luck to you!!

my lifetime gpa is about a 3.8 (i have a bachelor's in another field), so i am used to higher grades on the whole.

the grading scale for ns is higher than the regular classes at my college, so the 92's that used to be an "a", are now a "b".

i am carrying a pretty strong "b" average in my first semester, but i know why it's not an "a" -- i could study longer, harder, and do more than i am doing. i am an older student with 3 kids, 2 grandkids, a husband and lots of other stuff also going on in my life. my mom passed away in march (do you ever get over that?!?), my youngest has left for college (empty-nester), and i'm still getting my bearings from all of that, while switching gears from an it career to nursing and being back in school full-time. i give myself a pass for "only" getting a "b" my first semester.

we have also lost a lot of folks -- some young ones, some who didn't realize they would have to "touch" people, and some who think they'll get through school while doing some of the things that jov points out above.

ns is not easy and you won't slide by, but if you truly want this, will put in the time necessary, practice your skills, and care about people, i wouldn't spend a lot of time stressing about grades at this point. critical thinking is not rocket science; it's about applying the information you have been taught to situations, rather than just knowing definitions. get an nclex review book, or look around at some of the links that have been posted on this site to get a little more comfortable with the concept.

enjoy your free time before you start school and good luck!!

I was an A student before nursing school and made all A's first quarter. At this point I have all "A's" this quarter, though one class is right on the edge of dropping down a half grade (depends on what I get on our final). The main thing is to know the material and how to apply it to your practice. If you pass that really is the main goal, but I am one who likes to do the best that I can, and may want to transfer to finish out my BSN. I want high grades so I don't have to worry about being accepted or not for my BSN.

Thank you for all of your answers! These answers have acutally made me feel better! :wink2: