Hello All - I am searching for an honest opinion!!
I am currently in the process of applying for a few nursing programs around the Kansas City area! I have a BA and an MBA (neither related to nursing).
Upon applying to these programs, I worry that my gpa for my BA (3.2) may hinder my ability to get in! My MBA gpa is 4.0. Anyway, im hoping to get an interview with the schools I apply for, just because I think I can explain my desire to become a nurse a lot easier in person than on paper! But I am a little worried about going in for an interview!
I am an African American female, and I'm really not sure if that could potentially be a disadvantage. Just want to hear opinions. I am asking because one school I looked up was the University of Kansas nursing program. I would love to attend this one as I have heard it was a great school, but even just looking at the photos online of their nursing program, I don't see much diversity at all. It can sometimes be a bit discouraging.
I really think finding a program that values diversity not only with race but gender, previous schooling background, work experience, etc. would be beneficial! Any ideas on this? Thoughts? Advice on schools?
As an Asian-American, I always feel that I should score twice as high on tests and have more activities than others on my applications. Being Asian, made me afraid of not getting into nursing school so I applied to A LOT. I, personally, feel that it is unfair that Asians sometimes have been discriminated because they work harder. Many Asian immigrants came here with nothing as well, yet hard work led to achievement. And now the hard work and American dream that we were told about has led to discrimination in some instances.
While I value diversity, it is discouraging to see medical schools and colleges reject the stereotypical Asian male in favor of another person, perhaps a minority, who has lower grades and fewer extracurricular achievements. That is the discrimination that Asians face. It is a lie which we are told: affirmative action has benefitted Asians.
Well you're angry at the wrong people then. White women are the main benefactors of Affirmative Action.
Well you're angry at the wrong people then. White women are the main benefactors of Affirmative Action.
A lot of people in this thread are stating this as fact. Yet that doesn't explain why women's work status in Northern Europe has improved to at least the same extent and in some cases greater than the women in the USA. This is despite discrimination of any kind (including reverse discrimination) being illegal. Seems like a very fishy fact to me.
Someone should have told my class. White females are definitely not the majority.
It's nice that your class has a lot of diversity (I'm sure plenty of schools do), but that doesn't reflect the larger nursing population. Any source you check will tell you that the overall nursing population is >90% female and >80% white.
Do you have to go out and kill someone to understand murder is wrong? Do you have to get hooked on drugs to know that it wrecks your life?
(Eye roll)
I didn't have children before I became a mother and they are turning out quite nicely.
I'm not saying that minorities are NEVER victims of racism. I never said that. The OP's question was regarding race being an issue in applying for school. Questions regarding race are optional on school applications. Therefore should not be an issue.
Like I said, if anything she'll be given preferential treatment.
If she was asking about applying for a job that may depend on where she lives.
I don't think your race will help or hurt you in applying and being accepted into a program. If you have the grades, the communication skills, and a personality that they see a strong nurse in, you'll find a seat
As an AA, I don't think color should make the OP not apply to nursing school. However, once you get in, that's a whole different story. Many of my AA friends and myself have experienced discrimination on some level while in nursing school. Nursing is a great career, but it's not above racism.
I don't want to downplay your discrimination. I will tell you that in nursing school as a guy and also as someone who served in the military, I faced discrimination repeatedly. Well maybe not discrimination, but I did have to suffer from instructors who flat out said they would not teach disease processes that men suffer from and told me they didn't think men should be nurses. For the sake of keeping my privacy I won't go into the issues I encountered because I served, but nursing school was hell. I am so glad to be done with that chapter of my life. Another Veteran in my class sent a cease and desist email with his lawyer CCd in it. Finally, the instructors left him alone.
Hello All - I am searching for an honest opinion!!
I am currently in the process of applying for a few nursing programs around the Kansas City area! I have a BA and an MBA (neither related to nursing).
Upon applying to these programs, I worry that my gpa for my BA (3.2) may hinder my ability to get in! My MBA gpa is 4.0. Anyway, im hoping to get an interview with the schools I apply for, just because I think I can explain my desire to become a nurse a lot easier in person than on paper! But I am a little worried about going in for an interview!
I am an African American female, and I'm really not sure if that could potentially be a disadvantage. Just want to hear opinions. I am asking because one school I looked up was the University of Kansas nursing program. I would love to attend this one as I have heard it was a great school, but even just looking at the photos online of their nursing program, I don't see much diversity at all. It can sometimes be a bit discouraging.
I really think finding a program that values diversity not only with race but gender, previous schooling background, work experience, etc. would be beneficial! Any ideas on this? Thoughts? Advice on schools?
They say the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. You just proved that wrong.
It's nice that your class has a lot of diversity (I'm sure plenty of schools do), but that doesn't reflect the larger nursing population. Any source you check will tell you that the overall nursing population is >90% female and >80% white.
Your numbers fit my alma mater well. We had roughly 65 students in my traditional BSN program. Only two over 30 years old, one with kids (I fit both those categories). Two males (both white). One African American (female). The other roughly 60 students were white, 20-24 years old, all female.
It's a little different where I work. The unit manager (who just replaced a white female) is a white male, mid 30s. All of the full time charge nurses are female. The floor nurse staff has a little bit of diversity. (A little bit.) Only one African American (male). Four other males, who are white. One Asian female. One Mexican female. I was to say that is roughly a third of the staff? Maybe a tiny bit less than a third. The rest is female and white, all ages.
If we were to talk about the MDs, though, totally different demographics. It's a small hospital hours away from a city. Mostly male, mostly middle Eastern. Off the top of my head without putting much thought into it, I think only one of the hospitalists is white (male). One Asian female, one Pakistani female, and one Indian female.
Yea sure. Sounds like you're back pedaling. At least own up to your opinion (no matter how bigoted it may be).
I'm not back peddling at all and I don't appreciate you making unfounded assumptions. I made my statement, I stand by my statement, I worded it exactly the way it was intended to be worded and before you call me a bigot allow me to remind you that racism goes both ways. Just because someone is a member of a minority group doesn't automatically make them exempt from the same type of racism that they claim others show them.
Thank you for demonstrating my point. You walked right into it.
Back to the original topic, if you read it, which you clearly did not, questions about race are not required to be answered on applications for educational programs any more than they are required for job applications. They are OPTIONAL. Therefore, if the OP feels that her race is going to be an issue before she applies (which I still find weird because a 3.2 is not a competitive undergrad GPA for a top nursing program) then she just meeds to leave that area blank.
The OP is also making additional assumptions based on pictures on the school's website. Exactly how much diversity is she wanting? What number of minorities in pictures would make her happy? Does the OP have evidence to support that pictures directly reflect the diversity of the nursing program or has she considered the web designer isn't even a nurse that probably selected the pictures for the website?
Kandy83
161 Posts
Well you're angry at the wrong people then. White women are the main benefactors of Affirmative Action.