Don't have the grades.. Can I still be a nurse?

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it depends on what kind of program you are trying to get into. Do you want an associates degree or 4-yr BSN?

For a BSN, you will have to have a minimum GPA (sometimes it's 2.0, 2.5 or 2.75) to just transfer to the university alone where you will have to apply for the nursing program. You need to see what schools you are interested in. Then, for the nursing program, sometimes they take the overall GPA, science GPA, or a list of pre-reqs from which they will calculate the GPA. Usually it is one of the last two. And then you will compete with many, many others for 100 or so spots. In addition, they will ask you take a pre-entrance test like the HESI which you will have to make a minimum score in each area in order to apply.

For an associates degree at a community college, they usually calcuate your GPA from a list of pre-reqs you need to take in order to apply for the nursing program. Also, you will need an entrance exam, like the one mentioned above.

If any of the classes you did bad in are one of the pre-reqs for the nursing, then you will have to re-take that class. Usually you can get away with 1 or 2 B's, but don't have more than 2 of them on the pre-reqs and you will be safe. If you have more than 2 B's on the pre-reqs you need to make a decision: is it better/faster to re-take the class maybe in a mini/summer class or is it better/faster to apply with more than 2 B's, get rejected, and then have to re-apply after possbily re-taking the class. That choice is up to you. Any program you choose will be competitive since nursing is highly desirable.

Also, you said your friend mentioned getting an associates degree in science will help you? I don't think that will help, since the only time it helps on a nursing application is when you have a 4 yr Bachelors degree from previous (atleast for a BSN program; don't know about the associates in nursing). Don't waste time getting an associates in science. Just start re-taking those pre-reqs if they are bad grades.

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Another thing, is that after this semester and the upcoming fall semester, I should have a GPA of around 3.0-3.5. I had a full time job, but now I can concentrate more on my schooling.

I know TWU is out fo the question, can anyone recommend a good school?

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What classes are the ones that i need to be retaking? I have a C in History 1301, should I be retaking that?

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the bad, and sad, thing is that all schools have different pre-reqs that you need to take. you just need to look that up for each school. it's easy to do. Here is TWU's: http://www.twu.edu/nursing/bs_admission.asp scroll down to required courses and you will see them.

Also, why do you say that TWU is out? they only look at the pre-req GPA. they will not even look at your overall GPA, like most schools.

Try to get into a public shcool first. If all else fails, I would try a private one like Baylor or TCU. Private ones are very pricey.

If you PM me your grades, I can advise you. Just PM me the pre-reqs for the school of your choice. Or you can make an apointment with a nursing advisor at your choice school. I know the one I went to at TWU was very nice. If you are worried they will laugh at your overall GPA or say something, don't worry. They won't. They are paid to help students. If they cared about the overall GPA, then they would take that instead of the pre-req GPA. A "C" in history 1301 is not as bad as a C in a science course, but it will dent your pre-req GPA. it really depends on your other grades. I re-took 2 classes history 1 and goverment 2 since i had B's in them; i re-took them for A's and made A's since I really focused on it.

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I think a back door into a nursing school would be to become an LVN or a paramedic. It would give you a great feel for the medical field. I personally choose to go the paramedic route because the local fire department paid for it and I knew it would give me another avenue into a nursing program. Traditional programs are very very competitive. San Jacinto College offers a transitional program for LVN & paramedics to get your RN. They don't have anywhere near the amount of applicants of a traditional ADN or BSN program. I mean that when they say you need a 2.0 or whatever, they mean it. It is a very very challenging coorifice though. The whole program is 3 semesters and you are an RN. I personally had a hard time getting into a BSN program and I have a 3.6 overall gpa and a 4.0 in biology. I applied to TWU and UTHSC 2 times.. both rejected. UTMB rejected once. HBU did accept me but I was naive and didn't look at the cost. Finally I got the acceptance letter for UTMB for this summer. My point is if you want something bad enough you have options and be persistant. My wife took the route I just mentioned because she was in a similar situation to yourself. I will go so far and say she tried the excelcier program which was a complete no-no. Good luck!

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I also retook a hist class and govt class that I made Cs in and made A's. I don't want that to be a reason I don't get an interview at my school! I think someone else posted on here how they had a low GPA and they raised it to 2.75 and they got in, so you can do whatever you put your mind to, but dont overwhelm yourself....take it one step at a time and dont give up! :)

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Retake your classes with a C or lower... that will replace some if they are not too old. Also volunteer and things like that in health care, a lot of schools are looking at those things as well.

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Hi Andrewsvalesen,

As the others have stated, you should definitely retake any of the prereq courses over if you received a grade of C or lower. This will boost your GPA and increase your chances of getting accepted into a nursing program. Just like you, I kind of messed up in my early college years as well, so I went back and retook a few classes while working fulltime, and replaced them all with A's. My GPA has increased to a 3.7 so far.

Also, Prairie View may be an option for you as well. They have a very BSN nursing program, and although it is equally demanding, they are usually not as selective as schools such as UT and TWU. :twocents:

Whatever you do, please don't give up pursuing your goal to someday become a nurse! I know I won't. :up:

OnMyWay2b1

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Depending on the program, the entrance test seems to be a heavily weighted factor, as much or moreso than gpa in some cases (at least it seems to be to me anyway!) As difficult as it can be to study for some portions of these tests the math and science portions are something easily studied for. So while retaking courses might bring your gpa up some, the score you make on the entrance test could really be key. Anyway best of luck and never give up!! :wink2:

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